Men and women from across the globe made their way to Spain in order to actively support the Spanish Republic and to fight fascism during the Spanish Civil War, which was fought between 1936 and 1939.
International Brigades in Spain's Civil War
2500 volunteers went to Spain from Great Britain and Ireland, joining the International Brigades. Of those, 500 were killed in Spain [1].
Many of the International Brigadiers were motivated to fight by the idea that Spain was a front line in the war between democracy and dictatorship. They believed that it might be possible to stop the march of fascism by taking arms against it and fighting in Spain.
Spain in the Slide to World War Two
It is well-documented that General Franco’s Nationalist forces received assistance from Germany’s National Socialist Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, and the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Aspects of the Nazi Blitzkrieg tactics were tested in Spain’s civil war, allowing them to be honed and lessons learned ahead of their employment on the battlefields of Poland, France and various other countries in the Second World War (1939 – 1945).
Some historians argue that when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, less than 18 years after the end of the brutal Great War - which had decimated Europe’s armies and resulted in a generation afflicted by physical and mental injury - countries such as France and Great Britain were not ready to engage in armed conflict. Others believe that firm action at that point would have helped avoid the carnage of 1939 to 1945.
International Brigadiers Awarded Spanish Citizenship
Surviving British and Irish members of the International Brigades were awarded Spanish citizenship in a ceremony on 9 June 2009 at the Spanish Embassy in London, England. Seven of the veterans – Penny Feiwal, Jack Edwards, Paddy Cochrane, Sam Lesser, Joseph Kahn, Lou Kenton and Thomas Watters – attended the ceremony in which the passports were presented by the ambassador, Carles Casajuana. An eighth International Brigadier, Les Gibson, was unable to be present due to health-related reasons [2].
This came about due to the passage of the Law of Historic Memory (Ley de la Memoria Histórica) which was passed by the Cortes, the Spanish Parliament, in October 2007. This followed a 1996 decree which provided all International Brigadiers with honorary citizenship. At that time full citizenship could be claimed, but was dependent upon the Brigadiers renouncing their existing nationality.
George Orwell Not an International Brigadier
Interestingly, George Orwell, the author of the well-known book Homage To Catalonia, was not actually a member of the International Brigades but fought as a volunteer among an Independent Labour Party contingent, which served alongside the Spanish POUM militia.
International Brigade Memorial Trust
The International Brigade Memorial Trust is a British organisation which aims to “promote education, learning and knowledge concerning the historical legacy both of men and women who fought with the International Brigades against fascism is support of the legally elected government of Spain, and those who sustained their fight” as well as maintaining contacts with International Brigadiers and their relatives and friends.
The International Brigade Memorial Trust organises a number of events, exhibitions and educational projects plus a memorial meeting every July at the national Memorial to the International Brigades at Jubilee Gardens in London.
Select Bibliography of Spanish Civil War Sources
Beevor, Anthony The Battle For Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939 (London 2006, Penguin)
Carr, Raymond Spanish Tragedy: Civil War in Perspective (London 1977, Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Thomas, Hugh The Spanish Civil War (London 1961, Hamish Hamilton)
Sources of Facts and Figures
[1] Quoted in the International Brigade Memorial Trust Newsletter, Autumn 2009 edition.
SOURCE:
http://weuropeanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/international-brigades-in-the-spanish-civil-war
International Brigades in Spain's Civil War
2500 volunteers went to Spain from Great Britain and Ireland, joining the International Brigades. Of those, 500 were killed in Spain [1].
Many of the International Brigadiers were motivated to fight by the idea that Spain was a front line in the war between democracy and dictatorship. They believed that it might be possible to stop the march of fascism by taking arms against it and fighting in Spain.
Spain in the Slide to World War Two
It is well-documented that General Franco’s Nationalist forces received assistance from Germany’s National Socialist Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, and the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Aspects of the Nazi Blitzkrieg tactics were tested in Spain’s civil war, allowing them to be honed and lessons learned ahead of their employment on the battlefields of Poland, France and various other countries in the Second World War (1939 – 1945).
Some historians argue that when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, less than 18 years after the end of the brutal Great War - which had decimated Europe’s armies and resulted in a generation afflicted by physical and mental injury - countries such as France and Great Britain were not ready to engage in armed conflict. Others believe that firm action at that point would have helped avoid the carnage of 1939 to 1945.
International Brigadiers Awarded Spanish Citizenship
Surviving British and Irish members of the International Brigades were awarded Spanish citizenship in a ceremony on 9 June 2009 at the Spanish Embassy in London, England. Seven of the veterans – Penny Feiwal, Jack Edwards, Paddy Cochrane, Sam Lesser, Joseph Kahn, Lou Kenton and Thomas Watters – attended the ceremony in which the passports were presented by the ambassador, Carles Casajuana. An eighth International Brigadier, Les Gibson, was unable to be present due to health-related reasons [2].
This came about due to the passage of the Law of Historic Memory (Ley de la Memoria Histórica) which was passed by the Cortes, the Spanish Parliament, in October 2007. This followed a 1996 decree which provided all International Brigadiers with honorary citizenship. At that time full citizenship could be claimed, but was dependent upon the Brigadiers renouncing their existing nationality.
George Orwell Not an International Brigadier
Interestingly, George Orwell, the author of the well-known book Homage To Catalonia, was not actually a member of the International Brigades but fought as a volunteer among an Independent Labour Party contingent, which served alongside the Spanish POUM militia.
International Brigade Memorial Trust
The International Brigade Memorial Trust is a British organisation which aims to “promote education, learning and knowledge concerning the historical legacy both of men and women who fought with the International Brigades against fascism is support of the legally elected government of Spain, and those who sustained their fight” as well as maintaining contacts with International Brigadiers and their relatives and friends.
The International Brigade Memorial Trust organises a number of events, exhibitions and educational projects plus a memorial meeting every July at the national Memorial to the International Brigades at Jubilee Gardens in London.
Select Bibliography of Spanish Civil War Sources
Beevor, Anthony The Battle For Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939 (London 2006, Penguin)
Carr, Raymond Spanish Tragedy: Civil War in Perspective (London 1977, Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
Thomas, Hugh The Spanish Civil War (London 1961, Hamish Hamilton)
Sources of Facts and Figures
[1] Quoted in the International Brigade Memorial Trust Newsletter, Autumn 2009 edition.
SOURCE:
http://weuropeanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/international-brigades-in-the-spanish-civil-war
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