The Spanish Civil War - Books to read

Spanish Civil War History

Our “civilisation” has supported slavery, genocide, environmental destruction, and extremes of inequality. Of course, there’s no alternative, is there? We’re here to talk about Anarchy, or so Paul tells me. Back in the 20s and 30s – after the war to end all wars – many people were passionate about discussing and developing alternatives such as anarchy. Back then the word anarchy didn’t conjure up an image of Johnny Rotten, or a man dressed in black throwing bricks at the police.

I’ve read a few books about the SCW over the last 12 months. For me the SCW symbolises an era when ordinary people truly believed in the power of politics and ideology to change the world. It seems to me that far fewer people seriously question our f***ed up world in the early twenty first century. Many people seem to swallow the high consumption, high wastage model of happy consumerism with scarcely a second thought. I mean who’s got the time when there’s a plethora of celebrity fixated media to consume?

One person who resolutely rejects all that crap is Stuart Christie.

Stuart’s an interesting character as he wasn’t even born during the SCW, but nonetheless was inspired to try and assassinate General Franco in 1964 when he was still only 18. Far from his home in Glasgow and unable to speak Spanish he was arrested meeting his Spanish contact. In 1971 he was arrested again, this time in Britain, suspected of being a member of the Angry Brigade.

Stuart’s autobiography, ‘Granny Made Me an Anarchist’ tells the story of these exploits and much more besides. The book works on so many levels. It's an insightful social history that touches on changes in Europe - and especially Britain - in the 50s, 60s & 70s. It's provides a great overview of radical politics during the same period. It's a great exploration of the legacy of the SCW and the way the ideas endured beyond the 1930s.

The early 70s are evoked especially well - the radical politics, an establishment on the run and the bent coppers. It's also the story of an exceptional man - basically an ordinary working class bloke who happened to hold very strong political convictions and wanted to change society. He is very thoughtful and realistic about his ideals and what he managed to achieve. The book is fascinating; Stuart's personal story is riveting and his ideas are still completely valid and contemporary.

Laurie Lee did an amazing thing. One midsummer morning he walked out of his childhood home in the Cotswolds (described in entertaining detail in the fabulous ‘Cider with Rosie’) and walked to Spain via London (described in ‘As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning’). The final part of the trilogy - ‘A Moment of War’ – covers Laurie’s return to Spain during the SCW. The introduction is brilliant. Laurie schleps across the Pyrenees to volunteer only to be arrested as a spy. I won’t say anymore, suffice to say it is gripping stuff. If you have the time and the inclination then read all three books. By the time you get to ‘A Moment of War’ you’ll adore Laurie’s fabulous powers of description and understated bravery.

George Orwell’s ‘Homage to Catalonia’ provides a great insight into the politics of the SCW. It also appears to have inspired a number of the scenes in Ken Loach’s splendid SCW film ‘Land and Freedom’. George’s description of Barcelona immediately after the revolution will live long in my memory – a real glimpse of a socialist utopia. Alas it was all too brief and ultimately factionalism defeats the allies as George explains later in the book. George includes a lengthy couple of appendices that help the reader to understand the politics and the various political factions around at the time. The book is a great read and provides the best overview of both the politics, and the experience of a Brit volunteering to fight the fascists.

Ernest Hemingway’s ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ tells the story of an American volunteer who leads a small band of rebels, hiding in the mountains behind fascist lines, who have to blow up a bridge. There’s a great section that describes the scenes in one village following the “revolution”. Unpopular landowners are systematically executed in public. This is just one of the many ways Ernest highlights the brutality that marred the era. For an insight into the fascist’s revenge checkout Stuart Christie’s book or Giles Tremlett’s ‘Ghosts of Spain’. Ultimately ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ is great literature that happens to be about the SCW, rather than a great book about the SCW. It’s still well worth a few hours of your life.

Hemingway sprawled in the grass, helping a Loyalist to un jam his rifle. Photo Capa.

I hope this summary inspires you to pick up a few of these books. Start with Stuart Christie’s, then read George Orwell and then follow whatever direction inspires you. Remember our grandparents thought these ideas were worth fighting for and maybe dying for.

Anarchy for the UK, it’s coming some day and maybe…..

Nigey B October 2007

The following is a list of books, selected by Blitzkrieg Bob and Person Unknown, that would be of interest to anyone wanting to find out more about Anarchism. (Most of them are available from A.K Press http://www.akuk.com/ ). The first 3 are particularly recommended as starting points.

Marshall, Peter, Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism, Fontana, London, 1993.

Meltzer, Albert, Anarchism: Arguments for and against, 7th Revised Edition, AK Press, Edinbrugh/San Francisco, 2000.

Ehrlich, Howard J, Carol Ehrlich, David De Leon, Glenda Morris (eds.), Reinventing Anarchy: What are Anarchists thinking these days?, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1979.

Orgasms of History: 3000 Years of Spontaneous Insurrection AK Press

Noam Chomsky on Anarchism, available at: http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/interviews/9612-anarchism.html

Bookchin, Murray, Post Scarcity Anarchism, 3rd Edition, AK Press, Edinburgh/Oakland, 2004.

Christie, Stuart and Meltzer, Albert, The Floodgates of Anarchy, Kahn & Averill, Southampton, 1984.

Direct Action Movement, Winning the Class War: An Anarcho-Syndicalist Strategy, Direct Action Movement-IWA, Manchester/Glasgow, 1991.

Friends of Durruti, Towards a Fresh Revolution, available at: http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/fod/towardsintro.html

Kropotkin, Peter, Mutual Aid, Freedom Press, London, 1987.

Leval Gaston, Collectives in the Spanish Revolution, Freedom Press, London, 1975.

Meltzer, Albert, I Couldn't Paint Golden Angels, AK Press, Edinburgh, 1996.

Richards, Vernon, Lessons of the Spanish Revolution, 3rd Edition, Freedom Press, London, 1983.

Spain 1936-39 Social revolution and Counter Revolution: Selections from the Anarchist fortnightly Spain and the World, Freedom Press, London, 1990.

Skirda, Alexandre, Nestor Makhno Anarchy's Cossack: The struggle for free soviets in the Ukraine 1917-1921, AK Press, Edinburgh/Oakland, 2004

Revolution in Danger: Writings from Russia, 1919-1921, Redwords, London, 1997.

Augustin Souchy With the Peasants of Aragon

Miguel Garcia's Story GARCIA, Miguel. Cienfuegos Press

PORTER, David (Ed), Vision on Fire - Emma Goldman on the Spanish Revolution. AK Press Paperback

Also recommended is the exhaustive Anarchist FAQ site - http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/