Product Description

No war in modern times has inflamed the passions of both ordinary people and intellectuals in the way that the conflict in Spain in 1936 did. The Spanish Civil War is burned into European consciousness, not simply because it prefigured the much larger world war that followed it, but because the intense manner of its prosecution was a harbinger of a new and horrific form of warfare that was universally dreaded. At the same time, the hopes awakened by the attempted social revolution in republican Spain chimed with the aspirations of many in Europe and the United States during the grim years of the great Depression. This is a full-blooded account of this pivotal period in twentieth-century European history. Paul Preston vividly recounts the struggles of the war, analyzes the wider implications of the revolution in the Republican zone, tracks the emergence of Francisco Franco's brutal (and, ultimately, extraordinarily durable) fascist dictatorship and assesses the ways in which the Spanish Civil War was a portent of the Second World War that ensued so rapidly after it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19281 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 381 pages

About the Author
Paul Preston is Principe de Asturias Professor of Iberian History at the LSE, and was head of the International History Department there for several years. He is regarded as the leading historian of twentieth-century Spain alive.

Customer Reviews

Concise and well written
While this may not be the most complete book about the Spanish Civil War, it is a pleasantly well written and concise account of the conflict.
It provides a good overview of the civil war years, without the pain of going through dates, battles and all the detail that you may find on other history books. It does have a good index of references at the end though.Paul Preston's prose has such a good rithm that it feels almost like reading a novel.
A good recomendation for those that wish some general knowledge about the war. If you want something more detailed (with pictures, front evolution maps etc) you will need to go for a bigger volume.

Fine work
This book was essentially re-edited owing to the 70th anniversary of the war that started last year and will end in 2009. Preston's work on the subject is exemplary to begin with and this particular book is no exception.
Admittedly, I brought it to help with study and read it to help with revision some months later. However, Preston's book is interesting and informative on the matter. It might not be as long as others on the war but it is nonetheless a fine work. It is a perfect book for those who know little or nothing on the war and should not be overlooked when considering the war.

Excellent.
A superbly written brief history of the Spanish Civil War, well documented and very revealing. It is no sin to defend the constitutional government of the Republic and criticize ( or rather describe things as they really happened) a group of fascist generals who rose against it. Paul Preston's books are always a treasure and his knowledge of contemporary Spanish History impressive.