Stanley G. Payneis the Hilldale-Jaume Vicens Vives
Professor of History Emeritus at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and the author of many books, including A History
of Fascism, 1914-1915; The Franco Regime, 1936-1975; and Spain: A
Unique History.
Jesùs Palacios is a noted historian,
investigativwe journalist, and adjunct professor at the University
of Madrid.
"An intimate portrait of Franco the man, provoking a lively and
necessary debate about the nature of the dictator's
regime."--Julius Ruiz, author of Franco's Justice
"Francisco Franco is the only major twentieth-century dictator to
die peacefully in his bed--after almost four decades in power. His
regime was brutal, despicable, and in many respects ineffectual,
yet it did not join the Axis powers in World War II and was a
transitional type between traditional military dictatorships and
more recent totalitarian regimes. This book, impeccably based on
the available sources and displaying sober judgment, could well be
the definitive work on the subject."--Walter Laqueur, author of
Fascism: Past, Present, Future
"Add[s] an intimate glimpse into Franco's personal and family life
to the extant historiography of Franco's military career and the
political machinations of his regime. . . . The authors
successfully take great pains to be objective and balanced as they
simultaneously eschew writing a hagiography and situating his
seizure of the state within the context of interwar chaos and
violence. Recommended, all levels/libraries."--Choice
"Franco is that dread thing, 'complex.' He will frustrate a desire
for black-and-whiteness. . . . The new biography by Stanley G.
Payne and Jesús Palacios will tell you what to think about Franco.
Even better, it will tell you how to think about him. That is a
huge gift to an interested reader."--National Review
"The authors face their daunting task with redoubtable advantages
[including] the respect due to their scholarship and erudition. . .
. To write fairly about Franco is a largely thankless, albeit
perhaps remunerative, task, appealing only to those who have a
stomach for a fight or indifference to blows. . . . Stanley Payne
and Jesús Palacios deserve admiration for taking the risk of saying
what little there is to be said on their subject's behalf. Theirs
is a fearless book."--Times Literary Supplement
"Highly readable, the book is at its heart a biography. . . . The
authors do well to demonstrate not only Franco's committed
anti-Communism, but his elaborate and exaggerated fear of
Freemasons, his reluctance for reform, his growing disillusionment
with the Roman Catholic Church after Vatican II, and his sheer
inability to comprehend economic policy."--American Historical
Review
"This highly readable and extremely insightful biography situates
Franco not only in his Spanish context but also in the global
context of 20th-century dictatorships."--Wall Street Journal
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
