Manuel Álvarez Tardío is Senior Lecturer in the History of Political Thought and Social and Political Movements at Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid (Spain). Author or co-author of El camino a la democracia en España, 1931 y 1978 (Madrid, Gota a Gota, 2005); The Spanish Second Republic Revisited (Brighton, Sussex Academic Press, 2012); Politicas del odio: Violencia y crisis en las democracias de entreguerras (Madrid, Tecnos, 2017); and 1936. Fraude y violencia en las elecciones del Frente Popular (Madrid, Espasa, 2017). Fernando del Rey Reguillo is Professor in the History of Political Thought and Social and Political Movements at Complutense University of Madrid.
"The winners of great struggles often write histories of their
triumphs, and this was true in Spain during the decades of the
Franco regime of works about the Republic and Civil War, 1931-39.
Today, few would lend credence to much of the history that was
published under this regime's auspices. But the losers - democrats,
socialists, and anarchists, among others on the Left - won admirers
who, during the same decades, also wrote histories that admired the
losers and were starkly partisan. Hence, an unchanging stalemate in
historical interpretation persisted: for the Francoists, their
cause was nation and church against communism, among other evils;
for others, the events pitted a democratic people against fascism.
Over the past three decades, however, new critical historians have
found their voice in Spain and elsewhere. This important volume,
devoted to key movements and moments in the Republic, is a
collection of 15 articles by such historians, most of whom are
Spanish. Their work is both powerful and provocative, and will
invite both severe criticism and thoughtful engagement. For
example, one historian observes that leftist socialists 'were
embarked on a trail of absurdities...' and ultimately were
"irresponsible." Summing up: Essential." --Choice
"The present volume is a welcome addition to Nigel Townson's Sussex
Studies in Spanish History which continues to offer to
English-language readers significant studies of twentieth-century
Spain. Like all good histories, this collection of fourteen essays
by mostly Spanish scholars debunks myths, i.e. 'an idyllic vision
of the Republic and a Manichean version of its collapse' (p. 4).
... Given its goal of 'de-sacralization, ' it is fitting that
Stanley Payne provides 'A Critical Overview' of the Republic. His
essay is remarkable for its ability to place the Second Republic
into the context of interwar European politics and to compare it -
rather unfavourably - to the more democratic Weimar Republic which
'maintained equal constitutional rights for all sectors of politics
and society' (p. 11). Payne makes the stimulating case that the
final phase of the Spanish Republic should be compared not to
Weimar of 1933 but rather of 1923 'amid ... political crisis,
hyperinflation, social collapse, political extremism, and, finally,
insurrections from left and right' (p. 15). ... ...The inclusion
[in this volume] of more social/economic context might lead to a
greater understanding of both the left's revolutionary desires and
the right's fear of the same. Nevertheless, this coherent
collection accomplishes its main goal of offering to scholars the
most innovative scholarship on the Second Republic. All students of
Spanish history will profit greatly from consulting it." --Michael
Seidman, University of North Carolina, Bulletin for Spanish and
Portuguese Historical Studies
"The raison d'etre behind The Spanish Second Republic Revisited is
not to defend a particular ideological or political standpoint but
to elucidate and explain this dynamic, agitated period in Spanish
history in all its complexity. Certainly, this does not mean that
the authors of this volume share a common vision of the Second
Republic, but it does signal their collective intent to escape the
ideological certainties that have conditioned so much of the work
on the regime." --Nigel Townson, Sussex Studies in Spanish
History
The winners of great struggles often write histories of their
triumphs, and this was true in Spain during the decades of the
Franco regime of works about the Republic and Civil War, 1931 39.
Today, few would lend credence to much of the history that was
published under this regime s auspices. But the losers democrats,
socialists, and anarchists, among others on the Left won admirers
who, during the same decades, also wrote histories that admired the
losers and were starkly partisan. Hence, an unchanging stalemate in
historical interpretation persisted: for the Francoists, their
cause was nation and church against communism, among other evils;
for others, the events pitted a democratic people against fascism.
Over the past three decades, however, new critical historians have
found their voice in Spain and elsewhere. This important volume,
devoted to key movements and moments in the Republic, is a
collection of 15 articles by such historians, most of whom are
Spanish. Their work is both powerful and provocative, and will
invite both severe criticism and thoughtful engagement. For
example, one historian observes that leftist socialists were
embarked on a trail of absurdities and ultimately were
irresponsible. Summing up: Essential. "Choice""
"The winners of great struggles often write histories of their
triumphs, and this was true in Spain during the decades of the
Franco regime of works about the Republic and Civil War, 1931-39.
Today, few would lend credence to much of the history that was
published under this regime's auspices. But the losers - democrats,
socialists, and anarchists, among others on the Left - won admirers
who, during the same decades, also wrote histories that admired the
losers and were starkly partisan. Hence, an unchanging stalemate in
historical interpretation persisted: for the Francoists, their
cause was nation and church against communism, among other evils;
for others, the events pitted a democratic people against fascism.
Over the past three decades, however, new critical historians have
found their voice in Spain and elsewhere. This important volume,
devoted to key movements and moments in the Republic, is a
collection of 15 articles by such historians, most of whom are
Spanish. Their work is both powerful and provocative, and will
invite both severe criticism and thoughtful engagement. For
example, one historian observes that leftist socialists 'were
embarked on a trail of absurdities...' and ultimately were
"irresponsible." Summing up: Essential." --"Choice"
Ask a Question About this Product More... |