Thomas, Hugh The Spanish Civil War , London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1961.

Illustrated by Photographs, Plates, Maps. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo Heavy books standard postage charge no extra will be asked for. Dust Jacket in clear protective sleeve a little loss to edges, unclipped. Red cloth with bright gilt titling. No inscription. 720 pages,Photographs, Plates, Maps. Clean and tight. The Spanish Civil War was a matter of passionate concern to a whole generation, not merely in Spain but throughout the world. It seemed to be a symbolic conflict, a clash of fundamental beliefs-between Christianity and Atheism, Reaction and Liberal Democracy, Fascism and Communism-according to one's viewpoint. Now, twenty-five years after the outbreak of the Civil War, it is possible to see the tragedy in its true historical perspective. Until recently many of the important sources of information (for example the German Foreign Ministry Documents) were inaccessible. This is the first history of the war in any language able to take account of these sources, the first that is both objective and comprehensive. The book opens with an account of the root causes of the war and of the social groups, parties and personalities that found *themselves yoked together to form the two sides, each of which was an alliance of often conflicting interests. This leads on to the outbreak and progress of the war and the international entanglements that ensued. Both sides quickly appealed for help and material. Hitler and Mussolini came to the aid of the Nationalists; Stalin, enmeshed in the domestic quarrels that led to the great purges, came more cautiously to the aid of the Republic, though Russian aid was augmented by the formation of the International Brigades composed of volunteers from over fifty countries, most of them Communists. Meanwhile, Britain and France fought for Non-Intervention, though the French Government helped the Republic equivocally. The great battles round Madrid in the winter of 1936-7 are next described, and thereafter the war in the Basque provinces and the Asturias, the relief of the Alcazar and the destruction of Guernica which shocked the world. The central part of the book describes in detail the course of the war through all its campaigns. At the same time it follows the complicated political and social changes that took place on both sides as the various factions struggled against each other. On the Republican side the bitterness of the quarrels, particularly that between the Communists and the Anarchists, made any unified campaign difficult. The Nationalists were more successful in composing their differences and General Franco quickly rose to be the accepted leader. Most importantly, the book also analyses the international repercussions, and traces the way in which a domestic quarrel rapidly became entangled with far greater issues. The last section of the book tells of the Nationalists' victorious campaign in Catalonia, the withdrawal of the International Brigades from Spain, and how the Republic finally disintegrated into an internal war of its own. In his concluding chapters the author sums up the results of the war and in an epilogue gives an account of what has happened to the major characters who were involved in it. Mr Thomas has based his book on intensive first-hand research, going wherever possible to the primary sources. He has drawn heavily on Spanish memoirs which have not appeared in English. On international questions he has made extensive use of German and American Government documents, and he has spoken with many of the leaders on both sides, with war correspondents and with people who fought in the war. Out of one of the great events of our time he has made a memorable book. (Book ref. 128355)  £20.00

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