Republic of egos : a social history of the Spanish Civil War / Michael Seidman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seidman, Michael (Michael M.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spain--History--Civil War, 1936-1939--Social aspects.

Spain.

Spain--Social conditions--1886-1939.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 304 pages) : maps

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press, c2002.

Summary:

Most histories of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) have examined major leaders or well-established political and social groups to explore class, gender, and ideological struggles. The war in Spain was marked by momentous conflicts between democracy and dictatorship, Communism and fascism, anarchism and authoritarianism, and Catholicism and anticlericalism that still provoke our fascination. In Republic of Egos, Michael Seidman focuses instead on the personal and individual experiences of the common men and women who were actors in a struggle that defined a generation and helped to shape our world. By examining the roles of anonymous individuals, families, and small groups who fought for their own interests and survival-and not necessarily for an abstract or revolutionary cause-Seidman reveals a powerful but rarely considered pressure on the outcome of history. He shows how price controls and inflation in the Republican zone encouraged peasant hoarding, black marketing, and unrest among urban workers. Soldiers of the Republican Army responded to material shortages by looting, deserting, and fraternizing with the enemy. Seidman's focus on average, seemingly nonpolitical individuals provides a new vision of both the experience and outcome of the war.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

List of Maps

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Bringing Back the Individual

1. Militancy

2. Opportunism

3. Cynicism

4. Survival

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 279-289) and index.

ISBN:

9786612765834

9781282765832

1282765833

9780299178635

0299178633

OCLC:

669515293