The Spanish Civil War: A Military History takes a new, military approach to the conflict that tore Spain apart from 1936 to 1939.

In many histories, the war has been treated as a primarily political event with the military narrative subsumed into a much broader picture of the Spain of 1936-9 in which the chief themes are revolution and counter-revolution. While remaining conscious of the politics of the struggle, this book looks at the war as above all a military event, and as one in whose outbreak specifically military issues - particularly the split in the armed forces produced by the long struggle in Morocco (1909-27) - were fundamental. Across nine chapters that consider the war from beginning to endgame, Charles J. Esdaile revisits traditional themes from a new perspective, deconstructs many epics and puts received ideas to the test, as well as introducing readers to foreign-language historiography that has previously been largely inaccessible to an anglophone audience.

In taking this new approach, The Spanish Civil War: A Military History is essential reading for all students of twentieth-century Spain.

About the Author

Charles J. Esdaile has been a member of staff in the Department of History at the University of Liverpool since 1989 and was awarded a personal chair in 2004. He is the author of numerous works on Spanish history including Spain, 1808-1939: From Constitution to Civil War (Blackwell, 2000).

Reviews

'The Spanish Civil War, for all its social, political and cultural dimensions, was also in essence a military conflict. The military nature, which is often overlooked by historians, is centrepiece in Charles Esdaile's fascinating new study. Based on an extensive range of old and new sources and lavishly furnished with first-hand accounts throughout, this highly readable history debunks many hallowed myths surrounding the conflict and stresses the role of the Moroccan wars in the divisions within the Spanish army which in 1936 made civil war possible. Our understanding of the Spanish Civil War and Spain's fateful modern history more broadly will be enriched by this comprehensive work.'

Mark Lawrence, Lecturer in Military History, University of Kent, UK

'Professor Esdaile brings to this military study of the Spanish Civil War the forensic skills of an accomplished historian and a profound knowledge of Spanish politics and culture as it has been honed during his distinguished career as a scholar of contemporary Iberian politics and society. The scope of this volume includes a close analysis of the sequence of battles and an assessment of the military prowess and preparedness of the Republican and the Nationalist adversaries. Military events in the field are deftly set within their particular political contexts and include as well the daily wartime experiences of soldiers and civilians. This fine volume makes a considerable contribution to Hispanic scholarship. Equally it will appeal to the general reader with an interest in twentieth-century war and as it was played out in the specific conditions of the civil war in Spain.'

Judith Keene, University of Sydney, Australia, and author of Fighting for Franco: International Volunteers in Nationalist Spain during the Spanish Civil War (2007) and, with Elizabeth Rechniewski, Seeking Meaning Seeking Justice in a Post Cold War World (2018).

Book Information
ISBN 9781138311275
Author Charles J Esdaile
Format Paperback
Page Count 392
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 580g