SCW Discussion Thread

[H.M.Stanley]

Thanks chap

I need to pick your brains on the South-West theatre at some point. I was in Madrid a couple of years back, Seville last year and earlier this year went on a [Napoleonic Penninsular War] battlefield tour of Salamanca, Badajoz etc etc with friends.

I could have taken a different set of books and switched straight over to SCW.

The locals were lovely and politely amused that a bunch of Brits would be over tramping fields etc on a PW battlefield tour. I think it could have been awkward discussing SCW though.

Best

James

[Arlequín]

You're welcome to do that any time James, but at present my knowledge base is as shallow as a pot of seaside cockles.  

Other than reading up in a general sense, I went for starting before the beginning and then working forwards... I still haven't reached the beginning on most topics.


As for discussing the Civil War in Spain, I wouldn't go as far as the Basil Fawlty "don't mention the war" tactic, but like discussing the Blitz in an East End pub, or the merits of the Japanese Army in the local British Legion, some degree of tact and courtesy, depending on who you are talking to and where, might be advisable sometimes.
 

[H.M.Stanley]

I had to put SCW aside for a while after getting about a third of the ways through "The Spanish Holocaust". Very hard reading, the subject matter that is.

I'm not surprised that some (considerable) tact would be needed discussing the matter in Spain. I think when i go back it would be on an Official Tour

I'm looking at your lists and seeing what i can come up with the figures that i have

[Arlequín]

That's one book I chose not to read as it goes places I don't really want to go.

I heartily recommend ¡Guerra! by Jason Webster though, if you want a more 'humanist' approach to the legacy of the war... although how far he sensationalises his experiences is questionable. It's a good read regardless though.  

While I haven't accosted every Spaniard, Basque or Catalan I've met with questions about the war, I think it's perhaps overstated as regards its sensitivity... you will get a guaranteed more emotional and potentially volatile response by mentioning Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona in the same sentence in the main.

[Suber]

...depending on who you are talking to and where...

Hehe, I suppose that, as everywhere, that's the key . I find it most interesting this kind of threads and people from overseas showing interest in that period, making us to look at it with more than our own local and limited scope. Though being still far from moving on, it's a topic you should be able to talk about without worries with most people. Of course you will find unpolite extremists (again I guess that as everywhere), but it is not a real 'problem'. Curiously I have found that the most radical people (on both postures) are the ones who hadn't lived that period, not even close.
I'm afraid we still lack of a studying-our-own-History culture (in the broadest sense ).

you will get a guaranteed more emotional and potentially volatile response by mentioning Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona in the same sentence in the main.

  That's for sure!

[H.M.Stanley]

... you will get a guaranteed more emotional and potentially volatile response by mentioning Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona in the same sentence in the main.

  point taken

[paul c]

Preston's "Spanish Holocaust" is one I've put off reading, too. You know it goes to be awful, but I suppose it has to be done if you want to be able to claim to know about the SCW.

[nicknorthstar]

It's Real Madrid and FC Barcelona that have the proper rivalry. And that dates back to the SCW. Real were Francos team, so after the war received lots of money and favour, whereas anything to do with Anarchist Barcelona was punished. It was only a few years ago the manager of Barca was slagging Real off saying they think they still think they can do what they want, but they can't now the Fascist patronage has gone (or something along those lines)

[Arlequín]

You are quite correct and mea culpa for not paying much attention at the time. I wasn't aware of the back story though, so cheers! I'm trying to picture Franco on the terraces in his bobble-hat and woolly scarf, twirling his rattle like billy-o now.

... but Nick, I posted that almost a year and a half ago. 

[H.M.Stanley]

I'm reasonably sure that Athletico were Franco's finest but too lazy to check before posting ...

EDIT : Oops 

[Durutti]

He did back Athletico in the early days, when they were Atlético Aviacion de Madrid. They had an association with the Spanish Airforce. Later on though, when Real started to win, he used them to promote Spain. Funny thing is, he issued a decree banning foreign players early on, but the success of Real was based around their foreign imports. Anything that would show Spain in a better light, was jumped on by Franco.......bear in mind, this is the man who cheated Cliff Richard out of a Eurovision win 

[Arlequín]

It wasn't just Barça that suffered though, all the Catalonian teams especially, along with other staunchly 'red' or separatist regions, found themselves under or unfunded. Groups of supporters clubs or penya for each team were formed to provide the funding to keep the teams going.