Integrative essay

Any war is a tragedy for people who participate in it. But however civil wars have the special bitter property than any other war. If international conflicts sooner or later will end with signing of certain agreement after which armies who were the enemies in past will go away and return on the motherland, then the internal wars come into collisions with families, friends and neighbors. And the inevitable «peaceful» coexistence of these people, disfigured by flashbacks comes after the civil war completion and we should mention that to forgive all offences is this case is higher than human forces. Civil war in Spain legalistically proceeded three years - from 1936 to 1939th. But also by many decades later the government of General Franco became stronger and continued to conduct an imaginary fight for a «national idea», and more precisely - for its illusion. The government tried to join a population against a «communist threat» or inside plots and other so ephemeral dangers. All of this became the inalienable part of the post-war system of power. But for a great regret the war of Spanish against Spanish did not over with the war end, it was impossible to liquidate it through empty political slogans and absence of actions.

Today, after 70 years of the bloodiest page in the fate of Spain opening, the experience of constitutional democracy allows to give a glance on a revolt and mode of Franco without prejudices, without the unappeased thirst of revenge, without hatred - hidden or obvious. Lately began popular to appeal to collective memory. This task is how praiseworthy, so and difficult: taking into account changeability of human relation to the same events, the way to the memory of heart should be accurate because it must help people to be  higher than a desire to take revenge. It is necessary to have nerve to listen to a true and give a contribution to the heroes of the Civil war, whatever part of “barricades” they were from. In fact heroism, in any event, was genuine.

In retrospect, it may seem surprising that the Spanish Civil War instantly mobilized the sympathies of both Right and Left in Europe and the America’s, notably of the Western world’s intellectuals. This situation has an interesting character and dual nature. Yet it was no accident that the domestic politics of that notoriously anomalous and self-contained country became the symbol of a global struggle in the 1930’s. They raised the fundamental political issues of the time: on the one side, democracy and social revolution, Spain being the only country in Europe where it was ready to erupt; on the other, a uniquely uncompromising camp of counter-revolution or reaction, inspired by a Catholic church which rejected everything that had happened in the world since Martin Luther. We know many historical facts that we can used as acknowledgment of previously stated information. For example, the Nationalists, as the rebels were called, during the war period received aid from fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans vice versa received aid during the war period from the Soviet Union, as well as from International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and the United States.

Describing the atmosphere of the first months of civil war, we can emphasize that not only workers but also lower middle class, peasantry and intelligentsia hated Spanish soldiery which trampled national pride. Word "freedom", a long ago depreciated in many countries of Europe, here yet inspired the whole nation.  The logic of class struggle inexorably required converting of Spanish revolution into socialistic. Preeminently around this question was developed a political fight in rows of republicans. Resistance rebels from the first days was accompanied the active revolutionary actions of the Spanish workers. Peasants took squire lands. Workers nationalized factories and transport. As soon as a revolt blazed up, they demanded distribution of weapon to them from governmental arsenals, on what authorities, though with reluctance, were forced to go. The organs of working power were created: revolutionary committees, workings patrols that changed an old bourgeois police, detachments of working militia, organized trade unions. Revolutionary character of events in Spain caused the extreme anxiety of "liberals" in capitalist countries.

Spanish communist party, however much it seemed paradoxical on the face of it, occupied similar position and did everything, to prevent further development of revolution. Its leaders asserted that it is necessary to aspire not to social revolution and capture of power by workers, but to defence of bourgeois democracy. In the conditions when a country was in the transitional state and could either take a course on socialism or go back into position of usual capitalist republic, they defended an unrevolutionary way persistently. Such line was dictated by Moscow, on the pointer of which a communist propagandized the followings slogans: "Presently uniquely an important purpose is victory. Without victory in war all loses the sense, and therefore now is not a time to talk about expansion of revolution... On the present stage we fight not for dictatorship of proletariat, we fight for parliamentary democracy. Person, who tries to convert civil war into socialistic revolution, helps fascists and, if not intentionally, then objectively is a betrayer”. Such line straight followed from Stalin’s international strategy. By the unique unexpected feature of the Spanish situation, causing mass of misunderstanding outside a country, there was that communists occupied in rows governments place not on far-left, but on an utterly right flank. In actual fact nothing surprising was not herein, because tactic of communist parties is in other countries, foremost in France, with all, rotined evidence, that an official communism it is necessary to examine, in any event presently, as antirevolutionary force. A communist "line" in Spain quite obviously depended on circumstance that France, ally of Russia, did not want to have a revolutionary neighbor in the face of Spain.

Thus, taking into account all above mention we can conclude that such political strategy and tactic caused alienation of great number of potential fighters from Spanish civil war. Since war in Spain grew into "war for democracy" became impossible to secure mass support of working class of foreign countries. If we are ready to look in a person to the facts, we are forced will be to acknowledge that a world working class behaved to war in Spain indifferently. Ten of thousands arrived to Spain, to battle, but ten of millions apathetical remained behind. During first-year of war in England it was collected in different Spanish funds only near the four of million pounds, probably, half as much sum, expended weekly on the cinema. The working class of democratic countries could help the Spanish comrades by strikes and boycott. But about it there was not even speech. Workings and communist leaders declared in entire countries, that it is unthinkable; they were undoubtedly right - in fact they at the same time in all gullet yelled, that "red" Spain quite not "red". After the World War I the words "war for democracy" purchased the ominous sounding. During many years communists taught the workers of the whole world, that "democracy" - it is not more streamlined determination of concept "capitalism". At first to declare: "Democracy is deception", and then to call to "battle for democracy" is not the best tactic for politicians. In such a way the Spanish Civil War has a dual character and it greatly change the attitude of population to the governments circles.