Scots in the Spanish Civil War
Edward Andrews enjoys a carefully-researched study of Scotland’s response to the Spanish CivilWar
Even though it is almost 85 years since the end of the Spanish Civil War, and over 45 years since the death of Franco, the conflict continues to resonate, especially for those who tend to be on the left politically.The 520 Scots who are recorded as having served in the International Brigade in Spain are well memorialised throughout Scotland, while the music is still heard on the folk song circuit.
In Scots and the Spanish CivilWar, Fraser Raeburn sets out to explain why the Scottish response to Spain took the form it did, and to analyse how Scotland’s experience of the conflict differed from that of Britain broadly. Raeburn also aims to ‘make a significant contribution to the history of Scottish politics in the interwar period’, arguing that existing scholarship neglects not only the Spanish Civil War, ‘but often the second half of the 1930s entirely’ (p.4).The book is successful on these counts.
While the Spanish Civil War provides framing for the book, Raeburn acknowledges that the tale of the British battalion’s exploits in Spain has been told several times, so does not recount battles in any detail. He concentrates instead on the people and movements involved in this period of politics. Chapter 2 offers a comprehensive survey of the age, origin, occupation, employment status, social class, religion, marital status and politics of those who volunteered to fight in Spain. Clear, simple tables set out the salient statistics, which are then elaborated upon in the text. The subsequent discussion is anchored in this detailed research.
The book is in part a record of Scottish left-wing politics in the late 1930s. If the past is another country, here is another continent. Raeburn discusses the Communist Party of Great Britain, theYoung Communist League, the Labour Party, the Independent Labour Party, the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement, and the Left Book Club. The two Communist organisations provided more than half the recruits for Spain, while the next largest contributor was the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement. Political identities were not necessarily exclusive. Although 20 volunteers indicated some attachment to the Labour Party or local affiliate, at least eight of these were also members of the Communist Party or a front organisation such as the NUWM. It is insights like this that make the book so valuable as a history of the late 1930s.
In addition to political leanings, geographical location was an important predictor of support for the war. A high proportion of volunteers (255) came from Glasgow and Lanarkshire. Generally, volunteering was strong in traditional mining areas, and volunteers tended to come forward in groups.
The most useful parts of the book are perhaps the three final chapters, which cover notably new ground. Chapter 5 explores the extensive activity on the home front. Fraser identifies two main forms of support for the war effort: communications, which might involve the promotion of political propaganda, and what could loosely be described as humanitarian aid, including provision for injured fighters and support for dependants. Chapters 6 and 7 consider wider ‘domestic solidarity movements’ (p.14), querying how far the war served to unify the Scottish left, and analysing the response of the labour movement. A valuable epilogue discusses subsequent events and examines historians’ neglect of the influence of the Spanish Civil War.
Overall, this is a fine book.The author knows what he is seeking to do, and does it well.
Edward Andrews is a retired Church of Scotland minister with an interest in progressive political movements. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and Edinburgh University.