Review of
Instaread Summary of Spain In Our Hearts Americans In the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
by Adam Hochschild
Five out of five stars
The Spanish
Civil War is the best historical model for the current war in Syria. It started
as a local uprising against the government and quickly morphed into a proxy war
where other nations committed funding, equipment and troops in the fight that
devastated the country. Another similarity is that committed people from many
countries risked everything, including their lives, to join the fight for the
Spanish Republic. Some of them were Americans and they are the focus of this
book.
The Spanish
Civil War can be roughly described as a prelude to the upcoming battle between
Communism on the side of the Republic (Soviet Union) and fascism on the side of
Franco (Germany and Italy.) Yet, like the rebel side of the Syrian Civil War,
the foreign forces aiding the Republic were composed of many factions, some of
which fought each other.
This is one of
the best Instaread summaries that I have ever read. The writer of the summary
does a superb job in summarizing an extremely complex historical event, from
the basics of the Communism versus Fascism struggle to the motives and idealism
of the Americans that left the comfort of their lives for the uncertain fate of
a foreign battlefield.
I have long
believed that the Spanish Civil War should receive more attention in the study
of history, this summary could serve as a primer in such courses.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes.
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