The Coming Of The Spanish Civil War

Paul Preston's The Coming of the Spanish Civil War is widely regarded as a classic account of the collapse of democracy in Spain and the and outbreak of the civil war. In a narrative that paints a picture of picture of a deeply divided country, he coherently and excitingly outlines the social and economic background to the conflict. Explaining Spain's predicament as a predominantly poor, agricultural country riven by economic inequality, Preston deftly shows how the Republican-Socialist coalition's attempts to reform Spain in the early 1930s were continually undermined and thwarted by right-wing parties and factions. The incompatible interests represented by these two mass parliamentary parties - those of the landless labourers and big landlords, of industrialists and workers - spilled over into conflict which could not be contained within the parliamentary arena, leading ultimately to the outbreak of conflict in 1936.Drawing on archives, diaries and letters of major protagonists,...