For many people, the first reference point for the Spanish Civil War will probably be Orwell's 1938 memoir Homage to Catalonia (or maybe Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls), so it makes sense that Hochschild's book on Americans who volunteered there, despite the fact that Eric Blair a.k.a.
Mike, thank you for such a terrific essay. My sincere compliments. While I did read ‘Homage to Catalonia’ by Orwell, I agree with you that you never got much background in Orwell’s book as to the exact causes and consequences of the Spanish Civil War, so I appreciated your further deliberations. Interesting also, to read about Hemingway’s presence in Madrid and also what Miller’s attitude was. Nevertheless, when Orwell did not provide much actual background in ‘Homage to Catalonia’ the book was devastating in the sense that it provided the reader with the sense of despair of fighting against Franco’s troops. When Franco was still in power, I remember, when on holiday in Catalonia, people were severely punished for speaking Catalan or even make a tiny allusion to things Catalan. There are still, till this day, indications of Franco’s legacy, like in the village I stay often at the Costa Blanco, there is a mountain site called ‘the German Mountain’, of which I only heard a few years ago that this beautiful mountain site with fantastic views was a gift of Franco to the Germans for their help during the Civil War. I was shocked to hear it. Sometimes you also notice Franco’s face in high up murals. Indeed, until this day, the Spanish population knows exactly which towns and villages were backing Franco’s troops. But, then again, we have a same phenomenon here in the Netherlands that people till this day know who were German collaborators during the war.
Thanks, Hanneke. I agree, Homage to Catalonia is great, but it was also helpful for me to finally read some background on the war.
The Catalan issue comes up occasionally in this book. There was an internationalist attitude among most of the leftist volunteers in Spain, and some of them, like Lois Orr, seem to have been taken aback when they discovered that there was also a regional aspect to the war. There is a quote of Lois Orr berating the Catalonians for not speaking Spanish and not grasping the class-based nature of the war- which seemed a bit ridiculous to me, to go to a foreign country and try to explain to the people there what their civil war is <i>really</i> all about.
Maybe part of the recent Catalonian independence movement is also related to the years of oppression under Franco? It would make sense that that resentment was still there, especially towards regions of the country, or towns or villages, where Franco had been popular.
"The German Mountain", wow. Franco was really a third-rate dictator when all was said and done, and essentially Hitler's bitch. Without Hitler, he probably would have died much much younger, and I suppose he knew that. How do people in Costa Blanco regard that mountain now?
The Spanish are notoriously quiet about the Franco past. Nobody ever discusses it and there are studies made about that solid silence till this day. I only found out about that mountain side’s name after having stayed in that town numerous times. It was because of the town’s mayor who displayed suspicious behaviour and then I heard she was an old Francofile. Indeed, she protested in the loudest voice what a terrible disgrace it was to demolish Franco’s enormous elaborate grave site and move his coffin to a modest place. That happened a year or so ago. She also accepted as a normal thing that shops would gift her expensive clothes and further items. Anyway, throughout the years I now and then people told me about villages in the region that they were fascist Franco backers and thus I now know exactly which villages were meant. But, otherwise, you never hear anything about the past. Not so long ago, I was reading an article about the fact that formerly dictatorial countries, that have contemplated on their past, are now healthy countries, like Germany is, but that, for example the Sovjet Union never did so and that’s why it will never recuperate and will till this day suppress their people. I am not saying that this is the situation in Spain, but it is clear that the Basks and Catalans are hassled till this day.
Interesting. After the years of Franco, I can understand their wanting some autonomy.
I've also heard that contrast drawn between Germany on one hand and Russia/the Soviet Union on the other. A friend of mine has been traveling in Germany recently, visited Buchenwald and Nuremberg. Plenty of tourists. But by contrast, I don't think they have people visiting the Gulags in Russia.
Oh gosh, Mike! Visiting the Gulags! Oh, hello, there, I am here to visit my friend Navalny!
Yes, you're right. I guess they're still basically in operation...
Mike, thank you for such a terrific essay. My sincere compliments. While I did read ‘Homage to Catalonia’ by Orwell, I agree with you that you never got much background in Orwell’s book as to the exact causes and consequences of the Spanish Civil War, so I appreciated your further deliberations. Interesting also, to read about Hemingway’s presence in Madrid and also what Miller’s attitude was. Nevertheless, when Orwell did not provide much actual background in ‘Homage to Catalonia’ the book was devastating in the sense that it provided the reader with the sense of despair of fighting against Franco’s troops. When Franco was still in power, I remember, when on holiday in Catalonia, people were severely punished for speaking Catalan or even make a tiny allusion to things Catalan. There are still, till this day, indications of Franco’s legacy, like in the village I stay often at the Costa Blanco, there is a mountain site called ‘the German Mountain’, of which I only heard a few years ago that this beautiful mountain site with fantastic views was a gift of Franco to the Germans for their help during the Civil War. I was shocked to hear it. Sometimes you also notice Franco’s face in high up murals. Indeed, until this day, the Spanish population knows exactly which towns and villages were backing Franco’s troops. But, then again, we have a same phenomenon here in the Netherlands that people till this day know who were German collaborators during the war.
Thanks, Hanneke. I agree, Homage to Catalonia is great, but it was also helpful for me to finally read some background on the war.
The Catalan issue comes up occasionally in this book. There was an internationalist attitude among most of the leftist volunteers in Spain, and some of them, like Lois Orr, seem to have been taken aback when they discovered that there was also a regional aspect to the war. There is a quote of Lois Orr berating the Catalonians for not speaking Spanish and not grasping the class-based nature of the war- which seemed a bit ridiculous to me, to go to a foreign country and try to explain to the people there what their civil war is <i>really</i> all about.
Maybe part of the recent Catalonian independence movement is also related to the years of oppression under Franco? It would make sense that that resentment was still there, especially towards regions of the country, or towns or villages, where Franco had been popular.
"The German Mountain", wow. Franco was really a third-rate dictator when all was said and done, and essentially Hitler's bitch. Without Hitler, he probably would have died much much younger, and I suppose he knew that. How do people in Costa Blanco regard that mountain now?
The Spanish are notoriously quiet about the Franco past. Nobody ever discusses it and there are studies made about that solid silence till this day. I only found out about that mountain side’s name after having stayed in that town numerous times. It was because of the town’s mayor who displayed suspicious behaviour and then I heard she was an old Francofile. Indeed, she protested in the loudest voice what a terrible disgrace it was to demolish Franco’s enormous elaborate grave site and move his coffin to a modest place. That happened a year or so ago. She also accepted as a normal thing that shops would gift her expensive clothes and further items. Anyway, throughout the years I now and then people told me about villages in the region that they were fascist Franco backers and thus I now know exactly which villages were meant. But, otherwise, you never hear anything about the past. Not so long ago, I was reading an article about the fact that formerly dictatorial countries, that have contemplated on their past, are now healthy countries, like Germany is, but that, for example the Sovjet Union never did so and that’s why it will never recuperate and will till this day suppress their people. I am not saying that this is the situation in Spain, but it is clear that the Basks and Catalans are hassled till this day.
Interesting. After the years of Franco, I can understand their wanting some autonomy.
I've also heard that contrast drawn between Germany on one hand and Russia/the Soviet Union on the other. A friend of mine has been traveling in Germany recently, visited Buchenwald and Nuremberg. Plenty of tourists. But by contrast, I don't think they have people visiting the Gulags in Russia.
They certainly are!