The Spanish Civil War was more than a fratricidal struggle. Nobody could have predicted in July 1936 that a failed military coup could give way to three years of vicious conflict, transcending national barriers and arousing passions and divisions throughout Europe. In one form or another, all the great powers were involved in the affair. Yet it was the appeal to common people which surrounded the war in Spain with special nostalgia and romanticism. Seen by many as the first opportunity to defend democracy and prevent the growth of Fascism, the Spanish Civil War became the 'last great cause' - an almost epic struggle in which thousands of men and women went to fight as volunteers in, what was for many, a distant and unknown country.
The Spanish Civil War