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Higher History Conference 2003 Paper Two Spanish Civil War

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Title: Higher History Conference 2003 Paper Two Spanish Civil War


1
Chronology of Boxed Section March
1936 Rhineland ? July 1936 - 39 Spain ?
March 1938 Anschluss October
1938 Munich 1920s 1939 Overview (8
marker) Issues Factors shaping Government
reaction to events i.e. the use of
appeasement - political - economic -
military - public opinion - dilemmas (public
and private concerns of the government at the
time which influenced how they dealt with issues
at the time
2
Spanish Civil War 1936-39
What happened?
Government reaction
Public opinion
  • Public opinion divided Labour opposition split.
  • For Intervention
  • If the Fascists won, then the peace in Europe
    would be threatened
  • Fascists were trying to overthrow a
    democratically elected Government.
  • 2700 joined
  • International Brigade
  • Against Intervention
  • It is a Spanish affair better to stay neutral.
  • Against spread of Communism
  • Civil War started as a result of an army
    rebellion against the Popular Front Government
  • The sides polarised between those who supported
    elected Govt. (Republicans) and those who
    supported the army rebels (Nationalists).
  • The War lasted 3 years and the Nationalists won.
  • Germany and Italy intervened on Nationalist side
    Russia on Republican side
  • Br. Policy was non-intervention
  • Government wanted to minimise foreign
    intervention and to avoid the civil war spreading
    into a European war
  • Conservative-dominated government were more
    sympathetic to Franco than Communist
    Republicans
  • Feared for Britains commercial interests if
    Republican side won.
  • Aware of Ger./Italian breaches of
    non-intervention
  • Took realistic view better a leaky dam than no
    dam at all (Eden)

3
Source B extract from 'Homage to Catalonia'
written by George Orwell 1938 Source B
When I came to Spain, and for some time
afterwards, I was not only uninterested in the
political situation but unaware of it. I knew
there was a war on, but I had no notion what kind
of war. If you had asked me why I had joined the
militia I should have answered "To fight against
Fascism", and if you had asked me what I was
fighting for, I should have answered common
decency. To understand the alignment on the
Government side, one has got to remember how the
war started. When the fighting broke out on 18th
July it is probable that every anti-Fascist in
Europe felt a thrill of hope. For here at last,
apparently, was democracy standing up to Fascism.
For years past, the so-called democratic
countries had been surrendering to Fascism at
every step. But when Franco tried to overthrow a
mildly Left-wing Government the Spanish people,
against all expectation, had risen against him.
It seemed - possibly it was - the turning of the
tide. 2. How typical of British opinion at the
time were the views of Source B? 5
4
  • 2. How typical of British opinion at the time
    were the views of Source B?
  • In reaching a conclusion you should refer to
  • the origin and possible purpose of the source
  • the content of the source
  • recalled knowledge

5
  • What is the Q asking you to do?
  • Set immediate context - give a few sentences to
    put issue/event in context with our Paper 2
    course
  • Identify the views of the author in a nutshell
    i.e. the big picture - what is his overall view!!
  • Make a judgement as to how far it was typical of
    views at the time i.e. was what he is saying
    shared by people at the time -make a statement
  • Back this up by selecting points from the source
    (the bones) then putting flesh on them by using
    recall
  • This will allow you to 'evaluate/assess' how
    typical they are i.e. by saying things like
    Point X by the author is typical and does
    highlight issues considered by the
    Government/public at the time on this issue for
    the following reasons ...or does not because...
  • Then use 'additional' recall to develop your
    argument with balance of recall e.g. views which
    agree and those who were not in agreement at the
    time.

6
  • Step 1 The Immediate Context
  • Source refers to the issues in debate during the
    Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 during which the
    legitimate Government of Spain - a coalition or
    Popular Front of democratic political parties and
    left wing groups - were challenged by a right
    wing coup led by army General Franco who wanted
    to halt the popular front reforms
  • The attempted coup backfired and turned into a
    civil war.
  • It became an international issue when military
    aid from Germany and Italy to Franco threatened
    to escalate the conflict. The British Government
    were alarmed by the potential 'powder keg' of the
    situation in Spain and regarded the war as a
    fascist struggle with the communist/socialist
    Popular Front and refused to become involved.
  • The Spanish Civil War was an issue which divided
    public opinion in the UK and historians continue
    to debate the role of the UK, some arguing that
    we were blind to the role/effects/gains for
    Hitler.

7
Step 2 - Big Picture
  • Writing at the time of the actual war, Orwell
    gives a fairly untypical view that Britain should
    get involved to stop the spread of fascism.
  • His book was published in 1938 and was regarded
    as the efforts
  • of a radical idealist.
  • Orwell was a Labour/socialist supporter. His book
    was a 'homage' to the courage of the Catalans.
  • In the source Orwell suggest the reasons for his
    views...

8
Step 3 Select relevant points from the source
and use recall to evaluate each point
  • Recall evaluating point from source
  • This is fairly untypical. Most people did not
    regard the war as an issue of their concern and
    the Popular Front were regarded as unlawfu1 and
    communist i.e. not decent.

Point one from source Fighting against fascism
for common decency
9
Point two from source Every anti-fascist felt a
thrill of hope
  • Recall evaluating point from source
  • This is untypical. Many felt it was a potential
    'powder keg' which could explode and damage/few
    agreed with him.

10
Point three from source Here at last, democracy
standing up to Fascism
  • Recall evaluating point from source
  • This is untypical. Only those in Labour/left wing
    groups who joined the International Brigades saw
    it like this.
  • Most believed it was communism versus fascism and
    that the Popular Front were merely puppets of
    Stalin.
  • Crimes against the church and the acts of damage
    to property/industry
  • Rear of Big Business in the UK over
    nationalisation of their Spanish assets.

11
Point four from source Years past, so-called
democratic countries surrendering
  • Recall evaluating point from source
  • Orwell referring to Japanese aggression in
    Manchuria (1931), Italian action over Abyssinia
    (1935), German actions from 1933 (Rhineland/
    Conscription / rearmament/ Dictatorship/
    persecution of Jews)
  • Whereas the majority view is of appeasing is for
    peace and not surrendering as Orwell accuses UK
    and France of doing
  • Only Churchill/Fletcher/ Duchess of Atholl (Red
    Kitty) agreed

12
Point five from source Franco resisted this was
possibly the turning of the tide
  • Recall evaluating point from source
  • This is not typical. Many did not agree with any
    sort of intervention and did not share Orwell's
    view.
  • The stalemate of 1937 was not turned by the role
    of the Non-Intervention Committee, which was
    ignored

13
Link back to the question
How typical of British opinion at the time were
the views of Source B?
So Orwell offers a fairly untypical view of the
British opinion during the Spanish Civil War.
However, a significant minority supported
Orwells views e.g. David Low in his cartoons,
individual trade unionists, idealists, left wing
supporters like Jack Jones, Donald Renton and J.
Gurney whose letters and books reflect their
passionate opposition to the role of fascist help
for Franco from Italy and Germany. General
opinion in the UK was divided (some were moved by
plight of the children of Spain who came over as
refugees) but the majority did not share the
sentiments of the author for a variety of
reasons.
14
Additional recall giving the majority view e.g.
the vast majority viewed the Spanish Civil War in
different ways to Orwell...
  • 1.
  • The outbreak of the war in Spain was a real
    dilemma for the British Government.
  • Opinion in the nation was divided.
  • Government ministers did not like the Popular
    Front and believed the propaganda from the Right
    in Spain (Popular Front attacks on church /landed
    classes etc communists in disguise!)
  • Many British business interests looked under
    threat
  • Right from the outset there was a determination
    to stay out of a potential political mess
  • When the Germans and Italians became involved,
    this complicated matters but made the Government
    even more determined to resist pressures to
    intervene.

15
  • 2.
  • Britain feared the escalation that might occur if
    any side intervened and for the same
    economic/political/military reasons which
    influenced lack of action over the Rhineland
  • The Government did not wish to be dragged into a
    war
  • The Government faced many other domestic concerns
    e.g. the abdication crisis
  • While the issue created emotion reactions, the
    head ruled the options/methods of reaction of the
    Government.
  • 3.
  • The course of action was the non-intervention
    policy dreamed up by French leader Leon Blum.
  • We grasped at this enthusiastically as a means of
    showing the public that we were being fair and
    moral in our involvement.
  • Despite evidence of this agreement being
    undermined by both Italy and Germany, we stuck to
    it throughout the conflict
  • Eden, our Foreign Secretary, agreed it was tragic
    but not an issue in which we should become
    involved.

16
Conclusion
As it was, the Popular Front lost the civil war a
year after the publication of the book by Orwell.
The tide was sadly not turned as Orwell had hoped
and the fascist-backed regime of Franco won and
was to remain in power until 1975. Orwells
views were in the minority and untypical of how
most people viewed the issues underlying the war
in Spain.
17
1-2 Selects some relevant evidence from the
source and/or recalled knowledge but without
making the required evaluation. 3-4 Selects
relevant evidence from the source and uses
limited recall to inform a basic evaluation in
terms of the question. 5 Establishes the main
points in the source and uses recalled knowledge
to evaluate these and reach an appropriate
conclusion.
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