Includes bibliographical references (pages 151-193) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: A unique appeal -- Part One. Old and new worlds -- A people's struggle -- This Spanish earth -- The end of art? -- Part Two. Pacifism -- A pacifist's dilemma -- Practical pacifism -- Part Three. Co-operation -- A movement in peril -- Spain's milkmen -- Part Four. Christianity -- No faith in fascism -- Our Spanish brethren -- Conclusion: Popular political engagement.
Summary:
"During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) the British public raised an estimated one to two million pounds for Republican Spain, mostly through small individual donations at a time when large parts of Britain were experiencing severe economic depression. Across the country people were moved by the plight of Spain, a land in which most had never set foot. The response was quintessentially British; through picnics, whist drives, concerts, dances and rambling expeditions, the war in Spain became embedded in British social and cultural life. Innovative fundraising campaigns ran alongside lectures, film screenings and exhibitions, engaging people with the Spanish conflict. But it was a fragile alliance of progressive opinion, for those involved often had very different interpretations of the political significance of the war and of the Republic's fight for a broadly defined concept of 'democracy'. Democracy, Deeds and Dilemmas provides a fresh perspective on what is a well-trodden area of scholarship. It places British humanitarian responses to Spain within the context of Britain's flourishing civic and popular political culture, following the advent of mass democracy in 1928 as supported by the Equal Franchise Act. Emily Mason explores engagement with 'Spain' through three foci: the peace movement, the co-operative movement and British Christians--groups that were at the heart of the humanitarian response, but which remain underexplored in current historiography. The book explores how the Republican cause resonated with notions of British identity and with the crises that different groups perceived to be threatening their world order"--Provided by publisher.
Series:
The Canada Blanch/Sussex Academic Studies on contemporary Spain
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.