The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) @ richardeward.com

The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Helen Graham
from Oxford University Press, USA

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• One of the very best introductory books on the Spanish civil war
  As one of the foremost scholars of the spanish civil war , Graham cogently sumarized various aspects of war and related them with the present , namely , how post-war Spain perceived the war and its impact on the modern day Spain. Especially helpful was the bibiliography that surely gives the direction of reading for those who want to know more about the Spanish civil war. The downside of the book is , as one reviewer mentioned, Graham tend to minimize the cover on CNT-FAI and Anarchist activities as many... more info

• On a whole, good.
  Taken for what it is, this book is very good. As the tital suggests, it really is nothing more than "A very short introduction" to be considered as a jumping off point for further studies. It does not go into depth but rather highlights the key events of the civil war. It does a particularly good job of explaining the tacit war of politics taking place between France, Italy, Germany, and Russia surrounding the conflict in Spain.
  There are parts of the book that seem to wander a bit, but on a whole I... more info

• Why can't historians write?
  I don't think the author got the concept of a an introduction. She should have not only summarized the events (which she did) but put them in readable prose, simplified so the unenlightened reader could grasp the subject easily. Isn't that the point of an intro? Instead, we get a book poorly written with deadening prose.

• Helpful, but very tough to read
  I just finished reading the book, and it was helpful because it provided a brief overview of not only the conflict, but also the "new Spain" that emerged in the postwar years. Unfortunately, the book was a tough read because it is very poorly written.

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