Thecoupd’etatofJuly1936splitSpainintwo,shapingachessboardofterror,miseryanddeaththatwouldputanendtotheRepublicandgivesustenancetodictatorship.Intherebelterritory,Franco’ssoldierswereoftennotconvincedfollowers,butmerepawnsforcedtofightforthefutureofaSpaininwhichtheonlyelementofcohesionwouldbefear.TheexperienceoftheSpanishCivilWarisdefinedbyhowthedictatorplacedcitizensbeforeaterribledilemma:becomeexecutionersordie.ThisexperiencewasnotconfinedtoSpainalone.Atransnationalanalysis,hithertoneverundertaken,putstheSpanishwarexperienceinthecontextofthepoliticalandmilitarydramasofthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury.Issuesofrecruitment,terror,andpropagandadominateanalysis.Butdeepersocialandindeedpsychologicalissuesareequallyimportantinunderstandinghowdictatorshipcanshapesocietyfortheworse,andindeedcometoberegardedbythemajorityasthenorm.Specialattentionispaidtomilitaryethosatalllevelsofthearmedforces.FrancosSoldiers,originallypublishedtoacclaiminSpain,providesauniqueliteraryplatformthatbetterallowstheSpanishCivilWarexperiencetobeunderstoodinawidehistoricalcontext,thusfurtheringandencouraginginternationaldebate.PublishedincollaborationwiththeDepartmentofInternationalHistory,LondonSchoolofEconomics.
