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stelhan's review against another edition
3.0
2.5-3. Improves later but the right wing bias in the first chapters is infuriating
solaireastora's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent history of a very complicated conflict.
Beevor systematically breaks down the most important military and social trends and events that occurred in this period in a clear, easily readable manner. To achieve this for something as convoluted and difficult to understand as the Spanish civil war - with its multitudes of competing factions and interests - is a rare thing.
His writing is even-handed and refreshingly free of partisan bias, which is often a part of books about this time. It is very well-researched and the author takes care to be as accurate as possible with statistics and figures.
The book could have benefitted from a 'dramatis personae' list in the front, like the list he does give of the various factions. There are a lot of names and it was sometimes difficult to keep track of them all.
Overall I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War.
Beevor systematically breaks down the most important military and social trends and events that occurred in this period in a clear, easily readable manner. To achieve this for something as convoluted and difficult to understand as the Spanish civil war - with its multitudes of competing factions and interests - is a rare thing.
His writing is even-handed and refreshingly free of partisan bias, which is often a part of books about this time. It is very well-researched and the author takes care to be as accurate as possible with statistics and figures.
The book could have benefitted from a 'dramatis personae' list in the front, like the list he does give of the various factions. There are a lot of names and it was sometimes difficult to keep track of them all.
Overall I very much enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War.
jackrb's review against another edition
3.0
An detailed account of the Spanish Civil War, with a little before and after, explaining some key events of how the Civil War came to be and its immediate outcome.
I came into the book knowing not a whole lot about the Civil War, beyond a very surface-level knowledge of there being many political factions and being seen as a "warmup" for WW2.
It serves as a good overview of the conflict, the causes, the ebbs and flows of the fronts and important factions within the Nationalists and Republicans. There are some key insights, mainly detailing why the Nationalists beat the Republicans (which is then repeatedly demonstrated during the course of the war), the seeming inevitability and the general inhumanity and brutality of the war.
The obvious leaning towards recounting battles and general military history is, while interesting in its own right, doesn't do a whole lot for me, and the narrative can be a little fractured at times, due to Beevor having to pick and choose what aspects to focus on, with there being far too many events to simply recount straightforwardly.
I came into the book knowing not a whole lot about the Civil War, beyond a very surface-level knowledge of there being many political factions and being seen as a "warmup" for WW2.
It serves as a good overview of the conflict, the causes, the ebbs and flows of the fronts and important factions within the Nationalists and Republicans. There are some key insights, mainly detailing why the Nationalists beat the Republicans (which is then repeatedly demonstrated during the course of the war), the seeming inevitability and the general inhumanity and brutality of the war.
The obvious leaning towards recounting battles and general military history is, while interesting in its own right, doesn't do a whole lot for me, and the narrative can be a little fractured at times, due to Beevor having to pick and choose what aspects to focus on, with there being far too many events to simply recount straightforwardly.
jenniferwallini's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Extremely thorough examination of the Spanish Civil War. Surprisingly (and pleasingly) less dense then its subject matter and length would suggest.
mikefloydau's review against another edition
3.0
That I've been grappling with this for four years says something. The first hundred or more pages I found riveting but the rest I struggle through in occasional small doses. Certainly worthy but not quite the readable history of hoped for. Should have learnt my lesson after the same experience with Stalingrad. Getting real at this point and realising that I probably won't finish it so time to retire it from my reading list
gnatroberts's review against another edition
3.0
Beevor's account of the Spanish Civil War is so thoroughly researched that it deserves to be called comprehensive, but unfortunately the book is tainted by many of the logical fallacies all too common among authors who claim without ideology. The largest of which, is the claim that ANYONE can write without ideology. Ideology is the lens through which we see the world, the schema into which we fit all new information. To claim objectivity is simply a cover for ideology, it's better to be open about how you will approach to information. That way you can be aware of the mistakes you're likely to make, and the reader can at least trust that they know where you're coming from. The non-ideology ideology that Beevor describes in his introduction to the book is closely tied to what's commonly called "nihilistic centrism," a poorly thought out morass of wishy-washy prejudices best left to a South Park episode.
The problems with this allegedly "non-ideological" ideology are readily apparent in the way Beevor frames ideological differences and describes the persons involved in the war. Often, Fascists are described as genteel or refined and their objectionable politics come as a shock to the narrator, much like a serial killer's neighbors bemoaning "He was such a nice young man!" Most socialists and communists are framed as ambitious and power-hungry, and doubtless some were (especially by the end of the war) but not all. Their ideological differences are dismissed and their actions accredited to personal motives. Beevor presents the anarchists sympathetically, but patronizingly. It seems at best the anarchists were good natured idealists incapable running an effective state. This despite the effectiveness of the anarchist administration of Catalonia before liberal and communist elements of the Republic interfered. All of this is capped off by Beevor's final chapter, in which he eschews assigning motives to fascists to avoid becoming "a long-distance psychiatrist." I don't think that Beevor is in anyway sympathetic to the Fascists or Fascism as an ideology, far from it. But by failing to recognize and accept his own frame of reference, he's let himself overcompensate for our natural distaste for the Fascists in an attempt to present "both sides equally." The rejection of ideological analysis does not further the academic rigidity of Beevor's work, instead it hampers it.
The problems with this allegedly "non-ideological" ideology are readily apparent in the way Beevor frames ideological differences and describes the persons involved in the war. Often, Fascists are described as genteel or refined and their objectionable politics come as a shock to the narrator, much like a serial killer's neighbors bemoaning "He was such a nice young man!" Most socialists and communists are framed as ambitious and power-hungry, and doubtless some were (especially by the end of the war) but not all. Their ideological differences are dismissed and their actions accredited to personal motives. Beevor presents the anarchists sympathetically, but patronizingly. It seems at best the anarchists were good natured idealists incapable running an effective state. This despite the effectiveness of the anarchist administration of Catalonia before liberal and communist elements of the Republic interfered. All of this is capped off by Beevor's final chapter, in which he eschews assigning motives to fascists to avoid becoming "a long-distance psychiatrist." I don't think that Beevor is in anyway sympathetic to the Fascists or Fascism as an ideology, far from it. But by failing to recognize and accept his own frame of reference, he's let himself overcompensate for our natural distaste for the Fascists in an attempt to present "both sides equally." The rejection of ideological analysis does not further the academic rigidity of Beevor's work, instead it hampers it.
jwood619's review against another edition
5.0
The reader should know going in that this book is not for the faint of heart. It's a bit of a long, grueling read and the subject matter is sure to make you more depressed about the world, not less. It's also a deeply researched history book that reads much more like a textbook than a novel. That said, this is a really well-done work and is a worthy addition to the historical record on the topic.
Having read through many of the other reviews, many of the low ratings it received on this site are from people who went into it expecting a fun and easy read. That, or they were simply offended that the author detailed the atrocities of their preferred side along with the other side. History has a way of shattering scripted right-wing or left-wing narratives and the author meticulously chronicles the atrocities of all involved.
I found the book particularly important given the increase in right-wing authoritarian nationalism that has taken place globally in recent years. Many parallels are easily observable between the nationalists of 1930s Spain and the global movements today. Many other parallels can be seen on both sides of the conflict, particularly in the use of propaganda to advance far-left or far-right accounts of events.
Unless you're a history nerd or just really wanting to do a deep dive on the subject, I would probably start with a different book that will read easier and give a quicker synopsis. Overall it is an important entry into the public record of a very dark time in recent history and there's much we can learn and observe about human nature and the cyclical ideological battles that can destroy and divide.
Having read through many of the other reviews, many of the low ratings it received on this site are from people who went into it expecting a fun and easy read. That, or they were simply offended that the author detailed the atrocities of their preferred side along with the other side. History has a way of shattering scripted right-wing or left-wing narratives and the author meticulously chronicles the atrocities of all involved.
I found the book particularly important given the increase in right-wing authoritarian nationalism that has taken place globally in recent years. Many parallels are easily observable between the nationalists of 1930s Spain and the global movements today. Many other parallels can be seen on both sides of the conflict, particularly in the use of propaganda to advance far-left or far-right accounts of events.
Unless you're a history nerd or just really wanting to do a deep dive on the subject, I would probably start with a different book that will read easier and give a quicker synopsis. Overall it is an important entry into the public record of a very dark time in recent history and there's much we can learn and observe about human nature and the cyclical ideological battles that can destroy and divide.
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
3.0
A really interesting book, but Beevor spends too much time focusing on battle-lines and troop dispositions. That stuff really isn't all that compelling, especially since he explains why the Nationalists were set up to win fairly early in the book. That being said, this is a compelling treatment of a truly complex topic. I guess I had never really considered that the Spanish Civil War is one of the only wars in history that was written by the losers, not the winers. Although that didn't stop tourists from sunning themselves on Franco's beaches in the 60s.