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The Battle for Spain

The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939

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The Battle for Spain

By: Antony Beevor
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

 The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century: a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose Condor Legion so notoriously destroyed Guernica.

Antony Beevor's account narrates the origins of the Civil War and its violent and dramatic course from the coup d'etat in July 1936 through the savage fighting of the next three years which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in 1939. And he succeeds especially well in unravelling the complex political and regional forces that played such an important part in the origins and history of the war.

Read by Sean Barrett

(p) 2011 Isis Publishing Ltd©2006 Antony Beevor 20th Century Europe Military Modern Spain War Interwar Period Imperialism Russia Soviet Union Middle Ages Latin American Civil War Socialism Winston Churchill Liberalism Africa Royalty Capitalism

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Critic reviews

Fascination lies in the human drama, superbly captured by Beevor ... a vivid chronicle of a dreadful time and place (Max Hastings)
In many ways it's his most impressive book to date because he coolly makes sense of such a complicated story: the narrative sweep is consummate, the seamless use of so many sources masterful, and the eye for details makes it a superb read (Simon Sebag Montefiore)
An admirably clear-sighted account ... a great achievement (Miranda France)
A moving masterpiece of the indictment of war (Felipe Fernández-Armesto)
A gripping, revelatory account
This is an enthralling book. The narrative is masterly, wonderfully clear as a guide through the labyrinth. It is even-tempered and full of good sense ... It is admirable
It is an admirably clear-sighted account. What Beevor does so well is to place the war in the context of Spanish history and world politics ... Beevor's understanding of warfare and tactics is second to none ... This is a great achievement
A very different book, which displays all Beevor's exceptional narrative skills and literary flair. The story he tells is grimly familiar, but he presents it with a freshness, an eye for detail and a degree of detachment that makes this one of the best accounts to date of the Spanish crisis
Antony Beevor's revised history of the Civil War, which vividly anatomises a state and a society in the process of disintegration, is a tract for our times ... Above all, he has Beevorised the book, given it the richness of detail and the narrative drive that made Stalingrad such a success
For the big picture of the war, all the more powerful for its blending of narrative intensity with emotional restraint, there is no rival to Antony Beevor's masterly The Battle for Spain
The Battle for Spain looks likely to become the standard account of the conflict for at least the next generation
All stars
Most relevant
The Battle for Spain provides a comprehensive, objective history of the Spanish Civil War. In addition to covering the military aspect of the war, the book explains the politics of and within each side – the civil wars within the civil war. The response of foreign powers to the Spanish Civil War is also covered.

Although Sean Barrett sounds like he would rather not be narrating a book, one can quickly get used to his reading style.

Objective History at its Best

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Enjoyed the audio book, it's very complicated subject, this audio book was a nice intro for me, I intend to keep studying and probably re-listen to this.

Complicated war

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Gives a balanced view of all sides their strengths, weaknesses and an insight into the main characters of this conflict, great narration that makes it an easy listen.

Great book well narrated

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This is a good introduction to what was to me a little understood conflict. Britain and France condemning Spain to decades of dictatorship leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

The various battles are skimmed over as this book is more overview of the conflict, still a good book.

A Depressing Read.

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Oh, this is good. A mass of complicated and difficult material rendered in an accessible way by a very accomplished historian, and a splendid, lambent narration which finds a perfect tone for the text. I really enjoyed this, although the waste, betrayal and vicious stupidity which underpin the conflict made it almost unbearable in places. Notwithstanding that, Beevor finds places to foreground the triumph of human decency against hellish odds. All in all, this is a smashing piece of work.

Almost unbearably sad, but so beautifully told.

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