The Spanish Civil War: A Short Introduction

There are more books written about the Spanish Civil War than any other war with the exception of World War II, and for good reason. It was a fight against fascism in which pro-democratic forces were tragically and inexcusably abandoned by international democratic powers, a precursor to and foreshadowing of the horrors that were to come in WWII such as aerial bombardment and mass civilian casualties,  and it was a sad story of neighbors and families tragically turned against each other. The “brief introduction” genre is hard to do for academic historians, but Helen Graham is an excellent expository writer and offers a clear and engaging summary of the war that encourages further study. Hands down, probably one of the best books to start with if you’re interested in this period of Spanish — and indeed World — History.