The odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade : Americans in the Spanish Civil War

For Over Half A Century, The History Of The Abraham Lincoln Brigade - The 2,800 Young Americans Who Volunteered To Fight For The Spanish Republic Against General Francisco Franco's Rebellion In 1936 - Has Been Shrouded In Myth, Legend, And Controversy. Now, For The First Time, We Have A Comprehensive, Objective, And Deeply Researched Account Of The Brigade's Experience In Spain And What Happened To The Survivors When They Returned To The United States. (about One-third Of The Volunteers Died In Spain.) The Book Is Largely Based On Previously Unused Sources, Including The Newly Opened Russian Archives, And More Than 100 Oral Histories. The Author Charts The Volunteers' Motivations For Enlisting In The Fight Against Spanish Fascism And Places Their Actions In The Context Of The Depression Era. The Battleground Experiences Of The Brigade Have Never Before Been Depicted In Such Vivid Detail, And Such Battles As Jarama, Belchite, And The Ebro Come Alive In The Participants' Words. The Author Uses The Military Aspects Of The War To Illuminate Such Related Issues As The Influence Of Political Ideology On Military Events And The Psychology Of A Volunteer Army. He Also Closely Examines The Role Of The Communist Party In The Conduct Of The War, Including The Orwell Question--allegations Of A Communist Reign Of Terror In Spain - And Investigates The Alleged Racial Problems Within The Brigade, The First Fully Integrated Military Unit In American History. The Book Continues The Saga Of The Brigade By Relating The Problems Of The Surviving Volunteers With The U.s. Army During World War Ii; Their Opposition To The Cold War, The Vietnam War, And U.s. Intervention In Central America; Their Persecution During The Red Scare Of The 1950's; And Their Involvement With The Civil Rights Movement. The Origins Of A Crusade -- A Radical Tradition -- Awakening In Hard Times -- Forging The Popular Front -- The Tomb Of Fascism -- The Politicization Of Culture -- Into The Valley -- The Ideology Of Commitment -- The Discipline Of Command -- The Fires Of Brunete -- A Disciplined Army -- The Great Retreats -- You Are Legend! -- Coming Home -- Between The Wars -- The Wars Of Words -- Premature Anti-fascists -- The Political War -- Red Scares And Blacklists -- The Trials -- The Politics Of Culture -- Alienated Artists -- Bridging Old Left And New -- The Death Watch. Peter N. Carroll. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [385]-429) And Index. For over half a century, the history of the Abraham Lincoln brigade - the 2,800 young Americans who volunteered to fight for the Spanish Republic against General Francisco Franco's rebellion in 1936 - has been shrouded in myth, legend, and controversy. Now, for the first time, we have a comprehensive, objective, and deeply researched account of the brigade's experience in Spain and what happened to the survivors when they returned to the United States. (About one-third of the volunteers died in Spain.) The book is largely based on previously unused sources, including the newly opened Russian archives, and more than 100 oral histories. The author charts the volunteers' motivations for enlisting in the fight against Spanish fascism and places their actions in the context of the Depression era. The battleground experiences of the brigade have never before been depicted in such vivid detail, and such battles as Jarama, Belchite, and the Ebro come alive in the participants' words. The author uses the military aspects of the war to illuminate such related issues as the influence of political ideology on military events and the psychology of a volunteer army. He also closely examines the role of the Communist party in the conduct of the war, including the "Orwell question" - allegations of a Communist reign of terror in Spain - and investigates the alleged racial problems within the brigade, the first fully integrated military unit in American history. . The book continues the saga of the brigade by relating the problems of the surviving volunteers with the U.S. army during World War II; their opposition to the Cold War, the Vietnam war, and U.S. intervention in Central America; their persecution during the Red Scare of the 1950's; and their involvement with the civil rights movement. Preface Contents Military Chronology Map of Military Actions Prologue: What They Dared PART I Causes 1 The Origins of a Crusade 2 A Radical Tradition 3 Awakening in Hard Times 4 Forging the Popular Front 5 The Tomb of Fascism 6 The Politicization of Culture PART II Spain 7 Into the Valley 8 The Ideology of Commitment 9 The Discipline of Command 10 The Fires of Brunete 11 A Disciplined Army 12 The Great Retreats 13 "You Are Legend" PART III Veterans 14 Coming Home 15 Between the Wars 16 The War of Words 17 Premature Anti-Fascists 18 The Political War 19 Red Scares and Blacklists 20 The Trials 21 The Politics of Culture 22 Alienated Artists 23 Bridging Old Left and New 24 The Death Watch EPILOGUE Old Radicals, New Causes A Note oh Sources Notes Index A collective biography of the Americans who volunteered to fight in the Spanish civil war that provides the first comprehensive, objective, and deeply researched account of the brigade's experience in Spain and what happened to the survivors when they returned to the United States.