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Michael Seidman
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The Victorious Counterrevolution: The Nationalist Effort in the Spanish Civil War Paperback – March 28, 2011

by Michael Seidman (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
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This groundbreaking history of the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) examines, for the first time in any language, how General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces managed state finance and economic production, and mobilized support from elites and middle-class Spaniards, to achieve their eventual victory over Spanish Republicans and the revolutionary left.
    The Spanish Nationalists are exceptional among counter-revolutionary movements of the twentieth century, Michael Seidman demonstrates, because they avoided the inflation and shortages of food and military supplies that stymied not only their Republican adversaries but also their counter-revolutionary counterparts—the Russian Whites and Chinese Nationalists. He documents how Franco’s highly repressive and tightly controlled regime produced food for troops and civilians; regular pay for soldiers, farmers, and factory workers; and protection of property rights for both large and small landowners. These factors, combined with the Nationalists’ pro-Catholic and anti-Jewish propaganda, reinforced solidarity in the Nationalist zone.
    Seidman concludes that, unlike the victorious Spanish Nationalists, the Russian and Chinese bourgeoisie were weakened by the economic and social upheaval of the two world wars and succumbed in each case to the surging revolutionary left.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Wisconsin Press
  4. Publication date
    March 28, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0299249646
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0299249649
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This work is unique. Seidman persuasively argues that the victory of Franco’s Nationalists cannot be fully explained by military, political, and cultural factors. By examining everyday experience in the Nationalist zone, particularly material and economic conditions, he accounts for the stability and efficiency of the Nationalist war effort.”—Sasha Pack, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York



“Seidman offers here a historical analysis that must be included in any contemporary consideration of the Spanish Civil War.”—The Journal of Modern History


“Seidman’s book builds upon his earlier efforts to cast the course and outcome of the Spanish Civil War in a new light; future scholars of the conflict will have no choice but to address the findings, interpretations, and conclusions of this important book.”—Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies


“Michael Seidman has forged a reputation as an iconoclastic social historian of the Spanish Civil War. . . . Readers eager for rich detail on the organization of the Franco war effort will find many nuggets in this book.”—European History Quarterly

From the Publisher

2010 Spanish edition: La Contrarevolución Victoriosa: La Zona Nacional, published by Alianza Editorial

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Wisconsin Press; 1st edition (March 28, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0299249646
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0299249649
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

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Michael Seidman

Michael Seidman

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
10 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JoeF
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2014
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Interesting to see how the Spanish Nationalists, under Franco, ran the revolution against the Spanish Republic. The title uses "Counterrevolution" but in reality the Nationalist ran a revolution to depose the Spanish Republican government. Their economic regulations and actions are explained on the book and they point more to the reason for their victory and subsequent "benevolent" Franco dictatorship. Few revolutions triumph and less than that they last for any time as a successful government, the Nationalists did it in Spain and the book explains why and how they did it.
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David M. Wagner
5.0 out of 5 stars It's been a well-kept secret...
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013
Verified Purchase
...that the Nationalists (followers of Franco) who won the Spanish Civil War kept power not only through brute force (though both sides used plenty of that) but also by use of some actually smart agricultural policy in the zones they controlled. Prof. Seidman tells that story.
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Scott M. Quinn
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History on a Little-known Subject
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2011
Verified Purchase
Professor Seidman has written a thought-provoking--if imperfect--book on a subject that has been all-too-neglected in the ever-expanding bibliography on the Spanish Civil War, namely, everyday life behind Nationalist lines. If you have ever wondered why the Nationalists ultimately prevailed despite the significant support of the USSR and France, this book offers a unique perspective and challenges conventional scholarship.

Seidman's thesis is that the reason the Nationalists won the war had to do with their superior skill in handling seemingly non-military aspects of life like food production and distribution, monetary policy that kept prices stable and tamed inflation, their respect for the rights of property, and an efficient logistical apparatus that was, for example, able to deliver hot meals to troops on the front lines.

Seidman lays out his book in four parts. Part 1 is a brisk summary of the end of the Republic and the course of the civil war within the context of his thesis. A common theme that Seidman applies equally to both sides is that basic goods like food, shelter, companionship with the opposite sex, liquor, and cash were as or more important to many of the fighting men than was ideology. Seidman buttresses his argument by comparing the Right's success in Spain with the defeat of the Right in the USSR and China, where the Right's mismanagement of the distribution of these basic needs turned their supporters against them. The Nationalists of Spain are unique in their triumph when compared with the White Russians and Chinese Nationalists.

In Part 2 Seidman explains the methods by which the Nationalists were able to create and maintain an economy that functioned more-or-less normally: Land that had been stolen by Leftists at the early stages of the war was returned (albeit slowly) to its rightful owners, who were then ordered to farm it. To encourage peasants to farm, prices were set high enough that they could achieve a profit, yet not so high as to cause inflation. As the Nationalists gained territory, farmers saw a corresponding increase in demand. Forced labor and even suspension of public works projects were ordered in order to create extra labor to bring in crops at harvest. Seidman notes the importance of food in keeping morale high in the Nationalist zone, which, when put in the faces of the Republicans, had the effect of reducing morale and even prompting desertions from the Republican lines. The Nationalists' respect for private property inspired confidence that peasants could work hard and see some monetary benefit from their labors. Animal husbandry ensured plenty of pack animals to carry heavy loads where cars and trucks could not traverse, as well a variety of meat for soldiers to eat. Taxes were collected and citizens shamed into giving donations to support the cause. All of these factors led the international community to express confidence in the Nationalists' economy.

In Part 3, Seidman veers off-course when he introduces a sudden, sneering attack on what he terms "Catholic Neotraditionalism." It is unfortunately rather clear that Seidman does not understand, much less appreciate, Catholic social teaching. It is in this section especially that his Leftists prejudices get the better of him. His point in this section is that another crucial factor in the Nationalists' success was the imposition of Catholic morality on all aspects of society (on the front lines as well as behind the lines), thus providing a sense of social cohesion and purpose that was missing in the splintered Republican zone. His most controversial allegation is that a key pillar which held up the ubiquitous Catholic social teachings was a fanatical anti-Semitism. Pages and pages of examples of Nationalists spewing Jewish slurs in speeches, literature and letters are cited as "proof" that anti-Semitism was an unofficial position of the regime and even cites the Franco regime's opposition toward Zionism as further proof of its thoroughgoing anti-Semitic beliefs. And then, just as suddenly as he introduces his evidence, Seidman concludes that Nationalists shot very few Jews simply for being Jews; rather, they were shot for being leftists or masons, which, I should point out, is the same reason Catholics were shot by Nationalists. Certainly, given the numbers of Jews shot because they were Jews that Seidman provides, the Nationalists' murders of Jews is far less than the number who died as a result of FDR's disgraceful refusal to give refuge to the Jews aboard the St. Louis. Moreover, Franco welcomed Jews who had fled Hitler and allowed them to remain in Spain, hardly the action of a committed racialist.

Section 4 is an analysis of everyday people and the defiance of many who refused to toe the line. A strict moral code was imposed behind Nationalist lines, covering everything from immodest dress to blasphemy. Not surprisingly, not everyone was enthusiastic about adhering to these guidelines. Seidman sees in this defiance hypocrisy writ large. A more likely reason is one that Seidman misses, namely, the sudden "conversions" of Leftists who defected to the Nationalist side were, of course, not conversions at all. They were Leftists who saw no reason to die for that cause but who, under the banner of the Nationalist flag, continued to act as Leftists do. Ultimately, Seidman notes that the Nationalists were "much less successful in fighting this guerrilla war [defiance] than [they were] on the regular battlefield." Sadly, that is a correct conclusion.

For anyone who is interested in the SCW, this is a must-read. Seidman challenges long-standing assumptions and provides interesting perspectives. But this is not a perfect book. Minor yet embarrassing errors are sprinkled about: Seville, Cordoba, Badajoz and Huelva are in southwestern Spain, not southeastern Spain; moral is used for morale; and there is no such this as "script" as an ersatz currency but rather "scrip." Quotation marks are used with such terms like "reds" or "Marxist" or "pornographic" (among many others), presumably to inform the reader of the author's disapproval of the terms being perceived in a negative light. Seidman's bibliography is impressive, and includes Spanish newspapers of the day; indeed much of the primary and secondary source material is in Spanish. Still, why cite the 1963 edition of Hugh Thomas' history of the SCW when there is a newer one from a few years ago? And how can Ronald Radosh's Spain Betrayed not be cited, especially in the context of a comparative history? Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book and will no doubt refer to it again and again.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile.
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very interesting thesis contrasting the Spanish Civil War with the successful Russian and Chinese revolutions. The Spanish part of that comparison is well-supported, but the Russian and Chinese parts aren't. Obviously the focus has to be on Spain, but his assertions about Russia and China needed just a little more support.

Also, there are sections that the author put in more or less just to show that he wasn't a Francoist sympathizer, which was weird.

Still, I'm glad I read it. Probably more of a 3.5 than a 3.
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dennisg
4.0 out of 5 stars Nationalist's propaganda
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2014
I lived in Spain for four years between 1961-1965 & had many friends who fought in the war. Since that time I have read dozens of books about the war.
In the brief description of the book it is stated that the Nationalist's engaged in anti Jewish propaganda. This is NOT TRUE. Many a Jewish refugee found refuge in Spain during world war two. They were less than welcome with open arms but they were not persecuted & Franco's regime did not engage in anti Jewish propaganda.
20 people found this helpful
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