English-speaking Units of the International Brigades: War, Politics and Discipline.

The moral and military aspects of the International Brigades’ record in Spain (1936—8) remain subjects of scholarly investigation and wider debate. Popular fascination was exemplified by the selection of Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls as a favourite novel by both main candidates during the US presidential elections of 2008. Postwar Francoist propaganda vilified Brigaders as criminals and cowards, but a counter-legend of the left venerated them as idealists and heroes. Whilst the one campaign has long since passed into oblivion, the other still marches on in the ceaseless commemorative work of veterans’ associations. Although few now question the ubiquitous role of the Comintern in the Brigades’ foundation, organization and command, the practical effects of this control on the environmental conditions and daily lives of the ‘volunteers for liberty’ — despite a plethora of published testimony by those involved — has tended to be overlooked. This article attempts to survey and assess the relevant experiences of the Brigades’ main English-speaking units, based on a wide range of archival and other sources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]