Was the britsh goverments policy on voluntees and aid pro nationalist regarding the spanish civil war Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Nevertheless, as Tom Buchanan writes: The International Brigades represented a dramatic new departure: it was the only time during this century in which a British political party has sustained a significant military contingent in a foreign war. Yet it was presented as a continuation of the long-standing British tradition of volunteering to defend liberty wherever it was threatened or suppressed, beginning with Lord Byron’s doomed expedition to Greece in 1823-4.4 Although the British government tried to block the thousands of volunteers flooding from Britain to Spain this was only vaguely done out of distaste. Mostly the British government was interested in maintaining a policy of non-intervention. Although there was a larger feeling of support for Franco than for the Communists, it can’t really be said the British government was especially pro-nationalist. All of their statements about preferring Franco were made mostly privately5 and the non-intervention policy was taken seriously. People today may debate that non-intervention guaranteed the defeat of the Republicans, as the Italians and Germans continued to supply Franco. However, it is by no means certain that a Communist Spain perhaps under the sway of the Soviet Union would have been better for anyone involved. We will write a custom essay sample on Was the britsh goverments policy on voluntees and aid pro nationalist regarding the spanish civil war or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Both sides of the conflict had a very ugly side to them—it is only popular imagination that lends a halo of heroism to the British volunteers who fought in the war on the Republican side. The Spanish Civil War was a politically galvanizing experience for many people in Europe and around the world. It showcased many of the terrible ideologies and their destructive forces that would soon be seen in full force in the Second World War. In Britain, however, the war elicited little governmental response aside from a carefully scripted policy of non-intervention. It would be unfair to describe the British government’s official policy as pro-nationalist, despite the fact that some members of cabinet privately hoped Franco would win. Most of the debate and ferocity on the issue took place on the Left, and not necessarily in government either. The main British response to the war took place among organizing committees of private citizens who traveled to Spain to participate in the war in their own capacity. This individual passion was one of the defining reactions to the Spanish Civil War in Britain. Works consulted Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain. London: Penguin Books, 2006. Tom Buchanan. Britain and the Spanish Civil War.