Hearts of Conflict: Motivations of English-Speaking Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War
Abstract:
In the Spanish Civil War, which took place between 1936 and 1939, a significant number of English-speaking volunteers joined the conflict. The two sides, Nationalists and Republicans, saw these volunteers join their ranks. The Nationalist volunteers saw a lack of members in comparison to the Republicans. Alongside this is a voice in the narrative. I explored three central questions: Who were the English-speaking volunteers in the Civil War? What motivated them to join? And what were the outcomes or contributions of their involvement? I argue that the key motivation for many of the English-speaking volunteers was ideology. In terms of accomplishments, it was the Republican English-speaking volunteers. While Nationalists, English-speaking volunteers, as a whole, may lack definitive accomplishment in comparison to their counterparts. It is essential to acknowledge the nuanced contributions of individual volunteers. This essay seeks to explore these accomplishments and failures, and to shed light on this neglected perspective in historical literature. Furthermore it seeks to show how ideology played a key factor in the motivation of these individuals. This adds to the existing historical literature perspectives often overlooked as well as adds complexity to the study of foreign volunteers in history.