They were mostly young men and women from across America, deeply affected by the The Great Depression's despair, and they feared the fascist scourge engulfing Europe could affect them back home. They were ordinary people - working class, students, teachers, artists, dancers, athletes, the unemployed and others unified in a common belief that it's "better to die on your feet than live on your knees."
Most were members of the Young Communist League (CP). They allied with Industrial Workers of the World members ("Wobblies"), socialists forming their own (Eugene) Debs Column, and unaffiliated others. They were all committed in a common struggle. Some sought escape from The Great Depression, others went to fight for a better world unavailable at home, but all wanted to defeat fascism and risked their lives to do it. They also risked arrest or recrimination back home by defying a State Department prohibition against traveling to Spain so by doing it they broke the law.
It was worth it for what many saw as the quintessential struggle between democracy and tyranny. British author, social critic and journalist Eric Arthur Blair, aka George Orwell, felt the same. He went to Spain in 1936 to be with the Republican side and joined with the POUM coalition. He later wrote about it in what some call his finest work - "Homage to Catalonia." It sold just 50 copies in his lifetime, but another to it with a copy owned, read and admired long ago by this writer. It was more about social revolution than a civil war and centrally about tyranny against socially democratic forces on the left.
The allied groups on both sides, however, had their own agendas. On the left, the socialists (POUM) wanted a worker-controlled government, the communists (PSUC) a centralized one, and the Anarchists/Anarchosyndicalists (CNT) one that was decentralized. On the right, Franco loyalists wanted a fascist Spain like in Germany and Italy, latifundistas (big landowners) wanted a feudal system, and the Roman Catholic Church supported the monarchy and had its own elitist, pro-fascist conservative agenda.
The "Lincolns," wanted democratic freedom and fascism defeated. Its volunteers became known as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade although fighting units chose their own names and identities. In keeping with the "Popular Front" culture, they became part of the Fifteenth International Brigade along with nationals from other countries. They called themselves the Abraham Lincoln Battalion, the George Washington Battalion, and the John Brown Battery that included 125 doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and technicians with the American Medical Bureau. They were all volunteers for a noble cause and among them was the first ever racially integrated unit in US history and first one ever led by a black commander. Most never fired a rifle or had military training, but they were committed to learn and they did fast.
They also practiced what they believed in the ranks and created an egalitarian "peoples' army." Rank-and-file soldiers at times elected their own officers and generally shunned traditional military protocol. With them were well-known, or aspiring, writers, artists, composers and filmmakers, including James Lardner (son of Ring Lardner Sr.), Joseph Vogel, Ralph Fasanella, Conlon Nancarrow, Edwin Rolfe, Alvah Bessie, Phil Bard, William Lindsay Gresham and famed author Ernest Hemingway. He supported the "Popular Front," went to Spain in 1937 to report on the war, and spent most of it with the International Brigades.
After the war in 1940, he wrote his famous novel, "For Whom the Bell Tolls." It became a Hollywood film in 1943 and was the top box office hit of the year even though it failed to tell what really happened on the ground. It's the story of a young American in the International Brigades attached to an anti-fascist guerilla unit. The novel's theme is how the main characters react to the prospect of death in a struggle for their vision and how they bond and are willing to die for its sake. It was how Hemingway felt. He spoke publicly on it to raise money for the Republican side he supported.
The "Lincolns" fought bravely and took casualties, including at the town of Brunete near Madrid where half its contingent was wiped out. But they gave as much as they took until Republican forces began losing later in 1938. It took a great toll on both sides, including on the International Brigades as the war continued. It finally ended for the "Lincolns" and other International Brigades volunteers in late 1938. Spanish Prime Minister Juan Negrin struck a futile deal with Hitler to repatriate captured forces and ordered them withdrawn. He didn't understanding what others later learned that Hitler didn't make deals. He imposed them.
Of the 2800 "Lincolns," around one-third perished. Survivors came home heros, got no official recognition for their efforts, were lucky to escape recrimination for breaking the law, but were later harassed and hounded as explained below.
One survivor was its last commander - freedom-fighter, novelist and well-known peace and civil rights activist Milton Wolff. Hemingway described him as "23 years old, tall as Lincoln, gaunt as Lincoln, and as brave and as good a soldier as any that commanded battalions at Gettysburg. He is alive and unhit by the same hazard that leaves one tall palm tree standing where a hurricane has passed." He was part of Spain's bloodiest battles at Brunete, Quinto and Belchite but managed to emerge unscathed.
Wolff arrived in Spain in 1937, trained as a medic, became a machine gunner with the Washington Battalion and then its leader. When Commander Dave Reiss was killed, Wolff took over and led its great offensive across the Ebro and Sierra Pandols. He then went home when the International Brigades left Spain in 1938 but continued fighting fascism as an activist, speaker and novelist in spite of being branded a "premature anti-fascist" and getting caught up in the post-WW II anti-communist hysteria. It affected anyone of prominence who was accused of leftist leanings along with many other "Lincolns" hounded by the FBI, Committee on UnAmerican Activities, and Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB). They lost their jobs and were prosecuted under the Smith Act and state sedition laws although few had convictions hold up.
This was how a nation that defeated fascism rewarded them and then wiped them from the historical record for added shame. They're remembered, however, in the official Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA). The effort was founded in 1979 by Lincoln Brigade living veterans as an "educational and humanitarian organization devoted to the preservation and dissemination of the history of the North American role in the Spanish Civil War....and its aftermath."
It's committed to preserving the memory and record of these heroic freedom fighters and their sacrifices by "continually expanding archival collections in exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and performances (to preserve) the legacy of activism and commitment as an inspiration for present and future generations in working conscientiously and effectively toward a better and more just society" - the one "Lincolns" fought and died for 70 years ago without success.
On the eve of the great war, the Spanish Republic ended on April 1, 1939 when Madrid fell to the Nationalists and then Valencia. It held out under great pressure but gave it up the next day. In the end, the revolution failed from its own divergent ideologies and internal conflicts. They frustrated Orwell enough to say "Why can't we drop all of this political nonsense and get on with the war." It also lost to a more powerful Nationalist force that outmanned and outgunned them because Hitler and Mussolini supplied many more aircraft, artillery pieces, tanks, bombs, small arms and ammunition to give Franco the edge.
It let him outlast Spanish Republican forces that got less aid from the Soviet Union while countries like Great Britain, France and the US stayed technically neutral. But a careful look shows otherwise. Britain and France refused to supply arms or assist the Republican side. Even FDR's government was duplicitous. It pressured the Martin Aircraft Company not to honor an agreement made prior to the 1936 insurrection to sell aircraft to the Republic and also strong-armed Mexico not to ship Republicans war materials that were bought in the US for that purpose. The Mexican government complied and instead sent some financial aid.
Roosevelt said companies supplying the Republic were unpatriotic, but had no such feeling for those trading with the Nationalists like General Motors and the Texas Company, now part of oil giant Chevron. It cancelled contracts with Republicans but sold oil to Franco much like the dealings Charles Highham described in his 1983 book, "Trading with the Enemy." He documented how US corporations like Chase Bank, Standard Oil, Ford, GM and IBM did business with the Nazis in WW II in direct violation of the law. They betrayed their country and got away with it.
I am a 72 year old, retired, progressive small businessman concerned about all the major national and world issues, committed to speak out and write about them.
Surely, the Spanish Civil war was a rehearsal to WWII. But not many wrote about it because all the powers failed and only the people stayed firm. Maybe out of all the contemporary writers Hemingway with his ' To whom the bell tolls' and Norman Lewis with his fabulous ' The Day of the Fox' are the ones who figured out a lot. Of ccourse, there are numerous Spanish, French and Russian sources but we .. we don not know...
by
Mark Sashine (50 articles, 19 quicklinks, 242 diaries, 3435 comments)
on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 at 6:52:31 AM
It's too bad the citizenry of today resembles a bunch of herded sheep following wherever the master takes them..However if anyone ever stands up to the destruction of the once respected country the US..Ron paul will be proud to lead us freedom fighters..
by
Bill Huffy (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 at 12:14:28 PM
Ron Paul--"An Overt Racist in the GOP Field" -- Daily KOS
Sorry, ChangeAgent, but Ron Paul is an unreconstructed racial supremacist. See today's (12/26/07) Daily KOS quoting extensively from Paul's newsletter articles after his initial congressional terms. Nasty and pathetically small-town anti-black nonsense.
Unlike Ron Paul, the many US, British and other pro-democratic volunteers of the Lincoln Brigade championed freedom and struggled valiantly against fascism, which always contains a strong element of racism and racial/national superiority.
So, Viva La Quinte Brigada!.......but only a loud "boo" for Ron Paul.
by
R. Queisser (7 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 62 comments)
on Wednesday, December 26, 2007 at 11:21:51 PM
WeLL SOMBODY DIDN'T DO THERE HOME WORK, JUST( GOOGLE DAILY KOS AND THE FORD FOUNDATION), AND YOU SEE THE GLOBALIST AT WORK SEAMERING RON PAUL. A LITTLE MORE MASS MEDIA DECEPTION, THE FORD FOUNDATION IS THE FUNDING FOR DAILY KOS, ALSO FUNDS LA RAZA, TO HELP KEEP OUR BORDERS OPEN, THIS IS JUST HOW THE GLOBALIST GOT CONTROL OF OUR GOVERNMENT, BY MEDIA DECEPTION AND SOME PEOPLE FALL FOR IT.
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RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments)
on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 2:25:50 AM
that article conjured up 712 comments and counting.................Nice try, however, we all know that Jews are Kosher, Muslims don't eat pork and Blacks love fried chicken...........................
Ron Paul, at that time in reference, was reporting alarming statistcs to say the least. By nature of his personality, he seems to speak his mind for all to make judgement..............
As far as being an "Overt Racist", I don't think he deserves that comment......................however, some will reach down to toilet depths to sling mud at times like these................
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Ernest (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 132 comments)
on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 4:30:46 AM
Nice synopsis, Mr Lendman. My Dad talked often about the Lincoln Brigade. It was one of the disappointments in his life that he had been too young to join them. So many of his generation worked endlessly and without reward to make our world a better place. I'm glad he didn't live to see what America has become under the bootheel of Bush and the corporatist rulers of our country today.
by
Karl Moore (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 15 comments)
on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 9:37:29 AM
Ron Paul is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He may or may not be a racist but he's definitely a corporate stooge. He promotes free market capitalism and equates free market capitalism with freedom. He also opposes separation of church and state and wants government promoting religion. Paul also supports subsidies for big oil, wants to build a fence on the Mexican border, and supports wasting billions on the missile defense system. Paul also supported the bankruptcy "reform" bill.
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