‘You are history, you are legend’ – British International Brigadiers and the antifascist cause during the Spanish Civil War

Article by Michael Wright-Elliott. Edited by Victoria Ryves. Additional Research by Robyn Hall.

On the 17th October, 1938, the International Brigades paraded in Barcelona for the last time. The gratitude expressed by the Republican government highlights the importance of the international volunteers during the Spanish Civil War. Even though they could not help to defeat the Nationalists, their legacy lives on because of their courage to help the Spanish republic whilst Western democracies simply turned a blind eye to the nationalists Fascist backing. The volunteers had different political ideologies, but they were there for one purpose: to defend a democratically elected government from a coup d’état and fascism.

The failure of a military coup in July 1936 meant that Spain was divided into two. The Nationalists controlled cities like Seville whilst the Republic where able to defend a large part of the country from the military coup, including Barcelona and Madrid. As a result of the failed coup leaders of the Nationalists, such as Franco, looked for aid from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, to finance their actions. This aid turned a failed military coup into an all-out civil war. Desperate pleas by the Republic for assistance from European democracies fell on deaf ears, and with a non-intervention pact pursued by Britain and other European countries, the Republic was left alienated. The Nationalists, however, could count on modern weaponry and the expertise of the German and Italian military, which simply ignored the non-intervention agreement signed by the European nations. Disgusted with their governments and fear another country could fall into fascist hands, many people from across Europe decided to go to fight for the Republic. Organised by the Commintern, over 35,000 men came to Spain to fight fascism, with more than 2,300 men coming from Britain and Ireland. The British volunteers came from all walks of life, and although the majority were working class such as Alun Williams, a miner from Wales, poets like John Cornford and other intellectuals went to fight the antifascist cause. Although the British government took a very weak stance towards Franco and his allies, these men went voluntarily to fight for what they believed, and were right to belief that they were not only fighting against fascism in Spain, but the world.

Although the number of British volunteers may not have been as high as French or Germans, they played a critical role in the war. The majority of the volunteers from Britain saw the Spanish Civil War not only as a war between Spaniards but as a war of international ideas, and one which would continue at home with the looming possibility of war with Germany. At the start of the Civil War, many speakers came to large cities in the UK to persuade men to volunteer in Spain. The British volunteers came predominantly from working class cities like Liverpool, Manchester and London. Surprisingly, despite high unemployment in Britain during the thirties, the majority of the volunteers decided to leave their jobs in order to go to Spain. A large percentage of the volunteers worked in areas such as construction, ship building and mining. Some had already fought Mosley’s fascists on the streets of London whilst others went to Spain to defend their fellow trade unionists against the Nationalist reactionaries.

The ideologies of the volunteers differed greatly. It is believed that 80 per cent of the volunteers held Communist beliefs, and others were Labour supporters. However, due to the varied ideologies within the Republican zone, the British volunteers were accommodated within different regiments. The majority of the British Volunteers joined the International Brigades which were organised by the Soviet Union. The Brigades were organised to defend democracy, and not to promote Communism in Spain, which is an important historiographical line of argument. Stalin wanted to defend the Republic to stop the rise of fascism, whilst keeping potential allies on his side, such as Britain and France, who were more afraid of a Communist Spain than a Nationalist victory. However, other volunteers came to Spain to fight for different groups. One example is the Independent Labour Party, who fought on the Aragon front with the POUM (Workers Party of Marxist Unification) One of the Englishmen that fought with the POUM was George Orwell, whose book ‘Homage to Cataluña’ shares the experiences of the British volunteers in the POUM and the complicated political situation on the Republican front. As the POUM came under pressure from an ever-growing Communist presence within the Republican government, some volunteers from the International Labour Party moved to the International Brigades in order to continue the battle.

Back in Britain the opinion of the International Brigades varied greatly. According to Paul Preston, rank and file Labour members worked hard to support the Republic with donations, although the Party initially respected the non-intervention treaty and was opposed to members joining the movement. However, the Labour party changed their stance due to the horrific scenes that were unfolding in Spain. The modern weaponry that the Francoist forces received from Germany and Italy led to incidents such as the bombing of Guernica which was widely condemned. The leader of the Labour party, Atlee, even went to visit the volunteers in Spain. The Conservative Party were against any intervention in Spain, and as a result simply ignored the International Brigades. One of the few men within Conservative ranks to comprehend the implications of another fascist state was Churchill. However, the consensus within the Party was that Spain was going to be communist or fascist; and fascism was the preferred choice.

Throughout the war, British volunteers worked very hard to hold back Franco’s forces and at times they were used for offensives. Notably, they helped to defend Madrid with the Communist forces, when the capital was deemed indefensible by the government in 1937. Their brave actions in Madrid forced the nationalists to change their strategy prolonging the war. Also, in 1938, the British Battalion, led by Bill Alexander, helped to launch a major counter attack in Teruel, although eventually this gain caused great destruction for the Republicans.

In 2009, the remaining volunteers were given Spanish citizenship, as was promised by Negrin, the president of the Republic, as they left Spain in 1938. Around 500 British volunteers died in the name of freedom and democracy. The British volunteers decided to take action against Fascism whilst the government sat back and allowed a non-intervention agreement to be violated under their noses. Most travelled by train to Barcelona, where they received little training. However, the British volunteers tried their best and were an important aid to a threatened Republic. They have become legend for the courage and their selfless will to fight in a battle far from home. Within two years, the Volunteers were defending Britain from the same Fascist threat. The fascist aid from the Axis may have defeated the Spanish Republic but the fight against fascism progressed further afterwards with World War 2, and for this the British volunteers in Spain can be satisfied that their anti-fascist cause in Spain was not in vain.

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The Spanish Civil War lasted from 1936 to 1939. It is estimated to have cost 300,000 lives.

The Nationalists were supplied with military assistance by both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Republicans received the same from the Soviet Union and the International Brigades of volunteers. Britain and France chose to remain neutral.

35,000 people volunteered for the International Brigades, including 2,300 from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth. Around 500 of these are known to have been killed. Roughly 80% were recruited through Communist parties/groups and a significant number were Jewish.

‘Well, to me it was elementary. Here was fascism spreading all over the world, the rape of Abyssinia, the rise of fascism in Germany and the persecution of the Jews there, and the rise of the Blackshirts in Britain with their anti-Semitism, and especially their anti-Irishism. I felt that somebody had to do something to try and stop it.’

Sam Wild, Leader of the British Battalion during the latter part of 1938.

‘The awful realisation that black fascism was on the march right across Europe created a strong desire to act. The march had started with Mussolini and had gained terrible momentum with Hitler and was being carried forward by Franco. For most young people there was a feeling of frustration, but some determined to do anything that seemed possible, even if it meant death, to try to stop the spread of fascism...This was Fascist progression. It was real and it had to be stopped.’

Jack Jones, political commissar in Spain, trade-unionist.

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