Battle Ground of Ideologies: The Spanish Civil War and Legacies of Fascism

Catalog description

Francisco Franco was Europe's longest-ruling dictator. He ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975. This course will examine the social and cultural context of the rise of Fascism in Spain. We will focus especially on the colonial legacy of Spanish fascism, the violent overthrow of the democratic II Spanish Republic and Franco's seizure of power during the bloody Spanish Civil War. We will have the opportunity to learn about the international volunteers, including from the United States, who joined the fight against fascism and how the Spanish Civil War was decisive in shaping WWII. We will also discuss the decades of Franco's lengthy dictatorship, the social and cultural politics in transitioning Spain to democracy after his death and the legacy of Spanish Fascism in contemporary Spain. In addition to class lectures, students will become familiar with these themes through the reading and analysis of historical texts and memoirs, participation in a workshop with the director of the Abraham Lincoln Brigades Archives, the viewing of documentary film, and by engaging with the current volatile debates in Spain about the historical memory of fascism. This course meets the Dietrich Gen Ed "Contextual Thinking" requirement. Course Website: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/history/