SCOTTISH WOMEN AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
Much has been written about the Spanish Civil War and particularly about the international dimension. Part of the appeal and even romance of this period of history stems from the international brigades: ordinary people who travelled from around the world to fight in the conflict. Around 35,000 came from countries as diverse as China, the USA and Mexico, as well as all of the major European nations. The number from Scotland, 549, who went to aid the beleaguered Spanish republic was proportionally high compared to other countries. Memorials to these brave men are present in all of our major cities, including the memorable statue of Dolores Ibarruri – La Pasionaria – (see page 43) which overlooks the Broomielaw on the Clyde in Glasgow; the departure point for many of the Scots who went to fight against Franco. Apart from its striking appearance, it is also unusual for being a statue of a woman, still one of only a handful in Scotland of a woman who is not QueenVictoria. This however masks a lesser known but equally interesting story, that of the Scottish women who also participated in the Spanish Civil War.
THE OUTBREAK OF WAR
In July 1936, across Europe, political and military tensions were high. The Nazis were firmly established in Germany and had reoccupied the Rhineland; Mussolini’s brutal African campaign raged in Abyssinia (Ethiopia); and the Soviet Union was firmly in Stalin’s grip, with the great purge launched only a month later. In France, a popular front government (largely a mix of socialists and communists) had been elected in May. This mirrored the election which had taken place at the beginning of the year in Spain, when a popular front electoral pact of left-leaning republicans, socialists and communists had wrested political control from increasingly right-wing opponents.
Elements in the Spanish military had begun plotting for a takeover of the country almost immediately following the left’s success at the ballot box in February 1936. In July, against a backdrop of political violence from all sides, the generals and their supporters launched their planned coup. Beginning in the colony of Spanish Morocco, but quickly spreading across much of Spain, the army tried to take over civilian government
