RADICAL RESPONSES TO THE GREAT
DEPRESSION The Spanish Civil War |
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Flyer. To All the Workers in the
World... Far from the shores of America raged the struggle
against Franco's brutal fascist regime. No other international issue
had managed so fervently to capture the hearts and souls of American
intellectuals and radicals. Their experiences during the Depression
moved them to a greater urgency in fighting against injustice and
repression. The response of the Spanish working class against Franco
advanced their ideals of building an egalitarian society by
collectivizing land, industry, and public utilities, and closing down
the pro-fascist Catholic churches. The U.S. Government did not enter
this war, but nearly 3,000 Americans volunteered with the
International Brigades, leaving behind home and family, and
establishing the first racially integrated military unit in U.S.
history. As many as one million people are believed to have died
during the War, and many others were forced into exile. |