History of the Second World War

Latest Episodes:

Spanish Civil War Interview Series 15: British Foreign Office and the War with Stephen Rainbird Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Stephen Rainbird. Stephen's research focuses on the political relationship between Spain, Britain, and Portugal in the years before and during the Second World War. Our conversation focused mostly on the reaction of British political leaders to the events in Spain that led up to the Civil War, and then some of the reasons that the British government chose the path that it did during the conflict. We also discuss the very important matter of piracy in the Mediterranean during the war, where the pirates somehow got ahold of Italian submarines, spoke Italian, and were getting paid by the Italian government, weird situation really.

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44: The Spanish Civil War Pt. 9 - Struggles for Power Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

After the opening battles of the Civil War, behind the front the political maneuverings would continue.

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Spanish Civil War Interview Series 14: Scotland and the Civil War with Fraser Raeburn Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-scots-and-the-spanish-civil-war.html

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Dr. Fraser Raeburn. This interview continues our series of regional specific discussions, in this case about Scotland and how people in Scotland reacted to the Spanish Civil War, why some of them chose to go to Spain to fight in the International Brigades, and the humanitarian efforts that originated in Scotland.

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Spanish Civil War Interview Series 13: Military History with Dr. Charles Esdaile Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Dr. Charles Esdaile. Unlike some of the other interviews I have done for this series, this interview focuses very heavily on the military side of the conflict. At the end of the day the Spanish Civil War was a military conflict, and the military side of the story does deserve some attention. One of the interesting items that we discussed was how a seemingly small decision, how military units were organized, could have consequences that caused issues for the Republicans even outside the military theater.

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43: The Spanish Civil War Pt. 8 - The War in the North Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

After the failure to take Madrid, the Nationalist shift their focus, and in their sights is the Republican Enclave in northern Spain.

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Spanish Civil War Interview Series 12: Prisoners in Francoist Spain with Jessica Thorne Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Jess Thorne to discuss the treatment and experiences of prisoners during the Civil War and after. Discussing prisoners during a Civil War is always interesting because their experiences are often quite different than what is experienced by more traditional Prisoners of War. There was a political dimension for why they were imprisoned during the war, and then why they were kept in prison after the war was over and we discuss that dimension and the consequences of it.

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Spanish Civil War Interview Series 11: Gender Violence in the Spanish Civil War with Charlotte Walmsley Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Charlotte Walmsley a PhD researcher focusing on post-conflict gender violence. Gender violence is a phrase that we use several times in this interview, and so I thought it would be good to give a clear and concise definition of the term. I am by no means an expert on the topic, but there is a good quote from the European Institute for Gender Equality: "Gender-based violence and violence against women are terms that are often used interchangeably as it has been widely acknowledged that most gender-based violence is inflicted on women and girls, by men. However, using the ‘gender-based’ aspect is important as it highlights the fact that many forms of violence against women are rooted in power inequalities between women and men."

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42: The Spanish Civil War Pt. 7 - Jarama and Guadalajara Feb 03, 2021

Show notes

After the Nationalist attack on Madrid was stopped, they shifted tactics and attempted to surround the capital with an attack from the south across the Jarama river and from the north near Guadalajara.

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Spanish Civil War Interview Series 10: Milicianas with Jessica McIvor Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Jess McIvor, a PhD researcher to discuss the portrayal of women fighters during the Spanish Civil War. One of the really interesting pieces of the story of the Civil War is how it interacted with the views of the different groups around what they felt Spanish society was and should be. The presence of women within the militia units early in the war gave this ideological conflict a greater urgency and focus. Jess also mentions several excellent authors throughout the interview, which you can find linked to on the website over at historyofthesecondworldwar.com/interviews.

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Spanish Civil War Interview Series 9: Stalin's Niños with Dr. Karl Qualls Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

On this episode of our Spanish Civil War Interview Series I was joined by Dr. Karl Qualls to discuss his research into the Spanish child refugees that would make their way to the Soviet Union during the Spanish Civil War. These children would have unique experiences during their time within the Soviet Union, first expected to be a few months, turned into years and then decades. Many of them would never be able to openly return to Spain, and the Soviet Union would become their new home.

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