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El colapso de la república
En este libro, ahonda sobre todo en el estudio de los seis meses previos a la guerra. Así, analiza, la labor de los diversos sectores del movimiento socialista y la rivalidad entre ellos para dar una visión completa del convulso final de la República que condujo a España a su más cruenta guerra.
660 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2005
19 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Stanley G. Payne
81 books104 followersStanley G. Payne is a historian of modern Spain and European Fascism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He retired from full time teaching in 2004 and is currently Professor Emeritus at its Department of History.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 7, 2011
It is extremely difficult to find resources on the Second Spanish Republic, let alone the Spanish Civil War, that are impartial. Stanley G. Payne is the leading historian on modern Spanish history because he maintained this unbiased focus and presented his extensive research in a way that is very involved but yet could seep through to the understanding of anyone who decides to take up the subject. This book is an amazing display of historical research on a very volatile subject that is still emotional for many people, and blinds many people from seeing what actually went on during these years in the not-so-distant Spanish history.
From reading this book we get a glimpse into the Republic and it's various turns in the political landscape that was extremely sensitive at the time. We get glimpses into the historical timeline that created it and in and of itself is a timeline into what came after. It is a good stepping stone into further research because it does not commence from an extremist standpoint and lays everything on the table all at once. Payne also gives you clues as to what needs to be further researched, and what has been researched to death already. His conclusions are intelligent and insightful.
This book is easy to read, exciting, and emotional with strong vocabulary and excellent presentation of research. It is not too long, not too short, and will have you taking notes in order to fully understand the background of the situation and the events of smaller scope that have to be understood first in order to understand the bigger picture. Wonderful, wonderful book!
From reading this book we get a glimpse into the Republic and it's various turns in the political landscape that was extremely sensitive at the time. We get glimpses into the historical timeline that created it and in and of itself is a timeline into what came after. It is a good stepping stone into further research because it does not commence from an extremist standpoint and lays everything on the table all at once. Payne also gives you clues as to what needs to be further researched, and what has been researched to death already. His conclusions are intelligent and insightful.
This book is easy to read, exciting, and emotional with strong vocabulary and excellent presentation of research. It is not too long, not too short, and will have you taking notes in order to fully understand the background of the situation and the events of smaller scope that have to be understood first in order to understand the bigger picture. Wonderful, wonderful book!
April 4, 2010
A very detailed look at Spanish politics from 1933 to 1936; does, however, display the characteristic of historic works critical of radical leftism in its need to go into great detail on the Left and its various revolutionary manifestations and expressions (yes, there was a plethora of such ideologies at the time, but the relative importance of some of them was minimal) while ignoring the similar sentiment on the Right or glossing over its activity in less detail. Payne tends to assert the primary responsibility of the Left in bringing on the Civil War, and while I don't entirely disagree, I do find the coverage to be a bit imbalanced. Additionally, it would be helpful to have some more of the historical and economic background applied in a more analytical look at the period to understand the motivations of many of the actors. The motivations of major actors tend to be presented as fixed, and the influencing factors on them are less clear, requiring a substantial knowledge of the period to put this into context. With these caveats, it's still a work of great detail and well worth reading to get an idea of the political events that eventually resulted in the total breakdown of the Republic and the beginning of the Civil War.
April 6, 2020
Una obra muy detallada (aunque claramente partidista) de la situación social y política durante la segunda república. Acaba agotando por sus insistentes ataques contra toda formación a la izquierda de los radicales.
August 10, 2023
As Americans become increasingly polarized in their politics, many have gone so far as to ask if we are headed for a second civil war. Against that background, Payne's "Collapse of the Spanish Republic, 1933-36," seems more timely than ever.
Most Americans' knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, it's run up and its aftermath, goes something like this: Spain had a monarchy, and at some point for some reason they dumped the king, probably because he was a rotten authoritarian, and set up a republic; everything was hunky-dory for a few years but Franco and other reactionary military officers carried out a coup, there was a civil war, and Spain spent the next 40 years under a fascist dictatorship. And there is a certain amount of truth there.
But Payne shows a much more nuanced and complex story, one in which a civil war was not a certainty, but was made more likely by efforts to "save the republic." Payne shows how after a conservative coalition won the 1933 parliamentary elections--Spain's first under the Republic--the left and center-left actually called on the center-left President Alacala-Zamora to nullify the elections, on the grounds that a conservative victory was per se anti-republican and therefore illegitimate and contrary to the constitution. Alcala-Zamora didn't go along with that, but he did refuse to allow the victorious right a chance to form a government, leading to a series of weak and corrupt minority governments. Meanwhile, the left increasingly relied on strikes and violence, which were met by violence from the right. After a narrow leftist win in the parliamentary elections of February 1936, the government turned a blind eye to leftist and communist street violence while vigorously prosecuting the right. The leftist majority in parliament refused to seat many conservatives who had won their seats, claiming their wins were illegitimate due to voter suppression; and violence on all sides increased as the country became ungovernable--or at least ungoverned. The middle class was radicalized, and began to sense that private rights--their rights to practice their religion, to be secure in their homes and their persons, to launch businesses and practice their professions--were in greater jeopardy from the Republic than from a resurrection of the monarchy or the nascent Falange Party. In the end, those who acted to "save democracy" adopted increasingly undemocratic policies until the whole experiment fell apart.
As Americans fear for our country's future, one looking for answers could do worse than to study the collapse of the Spanish Republic.
Most Americans' knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, it's run up and its aftermath, goes something like this: Spain had a monarchy, and at some point for some reason they dumped the king, probably because he was a rotten authoritarian, and set up a republic; everything was hunky-dory for a few years but Franco and other reactionary military officers carried out a coup, there was a civil war, and Spain spent the next 40 years under a fascist dictatorship. And there is a certain amount of truth there.
But Payne shows a much more nuanced and complex story, one in which a civil war was not a certainty, but was made more likely by efforts to "save the republic." Payne shows how after a conservative coalition won the 1933 parliamentary elections--Spain's first under the Republic--the left and center-left actually called on the center-left President Alacala-Zamora to nullify the elections, on the grounds that a conservative victory was per se anti-republican and therefore illegitimate and contrary to the constitution. Alcala-Zamora didn't go along with that, but he did refuse to allow the victorious right a chance to form a government, leading to a series of weak and corrupt minority governments. Meanwhile, the left increasingly relied on strikes and violence, which were met by violence from the right. After a narrow leftist win in the parliamentary elections of February 1936, the government turned a blind eye to leftist and communist street violence while vigorously prosecuting the right. The leftist majority in parliament refused to seat many conservatives who had won their seats, claiming their wins were illegitimate due to voter suppression; and violence on all sides increased as the country became ungovernable--or at least ungoverned. The middle class was radicalized, and began to sense that private rights--their rights to practice their religion, to be secure in their homes and their persons, to launch businesses and practice their professions--were in greater jeopardy from the Republic than from a resurrection of the monarchy or the nascent Falange Party. In the end, those who acted to "save democracy" adopted increasingly undemocratic policies until the whole experiment fell apart.
As Americans fear for our country's future, one looking for answers could do worse than to study the collapse of the Spanish Republic.
September 19, 2024
El Colapso de la República es un ensayo escrito por el prestigioso hispanista estadounidense Stanley G. Payne que narra los convulsos años de la Segunda República española fijándose en sus momentos finales, a partir, sobre todo, de la insurrección obrera de octubre de 1934 y como este régimen acabó colapsando, fruto, a su parecer, de que realmente ninguna de las fuerzas mayoritarias a izquierda y derecha tuviera un compromiso real de que la república democrática prevaleciera.
No se pueden dudar de dos cosas. La primera es que Payne es un erudito estudioso y sus conclusiones no son en ningún caso irreales o fruto de desvaríos ideológicos; se puede estar de acuerdo o no con ellas (en mi caso, le achaco al libro una cierta cojera a la hora de valorar más críticamente a las fuerzas de la izquierda insurreccional que a las de la derecha), pero están bien sistematizadas y son coherentes. La segunda es que la época de la Segunda República y la posterior Guerra civil sigue siendo objeto de miles de controversias y siempre es muy difícil llegar a un acuerdo histórico de fondo. Libros como este ayudan a fijar un marco de como este régimen democrático falló y a que se debió el colapso.
En general, no me ha resultado un libro del todo ameno y es ciertamente abrumador y denso en determinados pasajes. Aun así, como estaba interesado en profundizar mis conocimientos sobre está época histórica considero que, hasta cierto punto, si me ha satisfecho.
No se pueden dudar de dos cosas. La primera es que Payne es un erudito estudioso y sus conclusiones no son en ningún caso irreales o fruto de desvaríos ideológicos; se puede estar de acuerdo o no con ellas (en mi caso, le achaco al libro una cierta cojera a la hora de valorar más críticamente a las fuerzas de la izquierda insurreccional que a las de la derecha), pero están bien sistematizadas y son coherentes. La segunda es que la época de la Segunda República y la posterior Guerra civil sigue siendo objeto de miles de controversias y siempre es muy difícil llegar a un acuerdo histórico de fondo. Libros como este ayudan a fijar un marco de como este régimen democrático falló y a que se debió el colapso.
En general, no me ha resultado un libro del todo ameno y es ciertamente abrumador y denso en determinados pasajes. Aun así, como estaba interesado en profundizar mis conocimientos sobre está época histórica considero que, hasta cierto punto, si me ha satisfecho.
April 16, 2023
Muy exhaustivo. Explica los años previos al estallido de la Guerra Civil, las huelgas, las revueltas, los ataques y los asesinatos. Es muy esclarecedor pero, aunque nunca he idealizado la Segunda República, sí tengo la sensación de que el autor pretende culpar a su gobierno, destacado la violencia ejercida por parte de la izquierda, especialmente el asesinato de Calvo Sotelo, y pasando de puntillas sobre la violencia ejercida por parte de la derecha, los grandes terratenientes e incluso la sublevación militar del general Mola, a la que posteriormente se uniría Franco, dando más importancia a la falta de control gubernamental sobre las revueltas. Puede que el gobierno no fuera una democracia ideal, pero se podría haber pedido nueva revisión de votos tras las elecciones de 1936, haber forzado una moción de censura u otras posibles soluciones antes de provocar una guerra que dejó al país en la ruina y cuyas terribles consecuencias siguen a día de hoy extendiendo sus tentáculos. Ojalá hayamos aprendido la lección para siempre.
February 27, 2025
El autor relata la época de la República desde la base de lo que fue la Transición Española en el 1978.
Es un libro muy bien documentado, me ha permitido analizar los motivos que la Segunda República Española no funcionara y también, conocer una visión más centrada que no partidaria.
La pega que le pondría es que me ha puesto a Manuel Azaña de vuelta y media, pero en una pequeña parte lo puedo llegar a entender.
La conclusión que saco de este libro es que unas instituciones serán fuertes si se tiene una creencia firme como instrumento en favor del bienestar de la ciudadanía. Cuando se ve a la República como trampolín para saltar a otro régimen político, pues el resultado fue el que fue. Podría ser el verdadero proyecto emancipador de los trabajadores españoles y de su conjunto que habríamos avanzado con el resto de Europa, pero se convirtió en el proyecto emancipador de las élites bienavenidas, del ejército y del nacionalcatolicismo español que aún la democracia española fue bajo el síndrome del "franquismo sociológico."
Es un libro muy bien documentado, me ha permitido analizar los motivos que la Segunda República Española no funcionara y también, conocer una visión más centrada que no partidaria.
La pega que le pondría es que me ha puesto a Manuel Azaña de vuelta y media, pero en una pequeña parte lo puedo llegar a entender.
La conclusión que saco de este libro es que unas instituciones serán fuertes si se tiene una creencia firme como instrumento en favor del bienestar de la ciudadanía. Cuando se ve a la República como trampolín para saltar a otro régimen político, pues el resultado fue el que fue. Podría ser el verdadero proyecto emancipador de los trabajadores españoles y de su conjunto que habríamos avanzado con el resto de Europa, pero se convirtió en el proyecto emancipador de las élites bienavenidas, del ejército y del nacionalcatolicismo español que aún la democracia española fue bajo el síndrome del "franquismo sociológico."
October 14, 2024
In case anyone might be interested, I include my review in English and Spanish, which is my native language /Incluyo, por si es de interés para alguien, mi reseña en inglés y en español, que es mi idioma
Reseña en Español
El Colapso de la República, de Stanley G. Payne
Obra minuciosa e imprescindible para entender la situación política de España en los años y meses previos a la Guerra Civil.
Ahonda en los perfiles de los que fueron presidentes de la República previamente al conflicto, cómo fueron Alcalá Zamora y Azaña.
Quizás la gran cantidad de datos y reseñas hacen que este libro se salga de lo puramente divulgativo, por ejemplo, a la hora de exponer las reformas agrarias planteadas en el período republicano, los apoyos y detractores que tuvieron y cómo se llevaron a cabo o bien la evolución del partido Radical desde sus orígenes hasta su práctica disolución.
Me parece recomendable si se quiere profundizar en los años 30 del siglo XX español.
Review in English
The Collapse of the Spanish Republic, 1933-1936: Origins of the Civil War, by Stanley G. Payne.
A detailed and essential work for understanding the political situation in Spain in the years and months leading up to the Civil War.
It delves into the profiles of those who were presidents of the Republic prior to the conflict, such as Alcalá Zamora and Azaña.
Perhaps the large amount of data and reviews make this book a little more than purely informative, for example, when it comes to explaining the agrarian reforms proposed during the Republican period, their supporters and detractors and how they were carried out, or the evolution of the Radical party from its origins to its virtual dissolution.
It seems to me recommendable if you want to delve deeper into the 1930s in Spain.
Reseña en Español
El Colapso de la República, de Stanley G. Payne
Obra minuciosa e imprescindible para entender la situación política de España en los años y meses previos a la Guerra Civil.
Ahonda en los perfiles de los que fueron presidentes de la República previamente al conflicto, cómo fueron Alcalá Zamora y Azaña.
Quizás la gran cantidad de datos y reseñas hacen que este libro se salga de lo puramente divulgativo, por ejemplo, a la hora de exponer las reformas agrarias planteadas en el período republicano, los apoyos y detractores que tuvieron y cómo se llevaron a cabo o bien la evolución del partido Radical desde sus orígenes hasta su práctica disolución.
Me parece recomendable si se quiere profundizar en los años 30 del siglo XX español.
Review in English
The Collapse of the Spanish Republic, 1933-1936: Origins of the Civil War, by Stanley G. Payne.
A detailed and essential work for understanding the political situation in Spain in the years and months leading up to the Civil War.
It delves into the profiles of those who were presidents of the Republic prior to the conflict, such as Alcalá Zamora and Azaña.
Perhaps the large amount of data and reviews make this book a little more than purely informative, for example, when it comes to explaining the agrarian reforms proposed during the Republican period, their supporters and detractors and how they were carried out, or the evolution of the Radical party from its origins to its virtual dissolution.
It seems to me recommendable if you want to delve deeper into the 1930s in Spain.
December 27, 2014
Una revisión histórica detallada de España antes de la guerra civil. En ella se muestra la complejidad del proceso político que llevo a la catástrofe en 1936. Resulta impresionante analizar las dinámicas que polarizan la sociedad española y la empujan hacia la guerra. Más allá del contexto externo, que por cierto influye, el comportamiento de la clase política española y su incapacidad para evitar el abismo es impresionante. Aparte de darme una mirada más profunda respecto a la confrontación política y la forma en que tanto izquierdas como derechas enfrentaron y generaron la crisis, el libro me aporto una mirada a las dinámicas que desestabilizaban los procesos políticos y sus patrones comunes en distintos países y tiempos.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews