Historical Context of For Whom
the Bell Tolls
The Spanish Civil War, lasting
from 1936 to 1939, was fought between the Republicans, leftists supporting the
existing Spanish Republic, and the Nationalists, amalgamated forces supporting
a new, dictatorial fascist regime. The Nationalists, helped by Fascist Italy
and Nazi Germany, overpowered the Republicans (aligned with the Communists and
Anarchists) and installed Francisco Franco as dictator, controlling Spain until
1975. The Spanish Civil War arose from a combination of factors: Spain became a
republic in 1931, but dissatisfaction with the government led to workers
revolting. Right-wing groups began to gain power, resulting in a coup in July
1936; the anti-Republican forces failed to earn complete control of the nation,
and war broke out. Though both Great Britain and the United States followed a
policy of non-intervention in the war—decisions that may have contributed to
World War II—left-leaning American and British artists, including Hemingway and
George Orwell, were attracted to the Republic’s communist messaging. Catholic
or right-wing artists, including J. R. R. Tolkien and Ezra Pound, supported the
Nationalists.
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