Review by Choice Review
Escott's comparative history examines how civil wars in both the US (1861-65) and Spain (1936-39) inhibited communication and unity in both countries. An authority on the US Civil War, the author schooled himself thoroughly in the Spanish case. He notes how both bloody, internecine conflicts shaped historical memory and fueled disputes over ideology, commemorations, and politics. The interfamilial wars also influenced political, economic, and social change and led to reconciliation. Although the US and Spanish civil wars differed significantly in causes, timing, geographical patterns, political reintegration, and economic transformation, Escott (Wake Forest Univ.) rightly identifies important similarities in terms of rival social systems, human costs, wartime outrages, long-lasting divergent moral or ideological beliefs, and the role of foreign affairs in promoting internal changes. In both countries, patterns of conflict over the wars' memory and meaning underscore generational changes and suggest the adaptability of historical memory to changing social needs. In crisp prose, Escott successfully shows how inertia ruled in both postwar societies, but also how change eroded continuity. Although the civil wars in the US and Spain had decidedly disparate stories, they shared common themes. "An altered social landscape," he concludes, "creates new realities and brings new attitudes." Summing Up: Recommended. All academic libraries. J. D. Smith University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
