LAST DAYS OF THE SPANISH REPUBLIC,THE (Libro en papel)

de PRESTON,PAUL

Sinopsis

Told for the first time in English, Paul Preston's new book tells thestory of a preventable tragedy that cost many thousands of lives andruined tens of thousands more at the end of the Spanish Civil War.
This is the story of an avoidable humanitarian tragedy that cost manythousands of lives and ruined tens of thousands more.It has many protagonists but centres on three individuals. One, DrJuan Negrín, the victim of what might be termed a conspiracy of fools, tried to prevent it. Two bore responsibility for what transpired. One of those, Julián Besteiro, was guilty of culpable naïvety. The other, Segismundo Casado behaved with a remarkable combination of cynicism,arrogance and selfishness.On 5 March 1939, the eternally malcontent Colonel Casado launched amilitary coup against the government of Juan Negrín. Ironically, heensured that the end of the Spanish Civil War was almost identical toits beginning. As Mola, Franco and the other conspirators of 1936 haddone, Casado led a part of the Republican Army in revolt against theRepublican government. He claimed, as they had done, and equallywithout foundation, that Negrín's government was the puppet of theCommunist Party and that a coup was imminent to establish a Communistdictatorship.Casado's ambition was to go down in history as the man who ended theSpanish Civil War. Instead he ensured the Republic ended incatastrophe and shame as Negrin's attempts to achieve an honourableand negotiated peace with guarantees for the civilian population werethwarted and Franco and his forces wreaked havoc and revenge. Madridcollapsed into civil war and two thousand people died. Refugees fledreprisals in their thousands and those who couldn't escape met aterrible fate.Paul Preston, the leading historian of 20th century Spain, tells thisshocking story for the first time in English. It is a harrowing taleof how the flawed decisions of politicans can lead to tragedy..