The Spanish Labyrinth: An Account of the Social and Political Background of the Spanish Civil War - Tapa dura

'A profound study of Spanish history and of its effects in contemporary Spain ... What makes Mr Brenan's book remarkable is its combination of knowledge, intelligence and impartiality.' Leonard Woolf, Political Quarterly

'Without exaggerating, this is one of the most brilliant political and social studies in many years ... an unbiased analysis of vast erudition and unusual insight, presented in a masterly fashion.' Chicago Sunday Tribune

'The first book to come out of recent Spain which is truly equal to the magnitude and complexity of the events it portrays. It is an honest book, rigorously objective despite the frank expression of the author's views, a wise and penetrating book by one who loves Spain and has steeped himself in its culture.' New York Herald Tribune

'The book for which students of Spanish affairs have been waiting. Here is the essence of Spain.' The Manchester Guardian

Isolated from the rest of Europe politically as well as geographically, Spain is a difficult country for foreigners to understand. Yet when in 1936 the land was divided by the most disastrous civil war of this century, individuals and governments of many nations became involved. This book is an account of how and why things turned out as they did. The answers lie in the labyrinth of Spanish history between 1874 and 1936. Mr Brenan charts this labyrinth, disentangling and identifying the separate forces for disunity; he explains the part played by the Church, the army, and the various political parties - Anarchists, Anarcho-Syndicalists, Carlists and Socialists; and he shows how industrial unrest, unequal privileges, agrarian discontent, and provincial loyalties each had a share in producing a war in which 'the vanquished were beaten and the victors defeated'.