Wales and the Spanish Civil War
There were many reasons for the men of south Wales joining the Spanish
civil war most of which can be divided up in to the following
categories; Political, Economic, Social, Cultural and Religious. The
most important of which I feel is Political as I think you can find
that all these other problems stemmed from the political reasons. It
was these political reasons that had the most impact on the miners and
ultimately more than any of the others encouraged them to actively
join the war Spanish Civil war, which was being fought over the
political division between the right wing nationalists and the left
wing republicans. Although all the world powers had signed an
agreement of non-involvement Nazi troops from Germany and soldiers
from Italy were sent to help the nationalists. A total of 174 welsh
men joined the international brigade to help the republicans along
with Scots, Mexicans and Russians in order to fight for their
communist beliefs and in an attempt to stop the spread of fascism
across the world. 118 of the welsh men that went to Spain were from
the mining valleys of South Wales.
Religiously almost all people in South Wales in this time would have
attended chapel, and although communism, which is what the miners were
fighting for in Spain, is anti religion, as Marx aid "Religion is the
opiate of the people". If you break down the basic principles of
non-conformist Christianity, as that of South Wales, they are very
similar to those of communism. Teachings such as all are equal
therefore it was an easy and seemingly natural progression for the
working class of South Wales. Also it may have given the men an extra
incentive to help free the people of Spain from the Religious tyranny
of the Catholic Church that they had never experienced living in
relative religious freedom in South Wales.
Although I personally feel that this was a minor factor relating to
why the men from south Wales went to help with the Spanish civil war.
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was the dominant force in Western civilization. As the Dark Ages came to a close, the monarchies of Europe began to consolidate power; providing an alternative power base. With the Protestant Reformation came another blow to the influence of the Church. Spain, the forerunner in the Age of Discovery, was a fervently Catholic country. During the 16th century, the monarchy combined the forces of "cross and crown" in its imperial policy; much to the dismay and ultimate destruction of the indigenous peoples of the New World. Through an examination of Aztec polytheism and the Catholicism of the conquistadors, comes the central role of religion in the successful conquest of New Spain.
Every schoolchild knows that “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” This voyage was the gateway to an age of exploration, triumph, and ruin. Columbus’s voyage introduced the world to a new land and many opportunities. Powerful countries immediately scrambled to grab as much of it for themselves as they could. Two of the most powerful ones were England and Spain. Both wanted a piece of the new land, a way to grow economically or to escape persecution. Even though they had similar goals in mind, England and Spain had vastly different strategies.
In American History, one must always be a good patriotic man or woman. In order to be that ideal good American, one must love their land and god over everything. Time came around and introduced the Progressive era into America, a time of greater change. However, change is portrayed different between the people and the government, different ideas, approaches, and battles to fight. To prove that one loves its home he or she must be willing to give up anything for their land, meaning their lives or even their children 's lives too. On a daily basis, we are being fed fictional stories that our government create for their own beneficial interest. The press lets these fictional stories hit the headlines, and therefore should believe what they say for being our only reliable source. With the government and the press being a tag-team duo, we are simply left handicapped and have only but to listen and get fooled by their desired decision
From 1778-1783, the Treaty of Alliance obligated France to protect all American shipping endeavors. The dissolution of this treaty after the United States gained its independence left American merchant ships vulnerable to the Barbary pirates. In the 1700s and 1800s, Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis, and the Sultanate of Morocco were semi-independent states under the Ottoman Empire. Government-supported pirate crews from these countries captured merchant ships and ransomed their crews for centuries, but Thomas Jefferson wasn’t willing to comply with the Barbary States’ ransoms and tributes. As a result of his resolve not to be bullied by these vile criminals, the First Barbary War began.
The American Civil War is known to be one of the bloodiest wars in history. Significant advances in weapon technology contributed to the unprecedented carnage. All types of weapons were being invented including side arms, shoulder arms, and artillery. Surveying the origins and design of only a portion demonstrates fire power had outstripped battlefield tactics by the mid-nineteenth century.
As the cold hand of death swept over the remnants of France, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, orated on the imminent battle that would rage over his homeland and the foreboding struggle for survival that was now facing Britain:
The Spanish-American War began in 1898 when the United States congress approved President McKinley’s declaration of war on Spain after the explosion of the symbolic U.S.S. Maine in the Havana harbor of Cuba, and the loss of many American lives; the assumption was that Spain purposely blew up the American ship that was there to return Americans from Cuba to the United States. America also declared war on Spain because it was not able to control peace or stability in any of its countries, there were many Americans living in Cuba complaining about the brutal treatment by Spain, and because the United States had a stable economic relationship with Cuba, so it didn’t want Cuba’s economy to be ruined or its association with the country to collapse. However, Spain was already receiving revolts from the countries it possessed and imposed rule over long before the war with the United States began. The significance of this war was that Spain was treating the people in countries such as Cuba and the Philippines very brutally, and America wanted to remain neutral and did not want to join the conflict. However, as time passed and battleships and soldiers were deployed to help regulate conflict in these countries American aid was attacked and these actions angered America and caused for the declaration of war. A few main factors that are believed to have caused the Spanish-American War include: U.S. support and sympathy of Cuban independence, the commercial business interest the U.S. had in Cuba, and the attack of the U.S. battleship, U.S.S. Maine. Interpretations regarding historians and their thoughts on the causes of the Spanish-American War include economic interests, imperialist desires, and sympathy for Cuba and the Philippines. The U.S...
THESIS : “ The United States didn’t want to get involved in the Spanish-American War, but was dragged into it due to yellow journalism, they wanted to control the seas, and wanted complete control over Cuba.”
The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means.
Approximately 400 women fought on the battlefront during the American Civil War. (History.com Staff) The Civil War was a war fought on American soil between the Union, the North, and the Confederacy, the South. As the War began, most people believed it would be won and over quickly. However, the Civil War was long, difficult, and the deadliest war in American History. Women, both in the North and South, played tremendously important roles in the American Civil War.
"American imperialism in 1898 was not a sudden abandonment of anti-colonial tradition but was a logical extension of commercial expansion, something the US had been doing throughout its history" (SparkNotes: The Spanish American War, 1898-1901,: Effects of the Treaty). President McKinley was not interested in wars of conquest or of territorial aggression. His interest in expansion was "to make the United States first in international commerce and as a means to implement its humanitarian and democratic goals" (Faragher, J., Buhle, M. J., & Armitage, S. H. ,2008, Out of Many, A History of the American People, 6th ed., Vol. 2, p. 561). McKinley would eventually be forced to act in a humanitarian effort for the people of Cuba and to protect America’s interest against Spain’s domination of Cuba.
The Conquest of New Spain Cortés came not to the New World to conquer by force, but by manipulation. Bernal Daz del Castillo, in the "Conquest of New Spain," describes how Cortés and his soldiers manipulated the Aztec people and their king Montezuma from the time they traveled from Iztapalaopa to the time when Montezuma took Cortés to the top of the great Cue and showed him the whole of Mexico and its countryside, and the three causeways which led into Mexico. Castillo's purpose for recording the mission was to keep an account of the wealth of Montezuma and Mexico, the traditions, and the economic potential that could benefit Cortés' upcoming conquest. However, through these recordings, we are able to see and understand Cortés' strategy in making Mexico "New Spain." He came as a wolf in sheep's clothing and manipulated Montezuma through his apparent innocence.
After our study of many accounts of the English Civil War and Charles I’s trial and execution, it is clear that discovering historical truth and writing a satisfying history are two very separate, difficult tasks, and that finding among many accounts a single “best” story is complex, if not impossible. In order to compare the job each historian did in explaining what’s important about this conflict, the following criteria can be helpful for identifying a satisfying history.
The Spanish-American war was the first and biggest step that the United States of America took toward imperialism. It was the war that secured the US as the most powerful country in the world. This war was a benefit to the USA because we gained land, gained respect, and taught a lesson to one of our enemies. In addition to this, the losses that we suffered were almost nothing compared to other conflicts or wars. The Spanish-American war was by no means for the sole purpose of gaining land and respect, the United States freed an oppressed country and took pieces of land that were better off under US control.
On April 19th, 1898, The United States impulsively waged a war with imperialist Spain that would forever change our country for better and for worse. There are many different factors that led to the war, but in my opinion, one key cause is of much greater importance than the others. As a result of the war, American became known as an imperialistic nation and a world power. How could such a “little” war have such a large impact on American society at the turn of the 20th century?