Las Brigadas Internacionales

Abstract

The presence in Spain of some 35,000 volunteers recruited by the Third International, led to citizens of more than 53 countries fighting alongside the Republican Army during the Civil War. The history of the International Brigades has generated a rapidly growing literature from 1996 up to now. The International Brigades have been examined from a great many different perspectives. This article examines the large corpus of work according to six subjects. We have collected 168 titles published between 2006 and 2013 and analysed them statistically according to language, place, date and principal topics. Regarding language, 73% are written in Spanish, 10% in English, 5% in Catalan, 4% in Italian, 4% in French and 4% in other languages. Approximately 82% were published in Spain and only 18% abroad. As to date of publication, 2009 was the most prolific year. Considering research topics, the highest percentage goes to biographies and memoirs, followed by works examining the country of origin of each Brigade, general military matters and the most important battles. Almost 75 years later, the phenomenon of the International Brigades and what they mean is more alive than ever. Not only has there been a large number of publications , but a great number of activities have also been launched, such as films or exhibitions paying tribute to the volunteers who came to Spain to fight against Franco.