José M. Faraldo

Gutmaro Gómez Bravo

The book presents various investigation into 20th-century European dictatorships, with its focus on Franco`s dictatorship and the Spanish Civil War. Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in Spain (1936/1939-1975/1978) was a modern form of authoritarianism, with a strong totalitarian period, like many other dictatorships of the time. Francoism occupies a place in history alongside other different dictatorships of its age, and a comparative analysis might prove to be a powerful tool in order to understand how, in the middle of the 20th century, such a repressive and authoritarian form of political control emerged. One of the most forgotten fascisms, which at the same time was influenced by and influenced other dictatorships, there are many aspects of the transnational connections of Francoism that remain under-researched. Following this methodology, thus, an attempt is made to situate Francoism in the context of the other dictatorships of the time, in an attempt to transcend explanations centered on the nation. The chapters cover groundbreaking topics such as the Spanish Civil War as one of the first total wars or Spanish fascism in context as one of the main European totalitarianisms. The chapters always have more than one dimension: they speak of interrelation, entanglement, collaboration and diffusion, and, in general, put the different dictatorships (essentially: Francoism, diverse Fascisms and Communism) in context and comparison.

Entanglement, Comparison and Transfer between Dictatorships in the 20th Century

Interacting Francoism

The Russian revolution of October 1917, born of the devastation of the Great War, exerted its influence around the globe. Its massive consequences shaped the Twentieth Century and are still with us. Taking 1917 as a point of departure, this book focus on the consequences of imperial and state collapse after 1917 in spatial and chronological dialogue. The contributors examine how profound institutional change created narratives and representations of national memories. They explore the nationalist movements that shaped the new countries and bring to life the communist activists who helped to transform the old world as a tragedy of terrible dimensions unfolded.

The Consequences of 1917 in the Mediterranean and the World

Collapsed Empires

Paulina Gulińska-Jurgiel

Christian Domnitz

Die kommunistischen Machthaber misstrauten der Idee der europaischen Einheit zutiefst. Der westeuropaische Integrationsprozess stellte in ihren Augen einen feindlichen Zusammenschluss imperialistischer Staaten dar, die unter der Fuhrung der USA gegen das sozialistische Friedenslager kampften. Der Bandspurt in deutsch- und englischsprachigen Beitragen den Europabildern und Europakonzepten in zahlreichen Landern ostlich des Eisernen Vorhangs nach. Die Autoren untersuchen offizielle Europa-Diskurse und oppositionelle Gegenvorstellungen in den einzelnen Warschauer Pakt-Staaten sowie in Emigrantenkreisen. Die Befunde zeigen, dass im sozialistischen Lager nicht nur kritisch abwehrend, sondern oft auch zustimmend nachgedacht wurde.

Vorstellungen und Diskurse (1945-1991)

Europa im Ostblock

José Faraldo

This collection of articles on Polish history after 1945 begins with a study of the reconstruction of Polish towns after the World War II, presenting how ideological images of the nation transformed the physical form of urban landscapes. The book devotes also a long part to individual identities, exploring the most intimate level of representation of consciousness: autobiographies of Polish immigrants into former German territories. The last two articles explore the identitarian adaptation of Polish anticommunist emigrants in Spain and the possibilities of dispute about Europe at the beginning of Communist regimes in Poland and Central Europe. The book puts problems of private identities in the context of European discourses, showing how politics are a part of individual lives, too.

José M. Faraldo

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