Robert Stradling – författare

This volume examines one of the central political questions of the modern world, the uneasy and often violent relationship between the forces of nationalism and democracy. This subject was one of lifelong interest to the late Professor Harry Hearder of University of Wales, Cardiff, to whom the book is dedicated. The focus is on the nation-states of western Europe during the period 1985-1970. Much of the content explores varieties of conflict and compromise between these two 'cultures, ' which had in many aspects a contradictory dynamic, but which nevertheless shared some basic aspirations, and often contrived to coexist, both on the national and international level.

In this ground-breaking and controversial study of the myths surrounding the International Brigades, Robert Stradling argues that the civil war can be seen as the climax of the struggle between the claims of culture and art for autonomy - even for supremacy - and the demands of political commitment. Stradling traces this conflict through the reactions of figures such as W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, George Orwell, and Benjamin Britten, as well as many lesser-known writers, and in terms of the Brigades' reputation and history in the context of some of the war's key episodes. History and Legend dissents from the orthodox interpretation of the role of artists and intellectuals in the Spanish Civil War, questions the basis of the Republic's claim to spiritual superiority, and analyses the assumptions behind the notion that 'art' and 'the good cause' are necessarily synonymous. It is a major new interpretation of the historical, political and cultural legacy of the International Brigades.

This book centres on the bombing of Getafe, a small town south of Madrid shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Sections of the international press reported that forty or more children had been killed by bombs dropped in the Nationalist cause, a tragedy encapsulated in a poster issued by the Ministry of Propaganda. Accompanied by the words "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", the poster linked Hitler and Nazi Germany with Franco's ruthless determination to overcome resistance and destroy the Republic. In the eyes of millions outside Spain, the poster helped to explain Madrid's heroic resistance to "International Fascism". The book establishes the central importance of the Getafe incident and goes on to analyse "collateral damage" inflicted by air-forces on both sides during the war, and aims to question what Prof. Stradling considers to be the continuing pro-Republican bias of historical writing on the war. It also discusses reactions in the UK and other European countries. Using the iconic poster as a focus, the book also covers other types of propaganda, including examples in art (Picasso's Guernica), literature, music, photography and film. The book will be unique in that it will be the first to analyse the Getafe incident in detail.

Second edition of a book which caused huge controversy in its first printing - now completely revised and updated. Argues that research into the cultural history of music can significantly help our understanding of the evolution of English national identity. Only book of its kind to cover such a revolutionary period in British music. Looks at how music reflected the privileged elite, ignoring the vast majority of 'music lovers', and was crucial in the construction of a British national identity. The second edition features a new and expanded introduction, a new chapter on Mendelssohn's Elijah - and the complete text has also been updated and revised.

The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War threw Irish politics, north and south of the border, into turmoil. Tragic events in Spain aroused emotive responses across the spectrum of Irish society. In contrast to most other communities of the British Isles, citizens of the Irish Free State were mainly pro-Franco. But many on the left felt a strong identification with the plight of the Republic. Ireland sent large organized bodies of men to fight on opposite sides in the Spanish Civil War. The International Brigade volunteers were led by the IRA warrior, Frank Ryan. Their rivals, who became a battalion of Franco's Foreign Legion were mostly members of the semi-facist Blueshirts, and were commanded by the ex-leader of that movement, General Eoin O'Duffy. In late 1936, two enemy crusades - Communist and Catholic - left Ireland to fight it out in Spain. This book, illuminated by personal histories, tells the story of what happened to those two sides. Starting with their eventful journey to Spain, it follows their footsteps across the battlefields of Spain.

A study of the Welsh people's experience - ideological, political and cultural - of the Spanish Civil War, dealing not only with the war years (1936-39), but also the background and aftermath. It makes significant use of archival material and the testimony of International Brigade volunteers.

A study of the Welsh people's experience - ideological, political and cultural - of the Spanish Civil War, dealing not only with the war years themselves (1936-39), but also the background and aftermath. The text's emphasis is on analysis rather than narrative history and it seeks to demonstrate the ways in which the meanings of the Spanish Civil War were constructed by both Welsh contemporaries and by subsequent generations. It also provides an exploration of the myths surrounding histories of Welsh volunteer participation. A large proportion of the work is devoted to the volunteers of the Welsh International Brigades, using memoirs, diaries and archival material in addition to existing secondary material in a variety of media.