In the 1936, General Francisco Franco lead the army and his forces against the government of Spain. In simple terms it became the Fascist vs the Republic. On the side of the Fascists was Franco, other generals, and support from Germany and Italy. On the other side was the Republic who was everyone else and the moral support of the western powers. During the Spanish Civil War people were encouraged unless they were from Germany and Italy (as they provided troops and arms) to help one side or the other. Most people from western countries and Russia supported the Republic. During the Spanish Civil War many journalists and artists offered their views.

The war starts similar to all other wars, while there is a dispute with the existing government, other factors in the background have been boiling towards the tipping point. With the support of Germany and Italy, those countries were looking for spoils from what they thought would be a short war. Germany wanted access to raw materials and minerals of Spain; Italy wanted to create a Fascist Europe. The importance of the Spanish Civil War was it was preview of World War II.

In all wars, people die; in all wars technology and systems improve dramatically. In the book Hell and Good Company – The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made by Richard Rhodes published by Simon and Schuster, New York, 2015, Mr. Rhodes an American focuses on the Republican side of the story. In war, people are shot and will be maimed by surrounding explosions which means medical facilities are very needed. On the Republican side, the Americans and British brought new standards to the operating theater which because medicine changes slowly, the Spanish were not doing. Remembering the time was the 1930’s and medicine is a craft learned profession which means not everyone was doing the best for the patient. The profession had recently learned about blood transfusions, sterile tools and not causing infections. The war helped bring the advances to the world and saved lives.

One of the conditions of World War 1 was Germany was not suppose to rearm the country, they did and Spain was testing site for the new breed of armaments as well as carpet bombing. The town of Gernika was the first town destroyed by carpet bombing. As long as the generals can live with destroying the town and the people, it continued into World War II as an effective strategy.

The book discusses journalists and artists and their work because the war affected them.

The war essentially was a stalemate until Germany and Italy continued to send in troops and arms while the western countries looked on. After the war, some of the people who fought on the Republic side were not embraced by their governments when they came home. For example some Doctors and Nurses from the United States who volunteered to help were considered communist sympathizers by the House Unamerican Committee. The end of the war left Franco in power till Spain turned towards its present monarchy system.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, in some areas wars because of their intensity will cause new technologies and strategies, many of us would prefer a more gradual pace because that means there is no war where people die. Depending on the investments you make, sometimes war makes them better.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.