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The beauty of former Negro League star Buck O'Neil's autobiography is its tone: it's filled with thankfulness for the life he's had. Born into an era of racial segregation, O'Neil--truly an inspirational presence in the Ken Burns documentary Baseball--has a right to be bitter for the opportunities denied him; instead, he is at peace with the opportunities he took. A man of unmistakable dignity, O'Neil is a marvelous storyteller, and I Was Right On Time reads like a fireside chat. He spins tales of baseball's barnstorming era, offers memories of his all-time Negro League all-star team, and weaves deft portraits of the stars he played with (and against), most affectionately his good friend and long-time teammate Satchel Paige. Still, O'Neil doesn't whitewash the past. He has stared down injustice and confronted insult, yet instead of lecturing, he opts to inform. Now in his 80s, O'Neil, as chairman of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, remains a living part of baseball memory. I Was Right On Time gives that memory a rich, resonant voice.
Book Description
From Babe Ruth to Bo Jackson, from Cool Papa Bell to Lou Brock, Buck O'Neil has seen it all. As a first baseman and then manager of the legendary Kansas City Monarchs, O'Neil witnessed the heyday of the Negro leagues and their ultimate demise.
In I Was Right on Time, he charmingly recalls his days as a ballplayer and as an African-American in a racially divided country. Whether he's telling of his barnstorming days with the likes of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson or the day in 1962 when he became the first African-American coach in the major leagues, O'Neil takes us on a trip not only through baseball's past but through America's as well.
Customer Reviews:
A Great, Fun, Read.......2007-06-08
This book wasn't really a baseball book. It wasn't a biography. It was something of a dairy. It was a candid presentation of Buck O'Neil. Through anecdotes of his travels, the book gives you a great glimpse of Buck O'Neil. He truly was an eternal optimist that found wonder and beauty in every day he lived. He befriended everyone he met.
Buck O'Neil was the sort of man that our society sorely needs more of. I couldn't help but smile and feel good as I read this book. Buck reminded me of why I loved baseball as a kid. He dulled my cynicism of modern MLB baseball. He pulled me back to the ballpark. Buck enjoyed the game at its most basic level. He enjoyed big league games. He enjoyed pickup games in small towns. He enjoyed talking about the game. But, best of all he enjoyed the humanity surrounding the game, all participants from stars to fans.
The pure simple joy he found in baseball rekindled my love for this uniquely American game. I recently took my boys to an NCAA regional tournament and watched some very talented kids playing the game because they love it. It was one of the best times my sons and I have enjoyed in recent memory. It was just the sort of day, Buck would have loved.
BUCK!.......2007-02-24
Just what I needed to learn more about Buck. Horribly over-looked by the Hall of Fame. Very informative book, just in time for baseball season.
An incredible human being..........2007-01-10
Back in the early 90's, before Ken Burns, I ran into Buck in the lobby of the Otesaga hotel in Cooperstown. It was the year that Willie McCovey was going in and we "snuck" our way into the building. Buck entertained me for over an hour with stories of guys I never had heard about. When I asked about his career, he really downplayed his greatness. I was mostly struck by the fact that this man did not have a single ounce of remorse or spite. Quite the opposite, he felt he was blessed to have played.
The book is written in a conversational style that goes quickly. I felt I could hear Buck's voice in my head has the pages turned. It was a fantastic book and Buck will be sorely missed.
Got To Give It Up.......2006-11-29
This is not simply an autobiography, but an oral-history on where we have been and where we are going. It was written from the heart, and - if you read closely - it will open yours to live life in a different, better way.
I read the book when it was initially published and recently purchased the soft-cover edition. Rarely do I re-read a book, but I felt the need after hearing Buck O'Neil's moving and uplifting speech this summer at the Baseball Hall of Fame and listening to a rebroadcast of an interview conducted several years ago by radio sports-talker Jim Rome.
The road to racial equality remains long and steep, but by gazing upward you may view what appears to be a finish-line tape rippling in the breeze at the top of the mountain. But look ahead and you see the harsh reality that the road remains unfortunately rugged, with many twists & turns.
Buck O'Neil is an American hero and if your eyes are dry after reading the last page of I Was Right On Time (no matter how many times you read the book), then your heart may not have opened up wide enough to tackle the journey ahead.
Charming and Informative.......2005-12-27
This easy-going autobiography combines sunny optimism, seriousness, and rich baseball history. John J. "Buck" O'Neil was a first baseman in the Negro Leagues during the 1930-1940's, and he then spent another half decade in baseball, both in the Negro Leagues and in the majors. Here he recounts his upbringing in Florida during segregation (where he was denied entry to high school) and his long career in baseball. O'Neil details life in the Negro leagues, including barnstorming and low pay, playing for the famed Kansas City Monarchs and his friendship with stars like Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith. He also describes managing in the Negro Leagues, coaching for the Chicago Cubs (the first black coach in the majors) and spending decades as a baseball scout. O'Neil is an intelligent man gifted with great charm, and he's often described as the "ambassador to baseball." That charm shines in the prose of co-writers Steve Wolf and David Conrads, and lets O'Neil attack injustice without losing effectiveness via stridency.
Buck O'Neil gained fame from the "Baseball" documentary by Ken Burns, and at this writing remains a board member for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City well into his 90's. This is a readable look at the Negro leagues by one of its most charming members.
Average customer rating:
- Very nformative and interesting.
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Do It Right The First Time: A Short Guide to Learning from your Most Memorable Errors, Mistakes & Blunders
Gerard I. Nierenberg
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
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How to Read a Person Like a Book
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The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving
ASIN: 047114889X |
Book Description
The ultimate guide to identifying and reducing mishapsâboth at work and in life
Your mistakes need not be a fact of life. We can all learn to make fewer of them. In Do It Right the First Time, world renowned personal improvement guru Gerard Nierenberg shows us just how we can reduce the number of errors we makeâboth in and out of life and the workplace. Nierenberg's Error Awareness System teaches us how to increase our sensitivity and cut down on the errors we makeâand guard against those made by others that affect us. He shows us how to identify the causes of our errors, how to deal with themâand most importantlyâhow to prevent them from recurring. Packed with real-life examples, discussion questions, checklists, and helpful exercises, Do It Right the First Time covers:
- Ways to reduce errors in critical thinking and judgment
- Improving memory
- Recognizing patterns in error
- How managers and supervisors can reduce errorsâawareness and action, effective feedback, quality control, with no shame, no blame
- Concentration and accuracyâfocusing on the job at hand
- Clerical errors and what they costâunderstanding transportation, omission, insertion, repetition, substitution
- How to turn mistakes into benefits
For all professionals, academics, and businesspeople, including managers, supervisors, and anyone who simply wants to reduce the number of errors in his or her life, this unique book is indispensable.
Customer Reviews:
Very nformative and interesting........1998-03-24
This book is very deceptive in its simplicity. It explains how errors can and do occur. The theme is 'if you know what can go wrong, you can do something about it'. Filled with examples of how simple (and not so simple) mistakes can happen and the sometimes tragic consequences. Excellent reading for managers, engineers and anyone interested in understanding and reducing errors- including the typo in the one line summary.
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I'Ve Been Marching All the Time: An Autobiography
Xernona Clayton , and
Hal Gulliver
Manufacturer: Longstreet Pr
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0929264878 |
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I Want A Baby, He Doesn't: How Both Partners Can Make The Right Decision At The Right Time
Donna J. Wade , and
liberty, Ph.D. Kovacs
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
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The Parenthood Decision
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Beyond Motherhood: Choosing a Life Without Children
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Families of Two
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Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer
ASIN: 1593372876 |
Book Description
It happens all too often: A couple falls in love, gets married, buys a home, and then-after the fact-they discuss having a baby. At first he skirts the issue, and she knows from his body language that something is wrong; she confronts him and, lo and behold, he says the words that cause the biggest challenge their relationship has ever faced: "I'm just not ready." Maybe he doesn't know if he'll ever be ready.
If you are in this situation-or fear you could be sometime in the near future-I Want a Baby, He Doesn't has the answers. Author Donna J. Wade-a woman who has been through the trials of wanting to have children with a husband who didn't-and Liberty Kovacs, a licensed marital therapist, offer unbiased, clinical advice to help you and your partner reach the best possible resolution without destroying your relationship.
Whether a baby is in your future or not, I Want a Baby, He Doesn't is the one book you need to help you and your partner work out the issues and keep your relationship intact.
Customer Reviews:
Good Resource.......2007-08-21
I like that this book covers the whole spectrum. It's not just about convincing him to do what I want.
Amazon.com
Ian Mitroff, consultant and business policy professor, believes that organizations (and even entire societies) fail to resolve their most pressing predicaments because they commonly start out by addressing the wrong problems. Smart Thinking for Crazy Times: The Art of Solving the Right Problems outlines his well-reasoned approach to turning that ill-fated scenario around by learning--right from the beginning--how to ask correct questions. In three clearly defined sections, he describes ways to gain understanding of the real problem, avoid solving the wrong one, and adopt "systems thinking" to manage for the future. --Howard Rothman
Customer Reviews:
Asks the right questions.......2003-07-28
The book's impact was made at the end of the first chapter. There I read Critical Questions and tried to answer them. These weren't questions about the material I had just read, but questions about me and my organization and how we deal with problems. Subsequently, the end of each chapter brought more questions to work on.
The book focuses on the problem solving process and the search for the real problem. Many management books solve predefined problems, which are good books, as long as you're sure you've picked the right problem.
The book is a quick read, interspersed with graphics that illustrates the text. Part 3 of the three part book delves into systematic thinking and touches on Jungian analysis, personality types, 5 Ways of Thinking, and even 12-Step programs.
As the saying goes, "Identifying a problem is half way to solving a problem." This book will help you find the right problem.
A Solid Effort!.......2001-05-08
In this book, Ian Mitroff attacks problem-solving by defining the first step: asking the right questions. He shows you how to use critical thinking skills to find the right problems, frame them correctly and implement appropriate solutions to solve or resolve them.
This book is thoughtful and well-organized, just as you might hope it would be since it teaches critical thinking. It is also well-written and well-illustrated, featuring numerous diagrams that illuminate better ways of thinking. Mitroff includes examples of well-known companies which have made major mistakes that cost millions of dollars because they failed to recognize the right problem in time. He also gives examples of companies that succeeded through improved critical thinking and problem identification. We [...] recommend this interesting book to all business problem-solvers.
Brevity and lack of focus hide a couple of good ideas.......1999-05-24
About the first 1/3 of this book is a good, if brief introduction to systems-based problem-solving. The book focuses on taking a broad view of all aspects of the problem, not on a highly-analytical breaking-down of a situation. This is fine, though not earth-shatteringly good or original. Unfortunately, the middle half of the book is an unfocused meandering about the contributions of Hollywood to violence in society, and then to the problems faced in managing nuclear weapons. The last part of the book has a fairly good discussion of the four basic Jungian personality types, and how personality type affects problem-solving. This is pretty good stuff, but it is about the length of a magazine article. Not a worthless book, but not a particularly good value for your money.
5 thinking strategies for group problem solving.......1998-04-10
Mitroff's book offers a refreshingly fast walkthrough of the complexity of problem-solving. Scorning the usual breathless introductions about how fast things change, Mitroff focuses hard on 5 ways we confound ourselves when trying to address problems with ourselves or with others. I found the first two sections, on how to formulate problems, and how we choose (the wrong) stakeholders highly illuminating. The exercises were significantly difficult and useful, because they required real-life application, they did not simulate it. A limited amount of philosophy on aspects of cognitive science and psychology made the work feel as grounded in academia as it feels in business and professional contexts.
Customer Reviews:
Bashful Brother Oswald.......2006-06-29
If you've ever wondered how Bashful Brother Oswald (Pete Kirby) developed his raucous laugh, or when he started playing the Dobro, or what it was like to work for the legendary Roy Acuff, then this book is for you. In an effort to uncover the "Truth" about one of the Grand Ole Opry's most entertaining stars, Peggy and Mike McCloud give the reader an uncensored glimmpse of O's life, from the moonshining days in Sevierville to the glory days as a Smoky Mountain Boy.
Included are stories about O's encounters with early Opry stars such as Uncle Dave Macon, String Bean, Moon Mulligan, Box Car Willie and many others. This book, written in a simple, yet compelling manner, will make a great addition to any Grand Ole Opry collection - and is a must-have for any long-time fans of Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys.
--- from book's back cover
Average customer rating:
- Miraculous
- EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING AND ENCOURAGING
- No one should be without this book
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I Could Use a Miracle Right Now! Miraculous Intervention for Difficult Times
John Webb Kline
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
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ASIN: 1412023483
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Product Description
An astonishing exposé of real-life faith and divine intervention that will open our eyes to the real miracles that are there for each of us whenever we need them.
Customer Reviews:
Miraculous.......2004-05-18
I had known Webb many years ago. Lost touch with him, but when I recently learned he had written a book, I was anxious to read it. Well, I read the entire thing in two days. Could not put it down. I was extrememly motivated and inspired. I am a beleiver, but I have not felt I was being fed spiritually recently. I had considered attending another church, I was blaming my lack of spirituality on my church and our newest minister. Lo and behold, this book has taught me that there is a difference between "faith" and "religion" and that you don't need an organized, structured setting to have a personal relationship with God. This book made me laugh, cry, and get chills up by back. The miracles that Webb has experienced are mind-boggling, but knowing him, they are definitely true. I look forward to putting into practice what this book has taught me, that God loves ME. He wants me to do good works, and he will continue to perform miracles in my life, too.
EMOTIONALLY SATISFYING AND ENCOURAGING.......2004-05-13
NOT ONLY DID I READ ABOUT THE MIRACLES ING JOHN'S LIFE, BUT IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT I TOO HAVE HAD MIRACLES. THIS BOOK IS REWARDING AND ENCOURAGING TO BE THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS DON'T BE A TALKER BE A DOER .
No one should be without this book.......2004-05-10
Simply the most inspiring work I've read in years. If your life lacks purpose, it won't by the time you finish this book. I have never heard God defined so intimately or so clearly as is presented here. I am not a religious person, yet this book never made me feel preached at. Rather, I have sensed the warmth and compassion of a loving God who's mission is to fill the world with his love. An incurable skeptic, I never knew one book could change my whole perspective about God so much. Now I can see that his miracles have been all around me all my life.
Customer Reviews:
A Nice break from standard math books........1997-03-13
The "I Love Math Series" by Time life is a great break from the standard math textbook. Each book contains games for adding, subtracting, estimating, multiplying and program solving. We particularly liked the Nature Math. It shows your child how to find pattern in nature. Some exercises allowed us to bring math out of the books and off the paper and experience it in our own backyard. Each book also contains a story from "Professor Gusser". As you and your child read along, you try to solve this math problem some character is having. I would rate this book a 10, it is a must for any home library
Book Description
This book focuses on the short but crucial period that led to the collapse of the Spanish Republic and set the stage for the ensuing civil war. Stanley G. Payne, an internationally known scholar of modern Spanish history, details the political shifts that occurred from 1933 to 1936 and examines the actions and inactions of key actors during these years. Using their own memoirs, speeches, and declarations, he challenges previous perceptions of various major players, including President Alcalá Zamora.
The breakdown of political coalitions and the internal rifts between Spain’s bourgeois and labor classes sparked many instances of violent dissent in the mid-1930s. The book addresses the election of 1933 and the destabilizing insurrection that followed, Alcalá Zamora's failed attempts to control the major parties, and the backlash that resulted. The alliances of the socialist left with communism and the right with fascism are also explored, as is the role of forces outside Spain in spurring the violence that eventually exploded into war.
Customer Reviews:
Thought-provoking and well written, but incomplete.......2007-02-05
If there is a contested topic in recent European history, biased in many cases by political sympathies and hatreds, that is the Spanish Civil War. To understand this terrible event, it is necessary to look at the causes in the period prior to 1936, particularly at the developments during the Second Spanish Republic, from 1931 to the eve of the war. Payne's book tries to offer an objective and meticulous account of those convulsed years. In my opinion, he achieves the second point, providing a detailed picture of the events and their main characters, with powerful descriptions of their personalities. But he seems to fail in offering the completely unbiased work I was looking for, though I do not know if that would be possible. Particularly, he mostly blames the left, Socialists and Anarchists, for all the political violence characterizing the regime. Truly, many people, in Spain and out of Spain, have idealized the left Republicans, forgetting that the sectarian behavior of many politicians in the left were a direct cause of the radicalization of the right. A work like Payne's book was necessary to bring new light on this issue. In summary, the work is readable, interesting and valuable. But it should not be the only source of information on the topic. For example, the first part in Hugh Thomas's `The Spanish Civil War', entitled `The Origins of the War', provides a gentle and concise introduction to the topic.
Important but a bit Tendentious; 4.5 stars.......2007-01-31
This is another important and interesting book from Stanley Payne, author of the excellent The Franco Regime and other fine books on Spanish and European history. The Collapse... is a detailed analysis of the events leading up to the end of the Second Spanish Republic and the Spanish Civil War. Payne presents a detailed chronological narrative of the political history of the final years of the Republic accompanied by some structural analysis, notably in a good summary chapter at the end of the book. In Payne's view, the fall of the Republic resulted from a combination of weak political institutions and particularly the rash and anti-democratic actions of the Spanish Left. The latter including not only definitely Left wing parties like the anarcho-syndicalists and Socialists but also middle class left of center Liberal parties. In Payne's analysis, the Civil War was precipitated by the Left's disregard of democratic principles, flouting of the law, and pursuit of radical policies that would eventually push the Right into revolt. Payne is harshly critical of the major leaders of the Left, particularly the Liberal leaders Azana and the Socialist leaders Largo Caballero and Prieto. The President of the Republic, Alcala Zamora, also comes in for considerable criticism for actions that degraded the democratic nature of the parliamentary process. As an indictment of the actions of the Spanish Left, this book is very effective.
I think, however, that Payne's analysis is somewhat incomplete. As he himself points out, the weak political institutions of the Republic stemmed in good part from the destruction of the prior parliamentary system by the immediately preceding military dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. While Payne is appropriately critical of the leadership of the Left, I think he lets the Right leadership off too lightly. There was continuous military plotting against the Republic throughout its lifespan. At least one Rightist group, the Carlists, actually engaged in treasonous dealings with the Italian Fascist government. Payne's point that much of this intrigue was not very threatening is probably correct but since the Republic emerged from a military dictatorship, it was certain to be perceived as very threatening by the Left. Payne points to the anti-clerical behavior of the Left as particularly destructive. There is no doubt he is correct but nowhere does he mention that the Catholic hierarchy oppposed not only clearly wrong actions of the Left like suppression of the Jesuits but also more democratic actions like the separation of church and state. The major Right party, the CEDA, under the leadership of Gil Robles, was more law abiding than several of the Leftist groups, but Gil Robles never unequivocally committed to democratic principles and flirted with fascist style rhetoric. As Payne points out, both the major party of the Left, the Socialists, and the major party of the Right, the CEDA, were at best "semi-loyal" to the Republic. Finally, Payne hardly mentions some important aspects of the international background of the Republic. By the mid-30s, the Leftist parties would have seen many of their cognate parties in central and eastern Europe crushed by Rightist movements. The most important Socialist party in Europe, and one committed to democratic practices, the German Socialists, had been destroyed by the Nazi 'back door' revolution based on abuse on a parliamentary/electoral system. It wasn't unreasonable for the Spanish Socialists to fear something similar in Spain. None of these facts exculpate the Spanish Left but they do make their actions easier to understand.
Chapeau!.......2006-08-08
Stanley Payne is one of the hispanists who knows what he speaks about. Many others, even Spaniards, select the facts conveying to a previous conclusion. Payne is not like that.
In a recent interview, he said that "spanish war was not a war of good peeople against bad people; it was a war of bad people against bad people". I fully agree.
When someone, like the present Government, tries to re-write the history defeating Franco thirty years after he was dead, there is a danger: Many ghosts (from both sides) can come out and, once they are out, nobody could know how to get rid of them.
Book Description
This new analysis of the forces of the Spanish Leftist movement during the Civil War of 1936-9 makes two crucial propositions. It claims that the wartime responses and limitations of the movement can be understood only in relationship to its pre-war experiences, world views, organizational structures and the wider cultural context. It also asserts that the most significant influence on the evolution of the Republic between 1936 and 1939 was the war itself.
Download Description
This new analysis of the forces of the Spanish Leftist movement during the Civil War of 1936-9 makes two crucial propositions. It claims that the wartime responses and limitations of the movement can be understood only in relationship to its pre-war experiences, world views, organizational structures and the wider cultural context. It also asserts that the most significant influence on the evolution of the Republic between 1936 and 1939 was the war itself.
Customer Reviews:
Indispensable.......2003-06-24
This is not an easy book to read, but it well deserves the praise given by Paul Preston on the back cover. It is indeed the best book written on the Spanish Republic during the Civil war. Graham's book is a complex analytical account which makes two major points. First, one cannot understand the history of the Spanish Civil war without recognizing the origins of the divisions among the Spanish Left and the material and ideological background among them. Second, one must not ignore the impact of the war and in particular how the Republic was slowly crushed by superior Axis aid and the hypocrisy of "non-intervention." Anglo-Americans have often looked dimly on the Spanish Republic. Whether they are conservatives, liberals, Social Democrats, Anarchist or Trotskyists, they have warmed to George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia." Orwell presented a compelling portrait of a genuine revolutionary movement that was diluted and betrayed by moderate liberals and by the Spanish Communist Party. The climax was the infamous "May Days," in which the anarchists and quasi-Trotskyist POUM were provoked into a fighting a battle they lost, then persecuted and often murdered. The Left Socialist prime minister Largo Caballero was replaced by a right Socialist, Negrin. Orwell's account stops here, but after that Negrin became a tool for the communists and the Soviet Union as they unsuccessfully sought to turn Spain into a Russian satellite.
What makes Graham's book so important is that it shows that this story is not true. It is not entirely untrue, as we will see. But most important, Negrin was not a Communist. He was not a puppet, he was not a stooge, and he was not a weakling. He was fundamentally a liberal who sought to encourage political pluralism and a market economy. At the beginning of the war he sought, at great personal risk to himself, to prevent the nightly "patrols" from randomly killing suspected rebels. He tried to restore freedom of worship in Spain, after revolutionaries had burned many churches and slaughtered much of the clergy. He opposed proposals to amalgamate the Socialist and Communist parties at a time when many Socialists, who would later denounce him as a Communist puppet, favored the idea. Contra much received opinion his ascension to power was not a Communist plot. Originally the Communists simply wanted Largo Caballero to give up the war ministry, where he showed precious little imagination or vigor or competence. When Largo Caballero left, it was because of the united opposition of the Communists, Right Socialists and Liberal Republicans. It is true that the Communists murdered Andreas Nin, the head of the POUM, and that Negrin had little choice but to accept this. And it is also true that security services and military tribunals arrested people arbitrarily or shot soldiers for desertion. But this was not the realization of the Republic's "totalitarian" or "Stalinist" essence, but the desperate struggle of a Republic trying to stay alive at any cost. Although the POUM was made a scapegoat, the anarchists, liberals, regionalists and anti-Negrin Socialists existed to the end, destroyed not by the Soviet Union, but by the Falange.
This leads to a larger problem. The various forces that made up the Republican government, Socialists, Anarchists, Liberals, Catalan and Basque nationalists and autonomists, Trotskyist and Communists all had vociferous constituencies. What they did not have was mass mobilization that could successfully prepare the grounds for a fully modern polity or fight a total war. What political activities they did conduct were marred by clientalism and factionalism. Largo Caballero had spent much of the thirties posturing and preening as the fighter for revolution. But when the moment of truth arose, both in 1934 and 1936 he botched it. Yet he actively prevented more moderate Socialists from working a compromise with liberals that might have strengthened the Spanish Republic. (We also learn that POUM was not the pure martyr of libertarian communism, but a coalition of moderate and radical left-wingers.)
Although Graham is often very critical of how the Negrin cabinet sought to centralize the government at the expense of regional autonomy, or how the attempt to reverse collectivization often made things worse, she reminds us that there was no real alternative to his proposals. When the Basques were overwhelmed by Franco, their relatively conservative leadership let Basque industry fall into Falangist hands instead of destroying it. Collectivization was sometimes popular, but it was also sometimes very unpopular. It had tendencies to autarky and could not provide the food the Republic so desperately needed, especially since much of the collectivized land had never produced that much food in the first place. And most important, there is the discussion of the final months of the war. The Republic not only faced imminent defeat, but the slaughter of many of it supporters by the vengeful and cruel Falange. Negrin's strategy was to fight on, to hope that if they fought on long enough, Britain and France would recognize the need for anti-Fascist unity and try to help them or broker a ceasefire. As that hope slowly and painfully died, Negrin realized that continued resistance was the only card he had against Franco's vengeance. But facing imminent defeat many Loyalists believed that if they gave up and sacrificed the Communists they would get a kinder peace. In this they were painfully wrong. Once they helped overthrow Negrin and replace him with the military man Casado, Franco demanded, and got, their surrender. Many of the Casadoists would then be shot by the Caudillo. At the beginning of the war the British navy on its own initiative rescued many of the wealthy and prosperous inconvenienced by the Nationalist coup. At the end the British government would not lift a finger to help evacuate people fighting for values that the British Conservative Party thinks it had a monopoly on. There is a grim power in the final pages as we see the Republic garrotted to death.
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Behind the spanish mask,
Lawrence Dundas
Manufacturer: R. Hale limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Spain
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ASIN: B0007J101M |
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Catholicism in the Second Spanish Republic: Religion and Politics in Salamanca, 1930-1936 (Oxford Historical Monographs)
Mary Vincent
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0198206135 |
Book Description
The Second Spanish Republic survived unchallenged for a mere five years, its fall plunging Spain into a bitter civil war. The brief political history of the republic was characterized by the rapid polarization of right and left - a process in which religion played a crucial role. Many of the ordinary faithful came to feel excluded from the new Republic, whilst those who aspired to lead them insisted that to be Catholic was to be anti-Republican. Mary Vincent examines this crucial period in Spanish history, focusing on Salamaca, the home province of the leader of the principal confessional party. Jose Maria Gil Robles, and the place where the right mobilized earlier than anywhere else in Spain. The author demonstrates how political choice was eroded under the Second Republic, and reveals how popular religiosity came to be the right's most potent weapon. This original and important new analysis throws new light on the origins of the Spanish Civil War and on the controversies over who bore ultimate responsibility for the conflict.
Book Description
Most histories of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) have examined major leaders or well-established political and social groups to explore class, gender, and ideological struggles. The war in Spain was marked by momentous conflicts between democracy and dictatorship, Communism and fascism, anarchism and authoritarianism, and Catholicism and anticlericalism that still provoke our fascination.
In Republic of Egos, Michael Seidman focuses instead on the personal and individual experiences of the common men and women who were actors in a struggle that defined a generation and helped to shape our world. By examining the roles of anonymous individuals, families, and small groups who fought for their own interests and survival-and not necessarily for an abstract or revolutionary cause-Seidman reveals a powerful but rarely considered pressure on the outcome of history. He shows how price controls and inflation in the Republican zone encouraged peasant hoarding, black marketing, and unrest among urban workers. Soldiers of the Republican Army responded to material shortages by looting, deserting, and fraternizing with the enemy. Seidman's focus on average, seemingly nonpolitical individuals provides a new vision of both the experience and outcome of the war.
"Seidman combines a most impressive command of the existing literature on the Spanish Civil War with a highly original emphasis on the ways in which hunger, fear, sex, quality of leadership, quality of supplies (or lack thereof), isolation from friends and family, prospects of victory or defeat, and the struggle for sheer survival affected the morale and the behavior of millions of anonymous participants. At the same time he makes many illuminating analogies with the English and American civil wars and with the revolutionary experiences of France and Russia."-Gabriel Jackson, author of The Spanish Republic and the Civil War
Customer Reviews:
3.4 Stars; not the whole truth.......2003-04-22
In his "social history" of the Spanish Civil War Michael Seidman provides a grimly fascinating history of the decline and fall of the Loyalist government. In his introduction Seidman announces that he will bring back the individual. Instead of concentrating on collectivities such as class or party or gender or region he will look at individuals and their own choices. There is something vaguely libertarian and Ayn Randian about Seidman's "individualism." Individuals, after all, fall in love, have children, get married, join political parties or churches. In other words individual men and women can only realize their full potential in working and living with other people. But for Seidman "individualism" refers to selfishness, opportunism, cynicism, and apathy. Although such motives ultimately led to the destruction of the Loyalist cause, one supsects that Seidman believes these were more worthy of our sympathy than the high-handed and bullying abstractions of the Spanish government.
There is considerable detail in the book, and Seidman often makes comparisons with the French, English, American and Russian civil wars. The passages on collectivization are particularly interesting. During the conflict the Communists argued that the anarchists were forcing people into collectives that they didn't want. In response the anarchists argued that the Communists were using force to destroy them. Seidman argues both were right. He further adds that while some peasants supported them, others, from a variety of rural classes, were less enthusiastic about them. Some collectives were not successful. Others were successful but they either were selfishly concerned with their own petty local concerns or they reverted to autarky. However well they worked on a local level, they were not successful enough on a national level.
Seidman's tale tells of a whole host of problems. Soldiers are infected with veneral disease. They are passive and unagressive while their officers are incompetent and occasionally treacherous. Desertion is a constant problem, encouraged by shortages of food and clothing, inadequate medical care, and delays in pay. The Loyalist zone is hampered by hyperinflation, while looting soldiers alienate the peasants and hamper critical offensives. In response to these and price controls farmers refuse to produce, while workers engage in strikes or absenteeism and show little enthusiasm for the cause. There are shortages of everything. Morale is weak, conscription is unpopular and the soldiers it produces are insufficient and unenthusiastic. Corruption and inefficency hamper the cause at every turn. The Nationalists face some of the same problems, but they are more successful in controlling them. By the end of the war the majority of the Loyalist zone are willing to accept peace at any price. All in all, Seidman tells a grim, fascinating story, and the experience is like watching a corpse decay before your eyes.
But the "corpse" did not die until 1939, and that is the key problem with Seidman's account. (1) Although this book's "individualism" reminds one of the late Richard Cobb, unlike Cobb this is not a story that looks at individuals per se. Instead it consists mostly of complaints by central government authorities whose first priority was to win the war. We do not actually look at specific people, and as such their motives are oversimplified. People are either militant or opportunist (or worse); they are never people with conflicting interests trying to make the best of an impossible situation. (2) Seidman's sources consists of archival sources and a large reading of the literature. But reading the archival notations often provides little or no information on the source. Was the complaint a reasoned analysis, an intemperate complaint or a partisan polemic? Seidman only rarely tells us. There is also a tendency to rely on Francoist historians, such as Martinez Blande or Salas Larrazabal, with their ideological bias only becoming clear as one goes through the book. And the story stops with the Francoist victory. How did the cynics and opportunists respond when they faced the starvation and repression so ably delineated by Michael Richards in "A Time of Silence"? (3) There is also a problem of cause and effect. Poor morale, economic collapse, and a disintegrating army are more the result of military defeat than the cause of it. Which leads us to (4). Seidman's comparative account misses several key points. Although the Spanish Right did not have a majority of the Spanish people behind it, it had during the Republic been able to mobilize a large portion of the Spanish people behind it. This is in contrast to the Russian Whites, where support for non-socialist parties was virtually non-existent among the peasantry, and who consisted of a tiny elite who had to build up everything from scratch. At the same time the Nationalist had most of the army, superior foreign support and superior air support. By contrast the legal government was in chaos and had to rebuild everything anew, as we will see in Helen Graham's new book on the war. Considering these disadvantages, it is surprising that the Republic lasted as long as it did.
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The Spanish arena
William Foss
Manufacturer: Right Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Spain
| Europe
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Communism
| Political Doctrines
| Political Science
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ASIN: B0008AO9FY |
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Republica Espanola En Guerra/ Spanish Republic in War: 1936-1939
Hellen Graham
Manufacturer: Debate Editorial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 8483066807 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 572 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: The Spanish Republic at War, 1936-1939.(Book Review)
Author: Michael Seidman
Publication:
The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 66
Issue: 4
Page: 871(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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