The Lincoln Brigade: A Picture History

One of the unique strengths of a history book by William Loren Katz is the rare photographs that usually accompany the text. Books like "The Black West" and "Black Indians" immediately come to mind. And he has done it again with "The Lincoln Brigade: A Picture History", a series of compelling portraits of the brave Americans who volunteered to fight with the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War in an army named after the great American emancipator. The photos, which contain riveting images of black and white Americans cooperating in armed struggle against the rise of fascism in Spain, is accompanied by a highly informative, succinctly written text by Katz and Afro-American journalist, the late Marc Crawford. It is a beautifully produced book that is an excellent introduction for the reader with little prior knowledge of that great conflict between fascism and democracy that presaged World War II. In the preface to "The Lincoln Brigade" NYU historian Robin D.G. Kelley argues the fundamental importance of the Spanish conflict to the worldwide conflagration that followed. Says Kelley, "My students generally know nothing about the Spanish Civil War, but they follow my lines of reasoning…But when I tell them that nearly 3,000 volunteers traveled to Spain to defend the Republican government from fascist forces, and that they were joined by another 35,000 from around the globe, that is when I lose them…They cannot fathom why anyone in their right mind would travel half way across the world to fight, and possibly die, for a country that is not their own." This volume answers that question. Divided into three parts and fourteen chapters, the book describes the political and economic conditions that prevailed in America and Europe at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the nature of the war itself, and what kind of reception the American vets got upon their return home after the triumph of General Franco’s fascist forces in Spain, then follows them into the World War and beyond. One of the most fascinating chapters in this book is "Volunteers," which presents a series of brief profiles of some of those who fought. The first thing that will surprise most readers is that they are quite a mixed bag. "Most came from cities in large states," the author tells us. "The largest group comprised members of trade unions, especially seamen. The second largest was made up of college students and professors. Dozens called themselves artists—writers, poets, painters, dancers, musicians, and three acrobats. There were Catholics, Protestants, Japanese, Chinese, Afro-Americans, and Native Americans. In the age of Hitler, Jews made up 30 percent of the Lincoln Brigade. There were Democrats, Republicans, Socialists, Communists, and people who rejected any kind of labels." With minimal training and equipped with hand-me-down weapons and uniforms from many national armies around Europe, these volunteers went into combat and fought gallantly for an ide