Gabriel Jackson

Biography of Juan Negrín (1892-1956), physiologist, politician, and president of the Second Spanish Republic.

"In Civilization and Barbarity in 20th-Century Europe eminent historian Gabriel Jackson deals with the political and cultural history of Europe during the past hundred years. It is not, however, a mere chronological survey concentrating on political and economic developments. Rather, the major aspects of those developments, and of international relations - both peaceful and warlike - are seen as the necessary background for the consideration of European culture, values, practical expectations, and the lifestyles available to, or imposed upon, the population as a whole."--BOOK JACKET. "In his discussion of its art, politics, and science, Jackson conveys the current significance, and the possible future, of a democratic and pluralistic Europe. Clarity of exposition makes the book ideal not only for scholars but for the lay reader as well."--BOOK JACKET.

An account of the Spanish civil war which portrays the struggles of the war, as well as discussing the wider implications of the revolution in the Republican zone, the emergence of brutal dictatorship on the nationalist side and the extent to which the Spanish war prefigured World War II.

Among the many books dedicated to the history of the Second Spanish Republic and the Civil War, Gabriel Jackson's book stands out for two reasons: for being the result of ten years of research and for offering a balanced view of the events, avoiding the prejudices of the extreme right and the extreme left (which did not prevent it from being banned in Spain until the death of General Franco). Both qualities make it still the best overview of those crucial years in the history of contemporary Spain.