New Views on the Second Republic in Spain

Abstract

most significantly from the studies of its predecessors by being more detailed and directed at a narrow range of subjects. This specialization has allowed Ben-Ami and Preston to re-examine disputes surrounding the hotly disputed issue of respon sibilities for the Civil War. Preston's book flagrantly contradicts most previously accepted accounts of the Right and Left during the Republic. He specifically con tests the belief popularized by liberal and conservative historians that the Left (es pecially the Spanish Socialist party, PSOE) was primarily responsible for sowing the seeds of social conflict.3 Ben-Ami's study, although decidely less polemical than Preston's, is highly informative about the role the Left played in bringing about the Republic. In this respect, his work makes a valuable contribution to our awareness of the political alliances which shaped the course of events during the 20s and 30s. Readers who are unfamiliar with labyrinthine map of politics in Spain during the 20s will find Ben-Ami's Origins a useful guide. Abandoning the traditionally used method of chronological narrative, he develops his topics thematically. That is to say, he treats Primo de Rivera's dictatorship {Dictadura) and General