This collection of letters form a historical representation of life during the Spanish Civil War. The letters humanise the effects of the war, which often get left out in other accounts of historical events. The majority of text which account historical events such as this focus on statistics, governmental rises and falls, and victories and loses. These letters however are eyewitness accounts which portray more that just the left-right spectrum. These letters depict the destruction of government as well as people, their rights, their country and their spirit.

The “Spanish Civil War Letters from American Volunteers” are written by a variety of American citizens and idealists who volunteered to fight in the Spanish civil war, to eliminate fascism and win rights for the Spanish people and other minority groups. Each letter and writer depicts their version of the effects of the war and the life in which the citizens of Spain and the volunteers are living in. each letter contains personal biases as each individual writer has his or her own beliefs, attitudes, values and morals which affect the way they view the situation at hand. It is also important to

note who these letters are written to, as this will affect what is said and how it is written. But above all, when analysing these letters it is important to put them in to perspective as these letters are bias, portraying merely Republic beliefs, rather than portraying both sides of the story.

Ernest Hemmingway, as U.S novelist, “served as correspondent and fund-raiser” aiding the fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War. He gave hope to a lot of volunteers and service men during the war, giving talks on poetry and other literature work. His novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a fiction based on his experience during the Spanish Civil War. The novel follows the journey of an American, Robert Jordan, who joins the republic to fight the nationalists during the Spanish civil war. Hemmingway’s work corresponds with the views being portrayed in the collection of letters written by American volunteers. For Whom the Bell Tolls portrays the passion of one man fighting to make a difference for his people and for that of minority groups across the globe.

Pablo Picasso’s controversial work “Guernica” portrays images of atrocities committed against minority groups such as the Jewish and the Spaniards by fascist rule. Guernica was produced to protest Franco’s treachery and show the world ht happenings with in Spain. Picasso’s approach mirrored what he saw and felt, as his country was torn apart due to fascism. Guernica represents the pain and suffering felt by his people during the fight for their freedom, and also depicts the hight spirits of those who fought with the republic for human rights.

It is also important to point out that these letters were written during the war, and contain opinions which were not fully researched. As most of these letters were written only when there was a break in the fighting, the volunteers may not have had time

Some topics in this essay:
Leo Janey, Civil War, York McGraw-Hill, American Volunteers”, Earnest Hemmingway, Spain Picasso’s, Bell Tolls, Robert Jordan, Canute Frankson, civil war, Jewish Spaniards, spanish civil, spanish civil war, letters written, effects war, civil war letters, war letters, fight spanish civil, political personal, historical events, articles provide, human rights, war letters american, newspaper articles, accounts civil war,