Catholicism in the Second Spanish Republic

The Second Spanish Republic survived unchallenged for a mere five years, its fall plunging Spain into a bitter civil war. Mary Vincent examines this crucial period in Spanish history, focusing on Salamanca, the home province of Jos Mara Gil Robles, and the place where the Right mobilized earlier than anywhere else in Spain. She demonstrates how political choice was eroded under the Second Republic, and reveals how popular religiosity came to be the Right's most potent weapon. Her fascinating analysis throws new light on the origins of the Spanish Civil War and on the vexed question of who bore ultimate responsibility for the conflict.