Looking Back on the Spanish War.docx
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Looking Back on the Spanish War.docx
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LookingBackontheSpanishWar
LookingBackontheSpanishWar(1942)
1
Firstofallthephysicalmemories,thesounds,thesmellsandthesurfacesofthings.
ItiscuriousthatmorevividlythananythingthatcameafterwardsintheSpanishwarIremembertheweekofso-calledtrainingthatwereceivedbeforebeingsenttothefront—thehugecavalrybarracksinBarcelonawithitsdraughtystablesandcobbledyards,theicycoldofthepumpwhereonewashed,thefilthymealsmadetolerablebypannikinsofwine,theTrouseredmilitia-womenchoppingfirewood,andtheroll-callintheearlymorningswheremyprosaicEnglishnamemadeasortofcomicinterludeamongtheresoundingSpanishones,ManuelGonzalez,PedroAguilar,RamonFenellosa,RoqueBallaster,JaimeDomenech,SebastianViltron,RamonNuvoBosch.InamethoseparticularmenbecauseIrememberthefacesofallofthem.Exceptfortwowhoweremereriff-raffandhavedoubtlessbecomegoodFalangistsbythistime,itisprobablethatallofthemaredead.TwoofthemIknowtobedead.Theeldestwouldhavebeenabouttwenty-five,theyoungestsixteen.
Oneoftheessentialexperiencesofwarisneverbeingabletoescapefromdisgustingsmellsofhumanorigin.Latrinesareanoverworkedsubjectinwarliterature,andIwouldnotmentionthemifitwerenotthatthelatrineinourbarracksdiditsnecessarybittowardspuncturingmyownillusionsabouttheSpanishcivilwar.TheLatintypeoflatrine,atwhichyouhavetosquat,isbadenoughatitsbest,buttheseweremadeofsomekindofpolishedstonesoslipperythatitwasallyoucoulddotokeeponyourfeet.Inadditiontheywerealwaysblocked.NowIhaveplentyofotherdisgustingthingsinmymemory,butIbelieveitwastheselatrinesthatfirstbroughthometomethethought,sooftentorecur:
‘Hereweare,soldiersofarevolutionaryarmy,defendingDemocracyagainstFascism,fightingawarwhichisABOUTsomething,andthedetailofourlivesisjustassordidanddegradingasitcouldbeinprison,letaloneinabourgeoisarmy.’Manyotherthingsreinforcedthisimpressionlater;forinstance,theboredomandanimalhungeroftrenchlife,thesqualidintriguesoverscrapsoffood,themean,naggingquarrelswhichpeopleexhaustedbylackofsleepindulgein.
Theessentialhorrorofarmylife(whoeverhasbeenasoldierwillknowwhatImeanbytheessentialhorrorofarmylife)isbarelyaffectedbythenatureofthewaryouhappentobefightingin.Discipline,forinstance,isultimatelythesameinallarmies.Ordershavetobeobeyedandenforcedbypunishmentifnecessary,therelationshipofofficerandmanhastobetherelationshipofsuperiorandinferior.ThepictureofwarsetforthinbookslikeALLQUIETONTHEWESTERNFRONTissubstantiallytrue.Bulletshurt,corpsesstink,menunderfireareoftensofrightenedthattheywettheirtrousers.Itistruethatthesocialbackgroundfromwhichanarmyspringswillcolouritstraining,tacticsandgeneralefficiency,andalsothattheconsciousnessofbeingintherightcanbolsterupmorale,thoughthisaffectsthecivilianpopulationmorethanthetroops.(Peopleforgetthatasoldieranywherenearthefrontlineisusuallytoohungry,orfrightened,orcold,or,aboveall,tootiredtobotheraboutthepoliticaloriginsofthewar.)Butthelawsofnaturearenotsuspendedfora‘red’armyanymorethanfora‘white’one.Alouseisalouseandabombisabomb,eventhoughthecauseyouarefightingforhappenstobejust.
Whyisitworthwhiletopointoutanythingsoobvious?
BecausethebulkoftheBritishandAmericanintelligentsiaweremanifestlyunawareofitthen,andarenow.Ourmemoriesareshortnowadays,butlookbackabit,digoutthefilesofNEWMASSESortheDAILYWORKER,andjusthavealookattheromanticwarmongeringmuckthatourleft-wingerswerespillingatthattime.Allthestaleoldphrases!
Andtheunimaginativecallousnessofit!
Thesang-froidwithwhichLondonfacedthebombingofMadrid!
HereIamnotbotheringaboutthecounter-propagandistsoftheRight,theLunns,GarvinsETHOCGENUS;theygowithoutsaying.Buthereweretheverypeoplewhofortwentyyearshadhootedandjeeredatthe‘glory’ofwar,atatrocitystories,atpatriotism,evenatphysicalcourage,comingoutwithstuffthatwiththealterationofafewnameswouldhavefittedintotheDAILYMAILof1918.IftherewasonethingthattheBritishintelligentsiawerecommittedto,itwasthedebunkingversionofwar,thetheorythatwarisallcorpsesandlatrinesandneverleadstoanygoodresult.Well,thesamepeoplewhoin1933sniggeredpityinglyifyousaidthatincertaincircumstancesyouwouldfightforyourcountry,in1937weredenouncingyouasaTrotsky-FascistifyousuggestedthatthestoriesinNEWMASSESaboutfreshlywoundedmenclamouringtogetbackintothefightingmightbeexaggerated.AndtheLeftintelligentsiamadetheirswing-overfrom‘Warishell’to‘Warisglorious’notonlywithnosenseofincongruitybutalmostwithoutanyinterveningstage.Laterthebulkofthemweretomakeothertransitionsequallyviolent.Theremustbeaquitelargenumberofpeople,asortofcentralcoreoftheintelligentsia,whoapprovedthe‘KingandCountry’declarationin1935,shoutedfora’firmlineagainstGermany’in1937,supportedthePeople’sConventionin1940,andaredemandingaSecondFrontnow.
Asfarasthemassofthepeoplego,theextraordinaryswingsofopinionwhichoccurnowadays,theemotionswhichcanbeturnedonandofflikeatap,aretheresultofnewspaperandradiohypnosis.IntheintelligentsiaIshouldsaytheyresultratherfrommoneyandmerephysicalsafety.Atagivenmomenttheymaybe‘pro-war’or‘anti-war’,butineithercasetheyhavenorealisticpictureofwarintheirminds.WhentheyenthusedovertheSpanishwartheyknew,ofcourse,thatpeoplewerebeingkilledandthattobekilledisunpleasant,buttheydidfeelthatforasoldierintheSpanishRepublicanarmytheexperienceofwarwassomehownotdegrading.Somehowthelatrinesstankless,disciplinewaslessirksome.YouhaveonlytoglanceattheNEWSTATESMANtoseethattheybelievedthat;exactlysimilarblahisbeingwrittenabouttheRedArmyatthismoment.Wehavebecometoocivilizedtograsptheobvious.Forthetruthisverysimple.Tosurviveyouoftenhavetofight,andtofightyouhavetodirtyyourself.Warisevil,anditisoftenthelesserevil.Thosewhotaketheswordperishbythesword,andthosewhodon’ttaketheswordperishbysmellydiseases.ThefactthatsuchaplatitudeisworthwritingdownshowswhattheyearsofRENTIERcapitalismhavedonetous.
2
InconnexionwithwhatIhavejustsaid,afootnote,onatrocities.
IhavelittledirectevidenceabouttheatrocitiesintheSpanishcivilwar.IknowthatsomewerecommittedbytheRepublicans,andfarmore(theyarestillcontinuing)bytheFascists.Butwhatimpressedmethen,andhasimpressedmeeversince,isthatatrocitiesarebelievedinordisbelievedinsolelyongroundsofpoliticalpredilection.Everyonebelievesintheatrocitiesoftheenemyanddisbelievesinthoseofhisownside,withouteverbotheringtoexaminetheevidence.RecentlyIdrewupatableofatrocitiesduringtheperiodbetween1918andthepresent;therewasneverayearwhenatrocitieswerenotoccurringsomewhereorother,andtherewashardlyasinglecasewhentheLeftandtheRightbelievedinthesamestoriessimultaneously.Andstrangeryet,atanymomentthesituationcansuddenlyreverseitselfandyesterday’sproved-to-the-hiltatrocitystorycanbecomearidiculouslie,merelybecausethepoliticallandscapehaschanged.
Inthepresentwarweareinthecurioussituationthatour‘atrocitycampaign’wasdonelargelybeforethewarstarted,anddonemostlybytheLeft,thepeoplewhonormallypridethemselvesontheirincredulity.InthesameperiodtheRight,theatrocity-mongersof1914-18,weregazingatNaziGermanyandflatlyrefusingtoseeanyevilinit.Thenassoonaswarbrokeoutitwasthepro-Nazisofyesterdaywhowererepeatinghorrorstories,whiletheanti-NazissuddenlyfoundthemselvesdoubtingwhethertheGestaporeallyexisted.NorwasthissolelytheresultoftheRusso-GermanPact.ItwaspartlybecausebeforethewartheLefthadwronglybelievedthatBritainandGermanywouldneverfightandwerethereforeabletobeanti-Germanandanti-Britishsimultaneously;partlyalsobecauseofficialwar-propaganda,withitsdisgustinghypocrisyandself-righteousness,alwaystendstomakethinkingpeoplesympathizewiththeenemy.Partofthepricewepaidforthesystematiclyingof1914-17wastheexaggeratedpro-Germanreactionwhichfollowed.Duringtheyears1918-33youwerehootedatinleft-wingcirclesifyousuggestedthatGermanyboreevenafractionofresponsibilityforthewar.InallthedenunciationsofVersaillesIlistenedtoduringthoseyearsIdon’tthinkIeveronceheardthequestion,‘WhatwouldhavehappenedifGermanyhadwon?
’evenmentioned,letalonediscussed.Soalsowithatrocities.Thetruth,itisfelt,becomesuntruthwhenyourenemyuttersit.RecentlyInoticedthattheverypeoplewhoswallowedanyandeveryhorrorstoryabouttheJapaneseinNankingin1937refusedtobelieveexactlythesamestoriesaboutHongKongin1942.TherewasevenatendencytofeelthattheNankingatrocitieshadbecome,asitwere,retrospectivelyuntruebecausetheBritishGovernmentnowdrewattentiontothem.
Butunfortunatelythetruthaboutatrocitiesisfarworsethanthattheyareliedaboutandmadeintopropaganda.Thetruthisthattheyhappen.Thefactoftenadducedasareasonforscepticism—thatthesamehorrorstoriescomeupinwarafterwar—merelymakesitrathermore
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