Analysing 100 material objects which helped to shape the Spanish Civil War, this textbook explores one of the seminal events of 20th century through a unique material culture lens. From the plane that carried Francisco Franco to an anarchist newsreel to laxatives excavated in a trench, and from a woman's death row letter to a recent graphic novel, this highly illustrated text introduces readers to totally new perspectives from which to interpret the events of 1930s Spain and their impact, both in the country itself and the world beyond it.In engaging self-contained chapters - each inspired by a specific item - a team of historians offer a panoramic overview of the Spanish Civil War, the Franco dictatorship to which it gave birth, and the ways the conflict has been remembered since the return to democracy. The result is an innovative and accessible study which not only tells the fascinating story of modern Spain, but also teaches students how to engage fully with primary sources and grounds their understanding of the era by discussing objects that are, in some form or another, often still familiar to us today.

Editors' IntroductionPart 1 - The War1. Dragon Rapide Airplane, July 19362. Queipo de Llano's microphone, July 19363. Button of the Great Orient Masonic Order, July 19364. "The Sea Must Be" school project, July 19365. The Pilatos Balcony, July 19366. Tiles before a firing squad, Summer 19367. A plough, Summer 19368. Report on the revolutionary movement in Barcelona (film), Summer 19369. Protective bracelet for Americans, August 193610. Piano stool, August 193611. San Simón Island, Summer 193612. Mujeres weekly magazine, 193613. The lost tomb of Federico García Lorca, August 193614. Betty Boop poster, August 193615. Rosary, Autumn 193616. "Stop bullet!" charm, Autumn 193617. International Brigades ID card, September 193618. T-26 tank, October 193619. Hall of the Valencia Silk Exchange, November 193620. 0.303 cartridge, November 193621. Enigma machine, November 193622. Urinal, November 193623. Cemetery of the Martyrs, November/December 193624. Norman Bethune's shoulder patch, December 193625. The bowl of a hash pipe, 1936-193726. Bookmobile for the front, 193727. Literacy primers, 193728. Record with Republican songs,193729. Leica camera, febrero 193730. "The Littlest One of All", February 193731. Tobacco, 193732. 25 Cent note from Granollers, 193733. Gas mask, 193734. Sima de Jinánar (Grand Canary Island), 193735. Child's drawing of "The bombing attack on the queue for milk", 193736. Dog tag, 193737. The Tree of Guernica, April 193738. SS Habana, May 193739. Diary of a Galician soldier, May 193740. Grenade from the Fifth Regiment, July 193741. Certificate of Service in the Irish Brigade, June 193742. Letter to Franco, July 193743. The Spanish Earth (film), July 193744. Joint Letter of the Spanish Bishops, August 193745. Cologne bottle, August 193746. Graves of Spanish children, August 1937/May 193847. Filing cabinets of the Centro Documental de la Memoria Histórica, Summer 193748. Photograph of wet nurses, August 193749. Letter to a wartime pen pal, October 193750. Italian oath, November 193751. Militia woman's boiler suit, November 193752. Tether, December 193753. A soldier's Christmas money, January 193854. School notebook, January 193855. White Aid credentials, April 193856. "Letters for a Third Catalonia", May 193857. Defenders of the faith,193858. Fossilized bread, July 193859. Photos from the beach, July 193860. Submarine postage stamps, August 193861. M1915/16 Italian helmet, Autumn 193862. Bread bombs, October 193863. Laxatives, October 193864. "Psycho-technical" prison cell, 1938-193965. Zinc sheet, Castuera concentration camp, March 1939/March 194066. Advertisement from the Gurs concentration camp, April 1939Part 2 - The Franco Dictatorship67. Sketch of the shared grave of José Antonio Primo de Rivera, April 193968. Monument to the drowned of the Castillo de Olite, July 193969. Julia Conesa's death row letter, agosto 193970. Frame made by a member of the POUM who had been condemned to death, December 193971. Lavacolla airport, 194072. Plates and cake tins with false bottoms, 1939-4573. Monument to the "Oath of the Yellow Plain", July 194074. "Concentration camp sketchbook", 194475. Ration coupons, 194476. The Flag at Mauthausen, 194577. "Cidade da Selva" guerrilla camp,194678. German underwater mines,194779. Key from a crate used to transfer human remains to the Valley of the Fallen, April 195980. En el balcón vacío (film), 196281. Mourir a Madrid (film), 196382. Franco, ese hombre (film), 196483. María Moliner's Dictionary, 196684. Debod gardens and temple, 197285. Diary of a "mole", 1976Part 3 - Democracy86. La vieja memoria (film), 197787. Statue of Franco, 197888. Three monuments in Punta Herminia, 199489. Land and Freedom (film), 199590. Monument to Alexandre Bóveda, 199691. Priaranza mass grave, 200092. The Fingerprint memorial of the Belt of Iron, 200593. Plaque for the Paseo de los Canadienses, Málaga, 200694. Casares Quiroga House and Museum, 200795. The void of Saturrarán prison, 200796. Libertad Fernández's typewriter, 201197. Dr. Uriel (comic book), 201398. La Brigada Lincoln (graphic novel),201899. Antoni Campañà's photographs, 2018100. Pazo de Meirás country houseNotes on ContributorsIndex