The Spanish Civil War: Context (HIH3181)

Staff	Dr Timothy Rees - Convenor
Credit Value	30
ECTS Value	15.00
NQF Level	6
Pre-requisites	At least 90 credits of History at level 1 and/or level 2
Co-requisites	HIH3180 (Sources)
Duration of Module	Term 1: 11 weeks; Term 2: 11 weeks;

Module aims

This module focuses on the Spanish Civil War, one of the most divisive and bitter conflicts of the twentieth century, that created passionate interest around the world. It will look in depth at the war and its social and political background, concentrating on the period 1913-39. Not only political and military affairs will be investigated, but also the important international, cultural and socio-economic aspects of this struggle. Key issues to be considered will be the establishment and failure of democracy in Spain, the nature of the war, the development of the two opposing sides, the reasons for Republican failure and Nationalist success, the impact of foreign powers and the internationalism of the conflict, and the rise of the Franco regime as the war's outcome.

ILO: Module-specific skills

1. Ability to evaluate the different complex themes in the Spanish Civil War
2. Ability to make close specialist evaluation of the key developments within Spain in the period, developed through independent study and seminar work.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

3. Ability to analyse the key developments within a particular historical environment
4. Ability to focus on and comprehend complex issues
5. Ability to understand and deploy historical and political terminology in a comprehensible manner
6. Ability to follow the complex reasoning inherent in political discourse.

ILO: Personal and key skills

7. Independent and autonomous study and group work, including presentation of material for group discussion, developed through the mode of learning.
8. Ability to digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment
9. Ability to present complex arguments orally.

Syllabus plan

The first term will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the war and its origins. It will consider the nature of Spanish society in the 1930s, the development of the democratic Republic of 1931-36, and the political and social polarisation that took place before 1936. The focus will then turn to looking at the war in detail from the initial military uprising to the defeat of the Republic by General Franco's Nationalist forces in 1939.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
44	256	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	44	seminars (22 x 2hr)
Guided independent study	256	Reading and preparation for seminars and presentations

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
33	67	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Better of two essay marks	33	2 x 3000 words	1-9	Verbal and written
Unseen Examination	67	2 questions in 2 hours	1-9	Written

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

P. Preston, A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War (Fontana, 1996)

P. Preston, Franco (HarperCollins, 1993)

S. Payne, Spain's First Democracy (Wisconsin UP, 1994)

G. Esenwein and A. Schubert, Spain at War (Longman, 1994)

S. Ellwood, The Spanish Civil War (Blackwell, 1993)

J. Grugel and T. Rees, Franco's Spain (Arnold, 1997)

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes