Overview

Combining military, political, cultural, social, and oral history, Sebastian Balfour narrates for the first time the development of a brutalised, interventionist army that played a crucial role in the victory of the Francoists in the Spanish Civil War. Spain's new colonial venture in Morocco in the early twentieth-century turned into a bloody war against the tribes resisting the Spanish invasion of their lands. After suffering a succession of heavy military disasters against some of the most accomplished guerrillas in the world, the Spanish army turned to chemical warfare and dropped massive quantities of mustard gas on civilians. Dr Balfour exposes this previously closely guarded secret using evidence from Spanish military archives and from survivors in Morocco. He also narrates the daily life of soldiers in the war as well as the self-images and tensions among the colonial officers. After looking at the motives that drove Moroccans to resist or cooperate with Spain, the author describes the contradictory pictures among Spaniards of Moroccan collaborators and foes. Finally, he examines the Spanish colonial army's response to the Second Republic of 1931-1936 and its brutal march through Spain in the Civil War. QUOTES FROM PAUL PRESTON'S READERS REPORT:'This is a book of very considerable significance, the work of a first rate historian working at his peak...This is the most complete and wide-ranging account to date of the Spanish involvement in Morocco and of the consequences of that involvement inside Spain itself...written with a compelling blend of elegance and immediacy...this is a major work, one of which any historian would be proud.'

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9780199252961

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Reviews

... an impressive, scholarly and readable account of an oft-neglected area of military history ... Professor Balfour has constructed a captivating and personal narrative of Spain's Moroccan wars ... will surely appeal to all military historians interested in the Spanish army and colonial warfare. Those looking for a study that stretches beyond the battlefield will also find much of interest here. War in History Balfour provides a campaign history that is critical, non-Eurocentric, thematic, analytical and based on a wide range of sources. This focus will attract a broad readership interested in war as a phenomenon stretching beyond battles and military kit. War in History Sebastian Balfour's book is a solid study, based on massive archival work. This is especially laudable considering how unforthcoming the traditionally secretive military establishment is in opening up such avenues of investigation. Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans Deadly Embrace is not only a well-written and thoroughly documented book but also a necessary and vital contribution to the study of the turbulent and often violent first four decades of twentieth century Spain. Francisco J. Romero Salvado, Reviews in History Sebastian Balfour's Deadly Embrace: Morocco and the Road to the Spanish Civil War is a solid piece of research following on from his last book, The End of Spanish Empire, 1898-1923 (1997) ... Balfour renders fresh much familiar material, with original interpretations of figures obscured by their reputations ... he offers an important interpretative revision of the bulk of the campaigns of 1924-27 against Abdel Krim and his 'Republic of the Rif', underlining the calculated use of poisonous gases ... his argument is innovative and very convincing. Enric Ucelay-Da Cal, Times Literary Supplement

`Deadly Embrace breaks new ground by demonstrating, in meticulously documented detail, the critical connections between the war that Spain waged in Morocco from 1909 until 1927 and the civil war.' History

Author Information

Sebastian Balfour is a Reader in Contemporary Spanish Studies at the University of London.

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