Arguing Americanism

the long version

Since World War II, American historians have traditionally sided with the Loyalist supporters of the Spanish Civil War, validating their arguments that the pro-Nationalists were un-American for backing an unplalatable dictator. In Arguing Americanism, author Michael E. Chapman examines the long-overlooked pro-Nationalist argument. Employing new archival sources, Champman documents a small yet effective network of lobbyists who fought to promote General Franco's Nationalist Spain, positing that the debates about the U.S. arms embargo on Spain were never really about Spain but rather about the soul of Americanism, the definition of democracy, and who should be the defining.