Historians interpret events in:
Poul Anderson's Time Patrol series (See Reality And Interpretation);
the Interludes of Anderson's Tales Of The Flying Mountains;
reality (was Franco's campaign a crusade against left terror or, alternatively, was the entire Civil War just a regretful fratricide caused by democratic immaturity?)
When we return to recent themes, we will reread two further stories about human beings colonizing - or maybe, in the second case, just visiting? - an already inhabited planet:
"Terminal Quest," in Alight In The Void
"Strangers," in All One Universe
We have a lot to (re)read both blog-wise and otherwise.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly, what we see in "Tiger by the Tail" was how, beneath the facade of unity imposed by the Frithians who conquered Scotha, there were strains and stresses threatening that unity. And Flandry soon understood how the Frithians themselves had factions and clashing ambitions he could manipulate to nullify the threat of Scotha to the Empire.
As for Franco and the Spanish civil war you reminded of what he himself said in a speech given in 1966: "It will not be difficult, given our present achievements, and modern technology, to obtain improved material standards. But do not forget that all things material are superficial, and if we are unable to maintain unity, faith and solidarity, the process will fall victim to inanity and disorder. Let Spaniards remember that each nation is prey to its particular furies....Spain's furies are the anarchical spirit, negative criticism and mutual enmity."* Those furies and anarchical spirits were amply seen during the chaos of the Second Spanish Republic of 1931-36, before the Civil War. It was the assassination of the monarchist parliamentary leader, Calvo Sotelo, in July of that year, which triggered the enraged factions of left and right to leap to arms.
Yes, it was Tolkien's passionate attention to detail, history (even if fictional) and sheer lore, that contributed enormously to why his Middle-earth legendarium has remained so enduringly popular. And that includes the philosophy and theology to be seen or found in his works.
Ad astra! Sean
*THE SPANISH CENTURIES, by Alan Lloyd (Doubleday & Co.), page 362.
If the other side had won, Spain would probably have become a Stalinist dictatorship.
As it was, Franco's dictatorship became steadily milder after 1945 and eventually transitioned to a democracy. Franco wasn't a fascist -- he used and manipulated fascists, instead. He was just a traditional right-wing monarchists of Hispanic flavor.
For example, he sent the "Blue Legion" off to fight in. Russia, and got most of them killed.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolutely! If the Nationalists had been defeated, it would have largely been because the hardest, most ruthless of their leftist opponents, Stalinist Communists, had crushed their rivals and set up a dictatorial regime capable of defeating Franco. IIRC, George Orwell's HOMAGE TO CATALONIA, which I read long ago, said a lot about the factional infighting of Spanish leftists.
Yes, after 1945 Franco's dictatorship became milder--his enemies had been slain or exiled by then. Yes, at heart Franco was a monarchist and that led him to carefully planning for a restoration of the monarchy--which occurred after Franco died in 1975. And, so far, the Second Bourbon Restoration has endured.
I also thought of Porfirio Diaz, ruler of Mexico from 1876-1910. As dictators go he was NTTB, keeping Mexico united and preventing foreign powers from being too demanding. Unfortunately, and unlike Franco in Spain, Diaz failed to set up a framework for a reasonably tolerable and lasting regime succeeding him after he passed from the scene.
Ha! I assume Franco used the Blue Legion not only to placate Hitler but also as an excuse to staff it with the hardest, most true believing Falangists (and possible trouble makers) to be "thinned out" in Russia.
Ad astra! Sean
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