From military history to war studies: new approaches to the Spanish civil war

Abstract

Abstract

In recent years, the historiography of the Spanish Civil War has experienced a major renewal through the adoption of social and cultural approaches inspired by the study of the First and Second World Wars. This shift has moved beyond traditional military history, centred on battles and military operations, towards an interdisciplinary perspective that places combatants and their experiences at the heart of analysis. Drawing on sociology, social psychology and the history of emotions, scholars have explored soldiers’ motivations, identities and behaviours, challenging the simplistic narrative of the ‘two Spains’ and revealing a far more complex society. This new paradigm has broadened the scope of research to include memory, political violence, foreign intervention, gender, everyday life and the social consequences of war. At the same time, a new generation of historians has connected the Spanish case with wider international debates on war studies, introducing innovative methodologies such as conflict archaeology and research on psychoactive substances in combat. These developments have not only deepened our understanding of the conflict itself but also highlighted its long-term social, cultural and psychological repercussions. As a result, the Spanish Civil War has become a dynamic field of research, increasingly integrated into broader comparative and transnational studies of twentieth-century warfare.