Salú y República!!

Photo by Mundo Caótico

Unavoidable topic for today: anniversary of the 2nd Spanish Republic. Greetings to my friends at the Spanish consulate in Helsinki.

Hoi nun podía ser d'otra forma... Saludos pa los mios amigos nel Consuláu Español en Helsinki

Cantabrian Maginot

During our hiking trip in the forest of Peloño we passed by this machine-gun nest from the Spanish civil war. These remains from the war are abundant in the Asturian mountains. Some even named this line of fortifications against the fascists the "Cantabrian Maginot Line", taking the name from the original Maginot Line built before WWII in France to defend against the Germans. You can find related posts here
De la que caleyábemos pel bosque Peloño, nel colláu Guaranga, pasamos per esti ñeru d'ametralladores republicanu de cuando la guerra civil. Agora que vuelve a tar nos medios el procesu activu de recuperación la memoria histórica nun ta de más insistir nello. Esti tipu construcciones nun son rares nos montes Asturianos, dalgunos nomanles la llinia "Maginot Cantabrica" en correspondencia cola llinia Maginot orixinal construida en Francia enantes la segunda guerra mundial. Podeis topar coses relacionaes equí

In here were fought some of the last combats of the war during October 1937
Equí llibráronse dalgunos de los últimos combates la guerra n'octubre 1937

It makes you think...
Faite pensar...

From Finland through Canada to the Spanish Civil War

Interesting article in El País about one book dealing with the Canadian Brigades fighting on the republican side during the Spanish Civil War. Coincidentally, the article focus on the figure of Jules Päiviö a Finnish-Canadian that enrolled at the Mackenzie-Papineau battalion. An article on the website Vapaa Sana states:

Around 1500 Canadians went to Spain in spite of Canadian laws against volunteering. Of those Canadians a disproportionately large number were of Finnish origin. According to Finnish author Jyrki Juusela 225 Finns in total fought in the war and of these over 70 were Finnish-Canadians

Interesante artículu n'El País d'un llibru sobre los brigadistas Canadienses que llucharon cola República na guerra civil. Menciónase a Jules Päiviö, un Finés-Canadiense que formó parte del batallón Mackenzie-Papineau. De los 1500 Canadienses que fueron a lluchar a España (contra la llei canadiense) 225 yeren d'orixen finés. Qué coses...

Spanish Civil War

Today a friend pointed me out an article in the newspaper "El Paí­s". The article (in Spanish) explains that this year are coming out several books about the Spanish Civil War. It seems that these recent contributions are unveiling interesting points as the struggle during 1938 between Socialists and communists on the one side, and the nationalists (PNV and ERC) on the other side. Or, in turn, that the Soviet Union was also reluctant to support the republican side fearing an anarchist revolution. Although the information is not new, the renovated interest may contribute to a more objective vision of this episode of our recent history. It definitely explains many facts and attitudes still present in contemporary Spain. Worth giving a try to the book "The Spanish Civil War: a very short introduction" by Helen Graham. Very good set of Robert Capa´s photographs about the Spanish war At the Magnum Site, just type "Spanish Civil War" in the search box.