Theadora Williams
HONS 2011J
Final Essay
Professor Hernández-Ojeda
The Spanish Civil War: The Popular Front, The Commissars, and George Watt
Even in hindsight, the policy of the COMINTERN under Stalin during the Spanish Civil War is contentious, to say the least. Some attribute the downfall of the Republic to their interference, others praise them for the support they lent it. What might have won the war is easy to speculate about in retrospect, but was a much more pressing and difficult issue during its actual course. The policy of the COMINTERN was admittedly at times misguided, as was often the case, but nothing exists in isolation. Their policies were applications of previous lessons to current problems, and should be understood in that light.
To understand the policy of Popular Frontism, we must look at the past experiences of the Communists with fighting fascism, as an overreaction to a disastrous failure. Nazi Germany stood as a towering monument to the fascist victory against the Communists in Germany, where a united right had triumphed against a divided left. The German Communists, Social Democrats, and other branches of the German left had failed to work together to fight the immediate threat, choosing instead to squabble amongst themselves, but they fell together. The popular front policy adopted in Spain was a direct result of the Comintern realization of Lincoln’s statement, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” based on its own huge mistake in assessing the Social Democrats as a threat equal to the Nazis.
Gabriella Perez-Hernandez
HONS 2011J
Prof. Hernandez-Odeja
16 December 2020
Louis “Lou” Gordon
At the start of this course, I knew very little about the Spanish Civil War. Over the course of this semester, I learned immensely about the complicated tensions in Spain and on the global stage the years prior to the breakout of the war. Viewing the struggles of the war through the perspective of a veteran, Louis Gordon, and learning about the dynamic life he continued to lead after his involvement in the conflict revealed to me not only the long-lasting impacts of this often overlooked conflict, but the potential a single person has to be an advocate for the rights of the common people. I started my research process for this project by searching the Digital Tamiment database, where I came across an interview with Lou Gordon about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War and his career in trade unions. Next, I conducted interviews with his wife Anne Gordon and his son Luke Gordon in order to gain a more detailed picture of Lou’s life and achievements. Embarking on this project and studying the course materials challenged my feelings of apathy towards the ongoings of the world around me. While researching Lou Gordon and learning about his early upbringing as a member of the Communist Party and his strong commitment to the protection of human liberties and worker’s rights throughout his lifetime, I found that there are countless ways to bring about change in the world. Before, I often thought the only way to make significant progress was through specific involvement in an organization or political party. However, now I see that in reality, every action I do in support of others is an exact expression of my own values. Lou’s dedication to his core belief of helping others is what drove him to Spain, and what shaped his actions in the decades that followed.
Fiona Weinstein
Maria Hernandez-Ojeda
The Spanish Civil War in Art, Literature and Film
18 December 2020
Volunteer Aaron Hilkevitch
Unwavering Commitment to Freedom: Aaron Hilkevitch
Personal Statement
As a student of political science and human rights, I was especially interested in the circumstances and psychology that encouraged the volunteers of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to take up arms and fight against Fransisco Franco and his fascist army in the Spanish Civil War. While taking into consideration the affects and conditions produced by the Great Depression that preceded the Spanish Civil War, it is still valiantly impressive that Americans and other nationalities outside of Spain were willing to lay down their life to fight fascism. Additionally, many of my studies in this semester have overlapped which allowed me to examine fascism in places like Nazi Germany, which bears many similarities to the Spanish situation and helps me to contextualize these phenomenons. The Spanish Civil War happened within the interwar period in Europe, meaning between the first and second World Wars. The rise of fascism during this time was symptomatic of sentiments and anti-progressive reactions that were brewing long before World War I. The implementation of new governments, regimes and constitutions, such as those in Spain and Germany after World War I which promised minority rights and steps towards equality underlined everything the fascists resented. Aaron Hilkevitch was surely aware of these issues, as he committed his life to anti-fascism. I must also assume that Hilkevitch possessed a special insight into the psychological phenomenon of fascism with him being a psychiatrist, which was the first thing that compelled me to investigate his time in the Spanish Civil War, and his life devoted to anti-fascism both before and after the war.
Kristie Sanchez
Professor Hernández-Ojeda
HONS 2011J
12/18/20
Abraham “Abe” Osheroff
Personal Statement
Prior to taking this course on the Spanish Civil War, I had never heard of the Spanish Civil War. It was not until I watched the documentary The Good Fight that I realized the significance of this event and what the Lincoln volunteers did. In the class, we studied literature, art and film that preserve the memory of the Spanish Civil War in a number of ways. Many of the works we studied were thought provoking, emotional and informative. They were nothing short of memorable.
As a final project we had to choose a Lincoln volunteer whose life we would study. Initially, I chose Abraham “Abe” Osheroff as the Abraham Lincoln volunteer to research, because I was interested in how he was from New York, and how he did his undergraduate studies at the City University of New York (CUNY), where I am also a student. As I began to do more research, I was able to find more information about his motivations and the extent of his activism after the Spanish Civil War. In addition to the written assignment, we also had to conduct an interview with a family member. I had the opportunity to interview one of Abe Osheroff’s children, Dov Osheroff. It was only after this interview, watching a series of interviews Abe had done over the years, and watching Abe’s documentary, Dreams and Nightmares, that I truly began to understand who Abe Osheroff was as well as his motivation for going to fight in the Spanish Civil War and living a life driven by activism. Abe Osheroff wanted to help people. He cared about the individual. (more…)
Ariana Guzman
HONS 2011J
Final Essay
Professor Hernández-Ojeda
The Participation of American Women in the Spanish Civil War: The Story of Helen Freeman
Personal Statement
Prior to the course, I was not aware about the civil war in Spain or the involvement of international volunteers that would travel to Spain for its anti-fascist and humanitarian cause. In American history, the emphasis of the 20thcentury lies between World War I and War World II. Similarly, the participation of American citizens in the Spanish Civil War is not mentioned in history books. This aspect of history is not taught within the classrooms and remains unknown.
I chose this class because I was interested in learning about the conflict that occurred in Spain. I had studied Italian literature of the 20th century before taking this course and I thought that it would be interesting to learn more about this time period. This course has been interesting and insightful. I am thankful to Professor Maria Hernández-Ojeda for her decision to teach the course in spite of the pandemic, which has altered the way she would typically teach this course. I am also thankful to Michael Koncewicz, archivist at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, who has provided me with the digitalized versions of the archival documents pertaining to Helen Freeman. These documents gave me a better understanding of her life and difficulties during the Spanish Civil War.
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