July 2010

This series of shows were recorded on or before 1983.  They include many interviews with survivors on both sides of the Spanish civil war.

This is a fascinating study in how humanity lurches forward, resists change, grasps on to desperate ideas and is willing to kill each other in the process.   Spain was has a functional monarchy until the early 1930's.  When it tried moving forward to a republican form of government it wobbled and failed after a span of about 5 years.   Many people were more comfortable with the old order while some wanted to try radically new ideas.  Some of those ideas were stupid like communism and eliminating money in favor of a revolutionary council handing out chits.   Those thinking crazy thoughts can somewhat be forgiven because the monarchy had held on so long that the change hit Spain like an earthquake that had built up stresses over centuries.  On the other hand they invited war by trying to change too much at one time.  That is bound to upset someone and one has to consider this because lives are held in the balance.  Unstable stupid people do unstable stupid things like kill 500 people at a go with just the word of one person.

 So what resulted?  The forty years of the Franco dictatorship.  Hardly the progress the so called progressives wanted to accomplish.  It is adequate proof to me that true revolutions happen peacefully through people changing themselves and others.  That unfortunately that things change slowly.   And for libertarians like me I see the poor anarchists reject joining government only to learn the lesson that game theory teaches so clearly.  It only pays to be cooperative when your counter party is cooperative.  Otherwise it pays to be uncooperative.  The communists entered the government and solicited help from Soviet Russia.  They ended up pushing out the anarchists.  Quite an object lesson is what is to be overcome to institute true freedom with libertarian ideals.  This history may have bearing on the future for the next step forward in government is its near total elimination.  There will be resistance to this and I expect there will be some wars too.   People, including the peasants, are resistant to change even if it is for the good.

…..more – 5 more episodes