I chose this site because I thought it was especially interesting in that it highlighted the participation of the United States in the Spanish Civil War. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was composed of seamen, students, nurses, miners, teachers, salesmen, and numerous other (mainly) blue-collar workers. These men and women were influenced by Leftist organizations that were striving for equality. American men and women also served the American Medical Bureau as doctors, nurses and other practitioners in addition to the soldiers in the field.
The web-site also describes how participation in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, as well as other militant groups exposed the people involved to different political ideas. A rise in radicalism was seen as a direct result of the action in the Spanish Civil War, but this radicalism was not noted in the general public. The Brigade lost almost 750 men in the fighting, but there was no public recognition of their contribution.
The other interesting fact I noticed from this web page was that there was an emphasis on equality within the regiment, much as Orwell experienced in Catalonia. There was no differentiation between officers and privates except for a small bar on the berets of the officers. There was a new wave of more radical military protocol that has been abandoned today. It is admirable that these people would strive for social equality even in the midst of the trauma of war.
The final quick note that was the most surprising to me was the financial support for Franco and the nationalists by huge American corporations such as General Motors and Texaco. It truly highlights the importance of capitalism in American culture even in 1937. (Jane Rackley)
I chose this site because I felt it was chock full of information, and it was not so dense as to not be digestible. The web-site is divided into three dimensions, ranging from the initial civil conflict all the way to the ideological conflict, and the cultural effects of the war. This web-site is also unique in the fact that it works in popular culture, such as books and movies that were born out of the war.
The first dimension summarizes the events leading up to the war and its inception. Although there are just phrases describing each event, I feel that they are comprehensive in the fact that much is covered, even if in a little amount of space. Along with each section there are pictures that can be enlarged, such as a war poster in the first dimension section. I felt that these pictures added a lot to the page not only because they were something to look at, but also because they provided extra links to interesting sites.
The second dimension section was helpful in determining the progress of the war because it gave clues as to which side other major European countries were supporting. Understanding the international perspective is very important during war-time and I found that this site was especially attentive in describing the European perspective of the war.
The final strong portion of this site is the different media included throughout. The author makes good use of period texts, artwork, and even movies. I was happy to see that "Casablanca" was included as a take-off from wartime film. (Jane Rackley)