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Background & Overviews

Specialized encyclopedias are useful for getting a quick overview of a topic. Use these resources to familiarize yourself with the important issues, terms, dates, and trends in the subject area. You can also use the bibliographies at the end of the articles to find additional resources.

Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Reference DP269 .H54 1982

Subject Headings

The library catalog uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. The list of authorized subject headings is available in the 5-volume set at the Reference Desk. However, you can start with keyword searches to gather some relevant titles, then look at their subject headings to discover the official terms to use.

Here are some subject headings related to the Spanish Civil War & Revolution:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939
Alcazar (Toledo, Spain) -- Seige, 1936

Other related headings:

Fascism -- Spain
Francoism
Spain -- Politics and government -- 1931-1939
Spain -- Foreign relations

Although Randall Library does not have books listed in the catalog under these headings, you will find them in WorldCat (and perhaps in other databases using LC Subject Headings:

Brunete, Battle of, Brunete, Spain, 1937
Ebro River, Battle of the, Spain, 1937
Guadalajara, Battle of, Brihuega, Spain, 1937
Madrid (Spain) -- History -- Seige, 1936-1939
Pozoblanco, Battle of, Pozoblanco, Spain, 1937
Teruel, Battle of, Teruel, Spain, 1937-1938
Valencia, Battle of, Spain, 1938

More on Subject Searching:

Libraries and database creators try to structure language in a way to make browsable lists.  Subject terms tend to be set up in a hierarchical manner.  The Spanish Civil War is an excellent example of this principle.  To understand this better, try a Keyword search in the Randall Library Catalog for "Spanish Civil War"  Then, do a Subject search on "Spain History Civil War."  Notice that you retrieve more items using the later term, because it is the "official" indexing method.  This structure allows you to browse through results for all periods of the history of Spain, and retrieves materials even if they do not include the phrase "Spanish Civil War." 

Just because an item's subject heading does not include "History" as a subdivision does not mean it has no history in it. In particular, look at the publication date. It may be a source contemporary to the period, i. e., a primary source.

Even if you are doing a keyword search, using phrases from the subject headings typically improves the relevance of your results.

Also consider keyword searches on personal names relevant to the Spanish Civil War. Typically, names are entered with the last name first, e.g., Franco, Francisco. Do both Author and Subject searches to find books by and about the individual.

Browsing

After finding some sources through searching the online catalog, be sure to browse the shelves near these times. The call numbers are devised to place materials on the same subject together on the shelf. In the catalog, the call number is presented as a link, so you can even browse the shelves when searching the catalog:

You may also wish to browse the Reference Collection to see what special sources are available. A basic outline of the Library of Congress Classification Scheme is at http://library.uncwil.edu/is/outlinelc.html. For more detail, see the outline from the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html

Primary Sources

See the guide "Finding Primary Resources for Historical Research" for a more complete discussion of the library's resources. For public policy history, be sure to consider the following searches and sources:

Search the Randall Library catalog and WorldCatfor policy makers' names as authors. This should retrieve their memoirs, diaries and correspondence.

As you search subject topics in the catalog and WorldCat, note that the following subdivisions indicate primary source material:

correspondence*
diaries*
interviews*
personal narratives
pictorial works
songs and music
sources
speeches, addresses, etc.*
treaties

Don't miss these collections of source material:

British Documents on Foriegn Affairs, Part II, Series F, Europe, 1919-1939. Volumes 26 & 27. Reserve JZ632 .B756. Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939. Second Series, Volume XVII. Reference DA566.7 .A18 2nd Ser. v. 17.
Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918-1945. Series D, Volume III. Reference JX691 .A46 Dr. D v. 3.
Survey of International Affairs. Reference Collection D442 .S8 1937, Volume 2 and 1938, Volume 1.

Newspapers and Popular Magazines can provide both factual information and insight on the prevailing views of the period.

Electronic Resources
New York Times Archive  Full-image online access for the NYT back to 1851.

Newspapers on Microfilm (Index availability)
London Times (Palmer's Index to the Times Index Collection AI21.T458)
New York Times (New York Times Index Index Collection AI21 .N45)  
     You may want to use this index to make sure you find articles you can retrieve through the online version.
United States Congressional Record (Index at beginning of the first reel for each session of Congress.  
     Filed with periodicals on microfilm)
Wilmington Morning Star (no index available)

Print Indexes to Periodical Literature
International Index to Periodicals (Index Collection AI3 .R5)  Indexes selected scholarly periodicals.
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (Index Collection AI3 .R48)  Indexes selected popular magazines.

Scholarly Journal Databases & Indexes
Use these databases and journal indexes to search for articles in journals and magazines.

Historical Abstracts Indexes and summarizes article and reviews about world history since 1450 published since 1954 in over 1, 700 journals.

JSTOR Full-text searching of an archive of over 40 history and 25 political science journals. Typically excludes the latest 3-5 years of publication.

PAIS Archive The PAIS Archive database contains references to monographs, periodical articles, government and non-governmental agency reports about public affairs, public and social policies and internation relations. The archive database contains references from 1915 to 1976.

More Databases
These databases lead to other useful information. The descriptions provide details on the publications types they lead to:

WorldCat The union catalog of over 9,000 member libraries. Over one billion bibliographic records for books, periodicals, videos, manuscripts, maps, sound recordings, and internet resources. Includes information on which libraries own an item, and links to the Randall Library Interlibrary Loan system (ILLiad).

Biography & Genealogy Master Index This resource indexes more than 12.7 million biographical sketches in more than 3,400 volumes and editions of current and retrospective reference books, covering both contemporary and historical figures throughout the world. After you find which resources contain a biographical sketch you need, search the online catalog for the book. References to Biography Index (Index CT100 .B6) will ultimately lead to books, book chapters or periodical articles.

More Web Resources

The free web is becoming a rich resource for primary source material. In particular, try these resources:

Brandeis University Libraries Spanish Civil War Posters.  
   http://lts.brandeis.edu/research/archives-speccoll/spanishcivilwar/posters.html

Guerra Civil Espanola/Spanish Civl War 1936-1939 Enlaces - Links A project of Historiasiglo20.org this website is designed for European teacher and students. Websites are listed by language and subject. http://www.historiasiglo20.org/enlaces/gceindex.htm

Southworth Spanish Civil War Collection http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/southwcoll.html
    Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California--San Diego provides a virtual collection of propaganda posters and drawings by children, circa 1938. 

The Spanish Civil War (Anarchy Archives.) This site includes digital copies of anarchist pamphlets and periodicals. http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/spancivwar/Spanishcivilwar.html

The Spanish Civil War (Spartacus) This British educational website provides overviews with excerpts from primary sources for events and issues, political and military organizations, battles and biographies. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Spanish-Civil-War.htm

Spanish Civil War Remembered http://www.guardian.co.uk/galleryguide/0,6191,395635,00.html
   A series of interviews conducted in 2000 by the Guardian with survivors of the Spanish Civil War.

The Spanish Revolution of 1936.  http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/spaindx.html
   This site, created by a group of anarchists in Berkeley, CA, includes eyewitness accounts and a small collection of original documents. 

Last Update:August 31, 2006