Mason Jones (Reporter)
RENOWNED British historian Paul Preston pulls no punches with his latest book on former Communist leader Santiago Carillo.
Preston, who is regarded as one of Spain’s leading experts in 20th century Spain, paints a far from perfect portrait of the anti-Franco figurehead.
Following Carillo’s death last September, Preston was approached by several publishers to write a biography of the former Spanish Communist Party (PCE) leader.
“What resulted was not what I expected,” said Preston on his new book, The red fox: the life of Santiago Carrillo .
“It was clear that Carrillo possessed certain qualities in abundance: work ethic, energy and patience, skill in his writing and oratory, intelligence and guile.
“Unfortunately, it was equally clear that honesty and loyalty did not figure among them,” added Preston, who compares Carrillo to Franco and Stalin in the book.
Preston adds that Carrillo’s major downfall was that he never offered a ‘sincere explanation’ for the Paracuellos massacres in which 2,000-4,000 Nationalists and civilians were executed by Republicans.
And here in Ronda, 512 were chucked off the Tajo in the first 3 months, or so it is said. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, dentists, anyone with an education. Franco may have been an evil Fascist, but Communists are not only evil, they are unutterably stupid. There is an entire generation in Andalucia who cannot read or write. They had killed the teachers. Forget Pol Pot and Mao. It happened here, where we live.
Thanks PM, for the insightful, “so it is said comment”. You forget that most of those “Communists” were teachers, doctors, dentists and anyone else, who was a menace to the oligarchy and the backers of Franco.
You forget that the Civil War lasted from 36-39 with most of the intelligensia of the country either dead or exiled in Mexico and France. And 40 YEARS OF DICTATORSHIP which came after!!!
Before you throw out any ignorant comment, I would very much suggest that you read before. Paul Preston is a good starting point.