The question of what caused the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) is the central focus of modern Spanish historiography. In Ghosts of Passion , Brian D. Bunk argues that propaganda related to the revolution of October 1934 triggered the broader conflict by accentuating existing social tensions surrounding religion and gender. Through careful analysis of the images produced in books, newspapers, posters, rallies, and meetings, Bunk contends that Spain’s civil war was not inevitable. Commemorative imagery produced after October 1934 bridged the gap between rhetoric and action by dehumanizing opponents and encouraging violent action against them. In commemorating the uprising, revolutionaries and conservatives used the same methods to promote radically different political agendas: they deployed religious imagery to characterize the political situation as a battle between good and evil, with the fate of the nation hanging in the balance, and exploited traditional gender stereotypes to portray themselves as the defenders of social order against chaos. The resulting atmosphere of polarization combined with increasing political violence to plunge the country into civil war. “ Ghosts of Passion is an important contribution to the historiography of the Spanish Civil War. In this convincing work of revisionist scholarship, Brian D. Bunk aligns himself with those who do memory studies and with a newer crop of Hispanists who see cultural forces as being just as important—if not more important—than economic or political forces in sparking the Civil War.”—Sandie Holguín, author of Creating Spaniards: Culture and National Identity in Republican Spain “In this clear and accessible book, Brian D. Bunk complicates the historiography on the origins of the Civil War by injecting a cultural perspective and developing the still-nascent study of historical memory in Spanish history. He successfully links a single case study of memory (of the October 1934 Revolution) to larger interpretive debates that transcend the particular topic.”—Pamela Radcliff, author of From Mobilization to Civil War: The Politics of Polarization in the Spanish City of Gijón, 1900–1937 ""Ghosts of Passion" is an important contribution to the historiography of the Spanish Civil War. In this convincing work of revisionist scholarship, Brian D. Bunk aligns himself with those who do memory studies and with a newer crop of Hispanists who see cultural forces as being just as important--if not more important--than economic or political forces in sparking the Civil War."--Sandie Holguin, author of "Creating Spaniards: Culture and National Identity in Republican Spain" Brian D. Bunk is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Click here to visit the author’s website GHOSTS of PASSION Martyrdom, Gender, and the Origins of the Spanish Civil War By BRIAN D. BUNK Duke University Press Copyright © 2007 Duke University Press All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8223-3943-4 Contents Acknowledgments..............................................................................................ixIntroduction.................................................................................................11. The Revolution of October 1934............................................................................132. Sacred Blood: The Martyrs of Turn and Conservative Politics..............................................343. "Your Comrades Will Not Forget!" Revolutionary Martyrs and Political Unity................................614. Grandsons of the Cid: Masculinity, Sexual Violence, and the Destruction of the Family.....................885. Hyenas, Harpies, and Proletarian Mothers: Commemorating Female Participation..............................1206. The October Revolution in Democratic Spain................................................................150Notes........................................................................................................175Glossary of Organizations....................................................................................211Bibliography.................................................................................................215Index........................................................................................................239 Chapter One THE REVOLUTION OF OCTOBER 1934 On the morning of 4 October 1934 the veteran socialist leader Teodomiro Menndez sat on the train from Madrid to Oviedo comfortably dressed in a gray jacket and hat. He was no stranger to trains, having long been the director of the Unin General de Trabajadores (General Union of Workers, UGT) railroad syndicates in the north. Menndez's labor experiences had also accustomed him to strikes and confrontation, and he had spent at least a quarter of his life in prison because of such conflicts. Nevertheless, by 1934 he represented one of the more conservative factions within