Posters
The major image that dominated political Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War was that of the propaganda poster. Posters dedicated to attract Spain's illiterate populations to the complex ideological causes. All ideological causes that were totally foreign to them. Orwell notes how commonplace these posters were across Barcelona. The colorful posters announcing the revolution become rather ironic once Leftist victories begin to wane in the war though. As Orwell notes, they lingered as a reminder of the “failed revolution”.
The Press
As a journalist, Orwell often reflects upon the international image of the Spanish Civil War. An image he believes is horribly muddled as just another battleground for propagandists. From England, to Russia, to Italy, to the United States, all journalists reported on the war to support only ideological cause. There was little notice given for any truth in reporting on the news of the conflict. Their is little truth to be gotten from a war that has become so dogmatic. Any history that could be written from these articles is lost in their polarized nature.
Following And Leading
The conundrum which handicapped, as Orwell saw it, the Leftist cause in the Spanish Civil War. The confusion of the Anarchists, Communists, and Socialists failed to produce a solid structure to guide the war effort. This inability to make decisions carried down the chain of command to the lowest troop. Any momentum was crippled by ideological fracturing across the Republican forces. The inability to cohere around the cause (or even agree upon it) only complicated the war for Leftist soldiers (as Orwell saw it).
The Revolution
The ideal of the “Revolution” which would free the Spanish proletariat as seen by Spanish Communists, Socialists, Marxists, and, to some degree, Anarchists. Once awoken to the ideological cause, the Leftist Republicans believed the Spanish peasants would join the conflict against the Nationalists. This was far from what happened though. In-fighting by Leftist factions caused the total collapse of the Leftist cause as multiple different groups vied for power. A series of disputes which lead to the total collapse of any noticeable “Revolution”. The promised political ideal totally failed to materialize.
“Plague Of Initials”
A series of minor, irrelevant political disputes and disagreements is what Orwell blames for the failure of the Republicans in Spain. Ideological purity within the cause slowly replaced any ability to accomplish realistic goals. While troops struggled on the battlefield, disagreement over irrelevant political objects caused fractures in the wider effort across Spain. The divides within the Republicans (caused by ideology) allowed the Spanish Nationalists easy victories. The “plague of initials” was how a desire to give a name to the ideological cause overcame the actual practice of that ideology.
