The clash pitted capitalists against communists, monarchists against anarchists, conservatives vs. libertarians, fascists against democrats, religious fanatics against secular extremists, centralists against those who backed regional independence for Catalans, Basques and others. The tensions were fueled by the spread of Fascism and Communism, which undermined democracy and enabled each side to describe its enemy in demonic terms. “Both Stalin and Goebbels,” Beevor writes, “exploited, with diabolic ingenuity, that potent combination of fear and hatred. The process stripped their ‘traitor’ opponents of their humanity as well as their citizenship.”
Haaretz, “Spanish Civil War’s Lesson for Israel, U.S.: Polarization, Incitement Paved Way to Hell”
