Puños en alto [Clenched Fists Held High]
Republican Spain published many propaganda items during the Spanish Civil War in order to promote their cause. This piece, “Clenched Fists Held High,” is part of a book of stamps published by the anarchist Office of Propaganda. This image represents the war as a glorious fight for social justice, motivating readers to support the fight against fascism. Its use of blurred, but colorful visuals portray the war as active and positive. The caption, which uses socialist rhetoric like “comrades” to illustrate the valiance and brotherhood of those fighting, demonstrates the goals of social justice and equality which motivated the war. All the captions in the book are printed in Spanish, English, and French, indicating that the government intended for it to be read abroad in order to encourage neutral foreign powers to join the side of of the Republic. Unlike many other materials in this exhibit, this piece is unique in its portrayal of violent means as effective.
Oficinas de Propaganda de la Confederación Nacional del Trabajo y de la Federación Anarquista Ibérica
Recall to Religion - Peace and righteousness are inseparable.
By proclaiming that “peace and righteousness are inseparable,” and that if a “conflict should arise between the claims of Christ’s service and that of the State, it is to Him that our supreme loyalty should be given whatever the consequence,” the authors of this poster challenge the viewer’s understanding of morality by insinuating that to support the state’s war efforts is to turn one’s back on Christ. The poster’s last words, “whatever the consequence,” reinforce the Quaker conviction that pacifist thought and loyalty to God must never be sacrificed in the name of conflict and material goals. This poster forces these concepts into a complete dichotomy: one must choose between faith and support of the war, and to remain neutral or undecided is to betray God. The formal, intimidating appearance of the poster (no images; capital letters; bold-faced, red and black text) frames the message as a command, an imperative. Friends believe that the power of God to overcome evil can be accessed through a true desire for good; this poster aims to confirm that those wishing to conquer the evil of war must seek the guidance of Christ rather than that of the state.
Northern Friends Peace Board and the Friends Peace Committee
Robert Capa. Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot, Golfe-Juan, France
This photograph, taken by the Spanish Civil War photographer, Robert Capa, in August 1948, shows the artist Pablo Picasso at the beach with Françoise Gilot, one woman in a long series of lovers. Picasso looked to the women in his life for artistic inspiration, developing a series of intense affairs and marriages that arguably shaped the trajectory of his career. This photograph, showing Picasso on a beautiful sunny day following behind Françoise Gilot as she strides ahead, captures an essential element of Picasso’s love of women. Drawing on the stereotype of women as peaceful and separate from the war effort, he used images of women in his painting Guernica to represent the civilian casualties of aerial bombardment during the Spanish Civil War.
Robert Capa. Spanish Civil War, near Cerro Muriano, Córdoba front
While its authenticity has been debated since it was shot in September 1936, Robert Capa’s photograph, famously known as “Falling Soldier,” among other titles, is nonetheless an iconic pacifist image. Allegations that this photograph was staged far away from the real Spanish Civil War battle lines do not take away from its pacifist message. Another of the piece’s alternate titles, “Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment of Death, Cerro Muriano, September 5, 1936,” suggests that it was taken in the midst of the violent struggle for power in Spain. This war, more than any other that had come before, was an astonishingly savage one. Capa’s photograph represents a new genre of photojournalism that captured these horrors and made them widely available outside of Spain. “Falling Soldier” evokes an ethical call for peace by creating a sense of intimacy between the observer and subject during a dying man’s last moments. The world was able to bear witness to the brutality of the war and feel affected by a far away conflict. Humanitarian responses to this ethical call sowed the seeds of pacifism during the Spanish Civil War.
Rosalind Xu_Women's voice in politics and women pilots
S. Emily Parker. From The Devotional Diary of a Relief Worker in Spain.
According to Religious Society of Friends literature, we should live in a way that reflects the conviction that “love is at the heart of existence and all human beings are equal in the eyes of God.” The challenge arises in the process of transforming this belief into real, tangible action. The “Thoughts for Meditation” printed on page five of Emily Parker’s Devotional Diary addresses this challenge, which she encountered during her time as a Quaker relief worker in Spain. Parker’s three questions outline the thoughts of many others, who struggled to use religion as a catalyst for peace and action for those in need. If we replace the word “religion” with the more secularly used term “mission” in order to apply it to our present historical moment, it becomes clear that questions like these continue to echo through the minds of peace activists, religious and secular alike.
SCRAPBOOK PAGE ON WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT VS. GOOD OLD DAYS
The Friends’ Service Council (FSC), a Quaker relief organization in Great Britain, published and distributed this pamphlet in 1939 after Nationalist forces had overthrown Republican Spain. Despite the change in government, the FSC, in conjunction with the AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) continued relief work to help Spanish people and refugees in need on both sides of the conflict up to 1942. Unfortunately, the infrastructure and supplies needed to provide food and milk and to support hospitals were expensive; thus relief organizations distributed pamphlets such as this one to ask for financial help. The FSC aimed to “bring material and moral help” through their relief work: materially through food and milk, and morally through their support and solidarity. Through advocacy of both material and emotional support, the FSC attempted to build “the surest foundations for peace” with altruistic deeds that promoted pacifism and protested war and violence.
On this pamphlet the suffering of the Spanish population is reflected in the expressions of their children. As propaganda both directly, for monetary support of Quaker relief work in Spain, and indirectly, against the war which necessitates such relief, the relief pamphlets of this era exemplify the greater Quaker pacifist position. “Spain’s Children are Hungry” typifies relief pamphlets through its depiction of civilian suffering and clear monetary requests from the reader. On the right-most column one can clearly see what relief specific contributions will provide, situating a child’s unavoidable suffering beside a negligible sum. Therein lies one aspect of the Quaker pacifist claim: peace itself is within the reader’s capacities to create, if only they would take action against war, proposed here in the form of donations, and remember the expressions of Spain’s hungry children.
This is one of the donation cards that were distributed by the Society of Friends. It is titled “Spain’s Children Are Hungry: Help Us Feed Them.” The card is folded into three, each section conveying a different message from the other. The first part of the folding, once you open it, focuses on the work that Quakers have been able to do. This include setting up of canteens and temporary hospitals and distributing milk and food to children and nursing mothers. The second section focuses more on those who are still in need. It describes a number of challenges that are still being experienced in the camps which include the increasing number of refugees, lack of enough food, children suffering from malnutrition, and lack of blankets and diseases. It is because of all the ongoing challenges that the Society of Friends still needs funds. This leads to the third section of the card requesting for donations to help feed the children who happen to be the most vulnerable in the camp and also to cater for the other people’s needs. A photo of one of the children in the camps is printed on the same side, a sad, young girl carrying a doll. On the side of the photo is a statement, ‘The hand of friendship that you stretch to the suffering people of Spain will create a better relationship between them later on.” It is clear that the card not only served to request donations but also to show the effect of the war on the children of Spain and what can still be done to save the situation. This naturally draws a lot of sympathy from the reader and would help them to be more willing to support those in the refugee camps in any way possible.
This bulletin, released days before the end of the war on April 1, describes the desperate situations in both Republican and Nationalist Spain and pleads for money to transfer surplus wheat to Spain. It includes the warning that “if the remainder of Spain is to soon come under Nationalist control they will have a food problem that even propaganda will not be able to hide.” According to the bulletin, the food shortage in a Nationalist Spain would be so severe that even propaganda could not mask its effects from the public. As the nationalists gained territory, hundreds and thousands of refugees would also come under their jurisdiction. Towards the end of the war when it became clear that the Nationalists would win, the actions of the relief workers focused on preventing starvation instead of promoting peace, their original purpose. The workers felt frustrated that they lost the power to construct a society that created conditions for peace and, rather, were caught working to prevent starvation where they still had control.
Committee on Spain, American Friends Service Committee
Sylvester Jones. Journal of Sylvester Jones
The victims of the Spanish Civil War were mainly civilians, as both sides engaged in total war against one another. Sylvester Jones was a Quaker sent to Spain by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) from late 1936 through early 1937. He was to investigate the situation in Spain and garner a sense of whether or not the AFSC should provide relief work, and, if so, how they should administer it. While in Spain he studied the work of the British Friends and other aid organizations who were already helping the Spanish people and discussed their efforts in his diary. His diary, written for distribution and propaganda purposes, also provides an unique insight into the realities of everyday life of the Spanish people during the War. It describes severe food shortages, children’s colonies, the soldiers he came across, and the meetings he had with various aid workers and organizers of relief efforts. In response to the reports of Jones and others, the AFSC sent aid in the form of provisions such as food, clothing, and personnel, allowing the Quakers to peacefully intervene in the face of the destructive power of total war.
Testimonies in Art and Action Exhibition Catalogue
The Diaries of John F. Rich, AFSC Worker
In his capacity as public relations director and relief administrator for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), John F. Rich traveled to Spain in 1939 to wind down the AFSC’s refugee and child feeding relief facilities. During the trip, Rich recorded images of the bucolic countryside, juxtaposing it with the destruction of the Civil War. The diaries also include personal musings on his sadness at seeing the refugee children, work-related to-do lists, and first drafts of AFSC memos. Here, one can see Rich’s thoughts on what Quakers can do “to Make Nations Friendly to Spain”; he suggests that Quakers should use their “connections in high places” and publicly endorse Spain’s desire for diplomatic contact with North America. This action entails political involvement, and to an extent, taking sides. Hence, Rich’s suggestion that Quakers attempt to influence international politics even after the conflict has ended in this manner is contrary to some Friends’, such as relief worker Howard Kershner’s, belief that in order to impart effective relief, neutrality is essential. Rich and Kershner’s conflicting views towards political intervention represent contemporary debate within the greater Quaker community about the place of politics in relief work.
The true light which shines in the heart is that which manifests the tree of knowledge from the tree of life, the one is not for food, and the other is the true food
Through Loyalist and Insurgent Spain: The Journal of Sylvester Jones
Sylvester Jones’ journal records his experiences travelling through Spain and his participation in relief work during the Spanish Civil War. Sent by the American Friends Service Committee in order to decide their level of involvement in the relief work, his writings describe the aid work of different organizations, including logistical issues such as the lack of resources. Sylvester’s descriptions of living in wartime Spain work towards uncovering the nature of Quaker pacifist views, which emphasize deliberate thought. This entry, describing his reaction to a play, showcases his hatred of propaganda, the opposite of deliberate thought: “It was obviously propaganda and not art… I do not refer to the war propaganda…[but] one which…[carries] on with a basis of hate for any who disagree with them.” Jones disapproves of the play’s message, militant or not, because it promotes homogeneous thought. The rejection of thoughtlessness echoes a defining aspect of Quaker pacifism, which draws upon their religious belief, which is centered around the need for conscious and deliberate thought.
v2.4 national council of women (parente)
v3.14 - A conspiracy of silence (parente)