SPAIN: Reverse Current

At a time when authoritarianism was sweeping Europe, José Maria Gil Robles looked like the fascist to bet on in Spain. At Salamanca University, where his father was a professor, young Gil Robles made a name for himself by attacking liberal Philosopher Unamuno and exhorting women students to go back to their kitchens. By the time he was 34, Lawyer Gil Robles was leader of Popular Action, the political arm of Catholic Action. A squat, thick figure with a balding head, he swore loyalty to the Republic, but modeled his party on fascist lines. In...

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