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New Zealand and the Spanish Civil War

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Spanish Civil War poster

New Zealand and the Cold War

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Communist Party of NZ poster

New Zealand's position - NZ and the Cold War

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

New Zealand's position

New Zealand's alignment and participation in the Cold War was determined by the decision of the 1940s Labour government to back the United States and Great Britain (that concord was crucial) in their disagreements with the Soviet Union. The decision was questioned, though not overturned, by the Left, with communists and others claiming that Labour had rejected both peace and socialism.

Background - Spanish Civil War

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

In April 1931 King Alfonso XIII of Spain left the country as a result of republican candidates winning the majority of votes in Spain’s local and municipal elections. A republican-socialist government under the leadership of Manuel Azaña was formed. A new constitution introduced sweeping social reforms while at the same time reducing the power of the Spanish nobility and Roman Catholic Church. Land, banks and railways were nationalised.

Popularity - Royal visit, 1953-54

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Why was the 1953-54 Royal Visit such a huge event for New Zealanders?

This was the first time a reigning monarch had set foot in New Zealand. Previous royal visitors had either been sons or brothers of the monarch - Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh in 1869, Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in 1901, Prince of Wales in 1920, Duke and Duchess of York in 1927, Duke of Gloucester in 1934-5.
Hopes for a visit by the monarch had been raised over the previous decade:
- There had been discussions of a visit by George VI in 1940, but the war prevented this.
- A detailed itinerary was prepared for a tour by the king in March 1949, but he fell ill.
- A shortened tour was planned for May 1952, and when the king again fell ill it was decided Princess Elizabeth would come instead. But at the first stop on this tour, in Africa, the young princess learned of her father's death and she returned home.
The Queen's coronation in June 1953 heightened interest in royalty in New Zealand.
The state was heavily involved in overseeing preparations for the tour and ensuring its success. Internal Affairs were the main organisers, but Tourist and Publicity, Defence, Railways (which supplied the special royal trains), Works, Maori Affairs, Police and the Education departments all put enormous energies into the tour.
The war had strengthened New Zealanders' sense of their relationship with Britain. Where Britain went, New Zealand went. New Zealand's trade was overwhelmingly with Britain (67.5 of our exports in 1953, 56% of our imports), and British people were our most important immigrants (65% in 1953-54).
By 1953 New Zealand had recovered from depression and war. Indeed the boom in wool prices created by the Korean War had carried New Zealand to the second highest standard of living in the world. There was a general satisfaction with New Zealand life and the Royal Visit became a way of presenting this modern paradise to the world.

The Asian 'theatre' - NZ and the Cold War

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The Asian 'theatre'

Asia was another 'theatre' of the conflict. The Communist victory in the Chinese civil war led New Zealand to accept commitments to assist in the defence of Hong Kong, and it continued to recognise the defeated Nationalist regime, based on Taiwan, even after Britain had recognised the new Communist government in Beijing. New Zealand also gave military support to anti-communist South Korea, albeit under United Nations auspices, when the communist North invaded, and its troops came into open conflict with Chinese Communist forces. Although resisting American pressure to be joined to Japan in a Cold War alliance, it did ally with the United States (in ANZUS) in 1951, and in doing so committed itself to American Cold War policy in Asia.

Attitudes in New Zealand - Spanish Civil War

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Those New Zealanders who fought in the Spanish Civil War did not have the support of New Zealand’s first Labour government. Despite Labour’s strong socialist origins, the government didn’t want to antagonise its many Catholic supporters.

NZ combatants in Spain

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

The majority of the New Zealanders who fought in Spain did so because of political commitment. Most were strongly anti-fascist and a number were communists. Others spoke of fighting out of a 'sense of adventure' or in some cases because they were paid.

The idealists

Griff Maclaurin

NZ Communist Party in 1939

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Photograph of New Zealand Communist Party National Committee, 1939.

George Jackson (seated first on left) and Tom Stanley (seated third from right) were prominent activists for the Spanish Republican cause within the union movement.

Tom Spiller

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 12:00:00 +1200

Tom Spiller, photographed in the late 1930s.

Spiller was a New Zealand communist who fought with the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. He arrived in Barcelona via London, and the steep mountain trails of the Pyrenees, before being thrown into action at Jarama in February 1937. He lost his close friend from Napier Fred Robertson in this battle. Spiller was badly wounded in July during the Battle of Brunete.