Shorter Notice
Spain Resurgent. By Sir Robert Hodgson. (Hutchinson. 21s.) THIS book, although it is the story of General Franco's coup d'etat in 1936 and his assump- tion of total power, is, nevertheless, calm and unsensational. It praises General Franco's ability and it gives, within limits, an appreciation of the fact that he is a polirique. Sir Robert Hodgson admires the strong, guiding hand of the Caudillo and he sees in that expert administrator the one person who has given Spain what she so desperately needed after the disruption caused by the ending of the Bourbon- Hapsburg monarchy. Long years as a diplomat have obviously given Sir Robert his literary style. He is never tired of facts. Facts are presented to the reader in a generous, but categorical, way : but stati- stics are kept completely in the background.
The long story of a new Spain struggling towards the light is fascinating. The Movi- inferno Nacional, as Franco's rise to power was called, receives in this book an excellent and lengthy analysis. In fact, Sir Robert has written a detailed account of Spain from 1936 onwards. The tone of the whole volume is reliable and moderate. This is, indeed, a book for those who wish to learn something of recent Spanish history. But it could be more than that : it could be a competent guide-book on SPanish affairs for an aspiring political journalist. It is attractively produced, the index is every- thing an index should be, and the photo- graphs, of which there are far too few, are
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