Preface¶
Core Argument¶
Preface
The preface addresses three principal matters of nomenclature, each freighted with political and methodological significance. On orthography, the author adopts a pragmatic compromise: common English equivalents for Spanish place names (Andalusia, not Andalucía) are used where they exist, but the Spanish spelling is retained elsewhere. The Basque province of Vizcaya is distinguished from the English “Biscay,” which refers only to the bay. Catalan and Basque names appear only selectively, on grounds of consistency and reader comprehension: an English reader would recognise Lérida but not Lleida. Vitoria and Gasteiz are used interchangeably, reflecting contemporary usage.
A more contentious terminological choice concerns “Spain” versus “the Spanish state.” The author acknowledges that many on the Spanish left now prefer the latter, as a gesture to Basque and Catalan national sensibilities and a repudiation of Francoist Spanish nationalism. However, he insists that for English readers the phrase appears strange and imprecise. He offers a strict, scientific Marxist definition: “the Spanish state” denotes the bureaucratic apparatus—the army, police, judiciary, monarchy, and the vast functionary class—that has remained fundamentally unchanged since the dictatorship. This is not a concession to nationalist sentiment but a precise analytical category. The preface thus implicitly polemicises against both the uncritical adoption of nationalist terminology by sections of the left and the conflation of state apparatus with nation.
The third issue is party names. In the underground, no one used their real name; to do so would risk betraying comrades under police interrogation. Even after legality was restored, the author long remained ignorant of the real names of close comrades, leading to embarrassing situations. His own party name was David, though he signed articles as Jorge Martínez. Forty years later, Spanish friends and in-laws still address him by his party name. Where necessary, the text supplies party names in brackets. In some cases, to protect personal privacy, full surnames are reduced to initials or replaced with false names. This is not mere anecdote: it underscores the clandestine conditions under which the struggle was waged and the lasting imprint of those conditions on personal relationships and historical memory.