There are a number of mysteries in the Spanish war. Why didn’t the Great Britain help the Republican government to defend democracy against Fascism? And why didn’t France do so? And why not other countries? But perhaps the greatest mystery is about the motives of the Soviet Union's intervention. Why did they intervene on such a niggardly scale and finally leave Spain in the lurch? Did they intervene to foster revolution? Then why did they attempt to crush the revolutionary movements? Did they intervene simply to prevent a revolution? Then why not have backed Franco? This book gives you a key to solve this inscrutable mystery. From his experience of having actually gone to that war and been seriously wounded, Orwell is quite persuasive.