The Pete Quiñones Show Episode 1322: The Spanish Civil War - Radicalizing a Moderate Socialist Pt. 1 of 2 - w/ Karl Dahl and Morghur
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Jan 27, 2026 Karl Dahl, author and Spanish Civil War specialist, joins Morghur, a Spain-based translator, to trace Francisco Largo Caballero’s rise from working-class activist to radicalized socialist leader. They explore regional economic pressures, Madrid’s factional politics, labor organizing, key crises from 1917 to the 1930s, and the tensions that shaped Republican leadership. Short, vivid historical narrative and context.
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Why Extremism Took Root In Spain
- Spain's socio-economic landscape made extremist ideologies more appealing than in the U.S. at the time.
- Regional poverty, land concentration, and uneven industrialization fueled mass radicalization.
Largo Caballero's Working-Class Origins
- Largo Caballero left school at seven and worked in multiple trades before joining politics.
- His early factory and seasonal labor shaped a practical, worker-focused socialism.
Journalism Drove Left Leadership
- Socialist politics in Spain grew through party newspapers and unions, not formal education.
- Many left leaders were journalists who used media to organize and spread ideas.
