The Spanish Civil War - pg. 279

The bitterness of the Spanish conflict created the greatest
impression abroad, and the stereotype assumptions of foreigners
were often strengthened by the male Spaniard's own
image of himself. 'I am not pretending', El Campesino later,
'that I was not guilty of ugly things myself, or that I never
caused needless sacrifice of human lives. I am a Spaniard.
We look upon life as tragic. We despise death.' But violence
is a distorted expression of fear. 'Eternal Spain' was terrified
of modern ideas, while the centre and the left feared the reaction
which they provoked. Much of the brutality can be explained by
the obligation which the Spaniard felt to repress his fear.