For many of us, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) is perceived as a kind of introduction or a "dry run" prior to World War II, which broke out shortly thereafter. Our aim in this course is to examine that war (also) from other perspectives. Within this scope we will study its local roots; the social conflicts and political dynamics that led to the collapse of the Second Republic in Spain (1931-1936); the social and ideological composition of the warring camps; the perceptions of that bloody struggle, inter alia, in England, France and mandatory Palestine; the foreign intervention in the war and the impact it had on its fate and consequences. At the same time, we will also examine the reflections of the Spanish Civil War in Latin America; the ways by which local social cleavages and political conflicts in countries like Argentina, Peru and Mexico have shaped attitudes, perceptions and different modes of action in relation to what was happening in Spain; the role of these countries as sheltering places for exiled Spaniards and the contribution of the latter to cultural life in the continent that had opened its gates to them. During the course, we will look also at the artistic representations of the Spanish Civil War in literature, poetry and film; and will use them, among others, to explore changes and continuities in the culture of memory of that war, within the framework of transitional processes from dictatorship to democracy – both in Spain and Latin America - in the last quarter of the 20th century.