Cuba’s Revolutionary Spirit and the Hopes of Free Spain

Abstract

Chapter 3 follows Pablo de la Torriente Brau from where we left him in chapter 1, examining his path from the Cuban domestic struggle into exile and then on to a combat death on the Spanish front in December 1936. His trajectory illustrates at an individual human scale the meaning of transnational antifascism for Cuban activists. The chapter studies recruitment in New York City and Havana for the Cuban volunteers inspired by Torriente, and considers the logistics of the recruitment effort. It examines notable Cuban martyrs in the Spanish conflict as well as their symbolism, especially with regard to the pursuit of Cuba’s domestic struggle abroad. The chapter discusses Cubans’ belief that Spain would offer “countless lessons that will benefit our people” in the fight back home.