Historians of the Spanish Civil War have tended to concentrate on the struggle between ideological collectivities, ignoring the everyday experiences of individuals. Seidman (history, U. of North Carolina at Wilmington) attempts to unpack these experiences as they played out in the Republican controlled zone. He discusses the militants who were committed to the causes of the unions and political organizations as well as workers and soldiers who were simply engaged in material struggles and used the political atmosphere to their own advantage. He argues that a social history of the conflict grants greater insight into why the Republic eventually fell to the forces of Franco. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)