International Brigades
국제여단
Military units of foreign volunteers organized by the Comintern to fight on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Formed by decision of the Comintern Executive Committee on 18 September 1936, the International Brigades drew some 32,000 volunteers from over 50 countries, the largest share from France, Poland, Italy, Germany, and the United States, and fought in the key battles of Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara, and the Ebro. Headquartered at Albacete under André Marty, they were disbanded in September 1938 when Prime Minister Juan Negrín, seeking to satisfy the Non-Intervention Committee's demand for the withdrawal of foreign forces, announced their dissolution; a farewell parade in Barcelona on 28 October 1938 saw Dolores Ibárruri's famous valediction: 'You are history. You are legend.'
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Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) Formation, composition (32,000 volunteers from 53 countries), key battles, disbandment in September 1938, farewell parade in Barcelona, Ibárruri's speech
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian article confirming formation by Comintern decision of 18 September 1936, role of André Marty, troop composition by nationality
- Marxists Internet Archive Andy Durgan (International Socialism, 1999): critical analysis of the Brigades as Comintern army, confirms 30,000 volunteers from 53 countries, Comintern decision of 18 September 1936, and the political subordination of the Brigades to Soviet foreign policy objectives