Just finished that book. Brilliant read, but it is interesting in that he seems to have sympathies for the anarchists. That would be consistent with his critique of the Soviets in The Fall of Berlin.
Seems that the war was won by the side which consolidated the fastest and gained outside aid first. But Hitler didn't give Franco anything without trying to get something in return (German control of iron ore mines after the war), even thought the Germans were able to test out He 111s and Me 109s as well as early blitz doctrine.
The Soviets were parastic as well, they thrust the Communists from relative obscurity to assuming positions of power in the Republican cause. Stalin didn't want to provoke Hitler either.
Nonetheless, no one comes out entirely unscathed. Western companies and countries either supported the Nationalists or stayed out of the war.
Interesting when he recounts how western sympathisers showed up at the Republican lines, squeezed off a few shots at the Nationalist and Moroccan troops and left. Apparently present day celebrity interest in causes is not new.
Marc,
We can argue about whether the non-Stalinist left's perspective (note they were more than just anarchists)had a prayer of being implemented--I'm with Ken Loach and Orwell on that one--but we can't argue about Hobsbawm's nationality. The young Eric was Austrian, not German.