Alcohol in the War

The relationship between alcohol and wars has always been very close, and the Spanish Civil War was no exception. The militiamen of the early months of the war and the soldiers of the Republican and insurgent armies consumed large quantities of alcohol. Soldiers on the front lines commonly drank to strengthen internal solidarity. As well as to combat negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and boredom, or physical hardships such as exhaustion, thirst, hunger, cold, and heat.

The General Staffs of the Republican and insurgent armies faced a complex reality where different ideals of combative masculinity and the alcoholic practices of soldiers came into friction. On one hand, the defenders of respectable masculinity advocated the moderate use of alcohol or even abstinence. On the other hand, there was also an ideal of tough and cocky masculinity, which defended the abundant consumption of alcohol as a trait of warriors. The problem was not the amount of alcohol consumed, but whether soldiers were able to maintain self-control. The discourses of tough and cocky masculinity were more present in the insurgent army, but they also had supporters in practice in the Republican army.

The Republican General Staff tried to educate soldiers to adopt moderate consumption habits, although without much success. This discourse was less present in the insurgent army, although it also existed. In any case, both armies were always concerned that soldiers had enough alcohol on the front lines, as its scarcity undermined morale. This photograph of a booth run by a Moroccan selling alcohol to insurgent soldiers on the Teruel front illustrates this point. Similarly, when indiscipline occurred due to alcohol consumption, it was usually punished with demotions and arrests.

One of the most serious consequences of alcohol consumption during the Civil War was the increase in alcoholism in Spain. It is estimated that the conflict created up to half a million new alcoholics.

JM