Chapter one explores the very specific role the architects, leaders and volunteers of the International Brigades assigned themselves within the wider loyalist war effort, arguing that they became one of many interest groups keen to shape the antifascist struggle in their own image. Their ubiquitous claim to be bringing desperately-needed reserves of unity, order and discipline to the Republican cause owed much to the transnational attitudes of the unitߣs members as well as their more immediate links to the Communist Party and its armed Fifth Regiment. This self-assigned mission was internalised by many of the volunteers on the basis of their military training, trench press and experiences of combat, going on to shape their attitudes towards other groups fighting against Franco. In spite of an underlying rhetoric of antifascist unity, the volunteersߣ understanding of their place in Spain inspired mixed responses from their allies. By uncovering the creation and reception of the International Brigadesߣ military culture, this opening chapter restores the famous fighting force to the wider social, political and military context which underpins the rest of the book.

This chapter considers the experiences of those emigrants who did not respond to the call to arms and thus became draft evaders. With few exceptions, evading the Italian draft was actually quite easy for emigrants and brought no immediate consequences. Draft evasion simply meant that a man would decline to present himself at the consulate to arrange the trip home. The chapter explores the factors that influenced men to evade the draft, including the impact of family members, economic concerns and political beliefs. Socialists and anarchists, in particular, were militant draft evaders: some even left the United States for Mexico in order to avoid call-up to either the Italian or American armies. Treaties were signed between Italy and Britain and France for the reciprocal exchange of draft evaders although Italians were the primary target of the policy, while in Australia Italian draft evaders were rounded up and deported so that they could be enlisted into the Italian Army.