Uncivil Guard

Foster Chamberlin examines the history and culture of Spain’s Civil Guard from its nineteenth-century founding through the Second Republic, arguing that its military structure, cult of honor, and isolation from communities made it prone to violence.

Using case studies—including anarchist attacks in Barcelona, incidents in Castilblanco and Arnedo, and the Asturias uprising of 1934—he traces how policing practices escalated into large-scale repression.

Chamberlin situates the force within broader debates about militarized policing and political violence in interwar Europe.

He shows how the Civil Guard’s actions helped justify the military coup that began the Spanish Civil War and then played a central role in Francoist repression.

The book connects institutional culture, policing tactics, and national politics to explain the Guard’s outsized role in Spain’s descent into civil war.