Spirit of the Republic - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 48° 25.229 W 123° 22.282
10U E 472523 N 5363103
The "Spirit of the Republic" is an allegorical sculpture of a Spanish woman which is located near the Confederation Garden Court at the intersection of Menzies and Belleville Streets in Victoria, British Columbia.
Waymark Code: WMZDZC
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 10/27/2018
Views: 4
A pamphlet produced for the dedication of this life size bronze figure explains the symbolism of the sculpture:
"The sculpture is identifiably Spanish with its Basque cap and crown (representing Spain’s regions and architecture), the rope sandals (alpargatas) on her feet, and the laurel wreath of the Spanish Republic held in her hand. The lovely figure portrays the strength, dignity, determination and beauty of a people who aspired to establish a democratic government."
"Jack Harman, (the sculptor of the piece), has captured in her face the sadness of this slow victory at such a high cost. The dove of peace in her left hand is representative and characteristic of all nationalities and people who desire peace and democratic governments."
The “Spirit of the Republic” represents ideals of democracy and peace. It was added to the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades Memorial in 2000 honoring the nearly 1000 Canadian volunteers that fought on the side of the Republic against the coup d'etat by the fascist and authoritarian Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939.
The nearby plaque is inscribed:
The Mackenzie Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades. Spanish Civil War 1936-1939
This monument commemorates the gallant men and women of British Columbia and Canada who offered their lives to defend the principles of democracy and served as the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades in defence of the Republic of Spain.
In July 1936, the opening shots of the Second World War were fired in Spain. Insurgent forces led by General Franco staged a rebellion to crush the democratically elected Government of the Spanish Republic. This treason was met with armed resistance by the people of Spain who rose to defend the New Republic. Thus the Spanish Civil War had begun, which pitted the democracy embodied in the Spanish Republic against the fascism of the insurgent forces led by Franco, whose allies were the fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini.
Against a backdrop of appeasement of Hitler, the policy of Non-Intervention, and arms embargoes against the Republic rendering it virtually defenceless, volunteers from 53 countries – who formed the International Brigades – went to Spain to defend democracy and resist the spread of fascism. They fought at the side of the infant Spanish Republic to defend the right of the Spanish people to choose, by election, their government.
Nearly 1000 Canadian volunteers – confronted by the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1937 enacted by the Canadian Government and facing criminal charges under the Act – joined in that struggle to defend the Spanish Republic and the democracy it embodied. One-quarter of those volunteers came from British Columbia. Members of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion served with distinction, honour, courage and valour on the battlefields of Spain during the Civil War which raged from 1936 to 1939.
Over 600 volunteers in the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion were killed in Spain. These brave individuals are forever part of the earth of Spain. Many of the survivors of the Battalion who returned to Canada in 1939 endeavoured to join and did join the Canadian forces to fight with the Allies in World War II, which began six months later. Once again, they were fighting fascism. The fascist alliance of the Axis Powers was finally defeated in 1945.
No Pasáran