Crossed Identities, Shared Identities. Spanishness and Catalan Identity among the Spanish Volunteers in the Great War

The Spanish government’s official neutrality adopted by the Spanish state during World War I did not prevent did was no impediment to a significant number of young Spaniards to enroll in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion in order to fight for the Allied cause. However, a substantial number notable part of these Spanish volunteers presented themselves as stationed Catalan volunteers at some stage during point in the conflict also be considered Catalan volunteers. The apparent aim of this double identification ty allowed interpreting their struggle was intended that their struggle would be interpreted as a fight for Catalonia’s a path to national liberation in Catalonia. Nevertheless, Spanish pro-Allied intellectuals did pro allies not resigned to label all of them as boost the brand «"Spanish volunteers»" as a contribution to the reform of the Spanish state reform sponsored by the Allies. Thus, article presenting the phenomenon of «"Spanish volunteers»" as a tricky political activity complex movement in which a significant number of Spanish legionnaires and crossed their national and regional identities shared promiscuously. Thus, volunteers could sometimes present themselves as it was Spaniards or and sometimes one was strictly Catalans, and or sometimes both, Spaniards and Catalans, according to their in terms of political or personal volunteer or partisan interests. But they could also be presented in one way or another depending on the interest of the of Catalan and Spanish al pro-Allied intelligentsia interests.