The term ANTIFA (anti-fascist) has become a politically charged term over the past year. During the 1930s, the majority of A

The term ANTIFA (anti-fascist) has become a politically charged term over the past year. During the 1930s, the majority of Americans were preoccupied with the challenge of economic recovery and paid little attention to developments overseas. For many, the rise of fascist regimes and the retreat of democracies in Europe and Asia served as warning signals not to get mired in international politics. However, a small number of young radicals and idealists rejected this isolationist position. Joining a small community of American ex-patriots such as Ernest Hemingway, who had left the United States for Europe to escape the shallow popular culture of the 1920s, about 2,800 of these Americans formed the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to aid the Spanish Republic against the military coup of Generalsimo Francisco Franco. They were joined in their efforts by other volunteers from Canada, France, Germany, and Great Britain. Although the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and the Spanish Republic ultimately lost their fight for democracy, they took a principled stand against fascism at a time when most European nations and the United States paid little attention.

Discuss whether you would have joined the Brigades at the time, and why.