Transnational Communism During the Cold War

Transnational Communism During the Cold War offers a bold and innovative reassessment of the Spanish Communist Party (PCE) as an important actor in Cold War-era transnational communist networks. Moving beyond conventional national narratives, this volume situates the PCE within a complex web of ideological, political, and economic relationships with key communist regimes—including the USSR, East Germany, Poland, and Yugoslavia—and Western European communist parties, revealing how global alliances shaped the contours of anti-Francoist resistance and the internationalisation of Spanish political exile.

Bringing together leading scholars, it explores the PCE’s foundational role in the emergence of Eurocommunism and its challenge to Soviet hegemony from 1968 onward. It uncovers the informal networks born from internal party divisions, the international solidarity received by the PCE, and the often-overlooked contributions of women in transnational campaigns. Rich case studies illuminate the ideological exchanges, cultural diplomacy, and economic cooperation that defined communist internationalism.

Interdisciplinary in scope and grounded in archival research, Transnational Communism During the Cold War offers a fresh interpretive framework for understanding the global dimensions of Cold War communism. Essential reading for historians of European politics, international leftist movements, and transnational activism, it redefines Spain’s place within the broader currents of twentieth-century political history.

Eduardo Abad García is a social and cultural historian specializing in 20th-century communism and revolutionary movements, currently teaching at the University of Oviedo. He completed his PhD in 2020 and has held postdoctoral fellowships at Oviedo and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His interdisciplinary work draws on cultural studies and sociology, with nearly 30 publications in leading journals and research stays across Europe and Latin America.

Xavier María Ramos Diez-Astrain is member of the Research Group on the History of International Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid (GHistRI) and holds a PhD from the University of Valladolid. His research focuses on Spain’s relations with Eastern European socialist states, Spanish communism’s transnational ties, and the internal politics of socialist regimes. He has published widely, coordinated major conferences, and held visiting positions in Berlin, Halle, Budapest, and Madrid.

Emanuele Treglia is Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid and editor of Historia del Presente, with a PhD from LUISS Guido Carli (Rome). His research explores the Spanish and European left, anti-Francoist activism, radical movements, and international communist relations during the Cold War. He has published widely, and completed several research stays at institutions such as the University of Toulouse and the Historical Archives of the European Union-European University Institute.