York University gifted $1-million to introduce course on Canadians who fought in Spanish Civil War

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York University has been given $1-million to ensure future generations will be taught the story of the Canadians who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

The gift from the Mackenzie-Papineau Memorial Fund will help make it possible for York to hire a new historian to teach students about an early chapter in the fight against fascism.

Martin Paivio, chair of the memorial fund, said his goal is to ensure that students continue to learn, research and write about the Mackenzie-Papineau battalion, whose name was derived from the leaders of Canada’s 1837-38 rebellions, William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau.

Approximately 1,500 Canadian volunteers went to Spain during the 1936-39 war, and estimates of the dead range as high as nearly half that number. The Canadian government had banned volunteers from enlisting, and when they returned, Mac-Pap veterans, despite their combat experience, were overlooked by government and blocked from taking on important roles in the military in the Second World War.

“It was just a footnote, what the Mac-Paps did. I remember I was in Grade 13 history and there was only a couple paragraphs on it. I said to my classmates, ‘My father fought in that war,’” Mr. Paivio said.

Jules Paivio, a Finnish immigrant living in Northern Ontario when the conflict broke out, was among those who volunteered and travelled to Spain to fight on the side of the elected Republican government as part of the international brigades. They opposed the nationalists led by Francisco Franco and supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

Mr. Paivio remembers his father telling him about being captured by the enemy and lined up in front of a wall, awaiting execution. He was saved at the last minute when an officer arrived and said the foreign soldiers should be saved for a prisoner exchange.

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The elder Mr. Paivio helped lead efforts to have a Mackenzie-Papineau battalion memorial erected in Ottawa. He died a decade ago at the age of 93, his son said, the last member of the battalion to die.

“My father’s whole cause in life was to support democracy. That’s why it’s important that we continue to make sure that people are aware of the potential of fascism. If you don’t recall your history, then you don’t understand what can happen.”

The memorial fund was financially buoyed in recent years by a large gift bequeathed by a son of former Canadian communist leader Tim Buck. Buck did not take part in the conflict but many of the volunteers were communists. Buck’s son left part of an estate built in business and the stock market to the memorial fund.

Adrian Shubert, a professor emeritus at York, taught Spanish history and a course on the Civil War for decades. He retired last year expecting that he would not be replaced and that the Civil War course, popular among students and often filled to capacity, would not continue.

“It’s an unfortunate reality of university life in Canada,” he said. “History departments have been shrinking. As my retirement got closer it was a sad thing but I thought it wasn’t likely I’d be replaced as a historian of modern Spain. Then this came along and it was quite thrilling.”

J.J. McMurtry, dean of liberal arts and professional studies at York, said the university only accepts money for such endowments when its goals and the goals of the donor are aligned.

“In this case the donors want to make sure someone’s talking about what they think is an important part of Canadian history. They don’t determine the class content. They just have ensured that going forward we’ll be working in that area,” Dr. McMurtry said.

The practice of having university chairs funded by outside donors dates back centuries, he said. In this case York would retain the right to change the focus of the endowed position if necessary. But he said he couldn’t imagine a future where the fight against fascism and the history of Europe in the early to mid-20th century wouldn’t hold great significance and appeal for students.

A process to hire someone for the position is expected to begin in the next six to 18 months.