Poetry as it relates to politics was a common theme in the work of W.B. Yeats many of his poems centered around the dicey political landscape of the continent on which he lived. His poem “Politics” written in May if 1938 is no different. The poem itself is a comment on the European political climate of the day. It makes specific references to the Spanish Civil War, which has been seen as a precursor to World War II. It calls attention to the fact that this war as an alarm that the world again is on the brink of something much greater.
In a 1938 article from The Spectator, a British weekly conservative magazine, the author comments on the meetings that had taken place between the Earl of Perth, and the Italian Minister as to have Italian troops stop their aid of Francisco Franco who started a revolution in an effort to overthrow the existing Spanish government on July 18,1936. The article states that under the agreement, all volunteers will be withdrawn from Spain as well as the release of 10,000 Italian troops by Franco. The author then goes on to caution European citizens to be very critical of the agreement. He argues that it really doesn’t matter what the agreement says because Franco is still receiving help from what would grow to be the Axis Powers. He fears that if further actions are not taken, things will escalate to a war that everyone will fear.
As we all know by now, things did escalate. The political instabilities of Europe turned into another World War that rocked all those affected. They say hindsight is 20/20, but in the case of W.B. Yeats, as well as well as the educated minds of few. The sounds of war were easy to hear.
