The Spanish Civil War quickly became infiltrated by foreign intervention on both sides, and indeed has been likened to a 'testing ground' for World War II, as the forces of Fascism and Communism pitted against one another. The fact that the protagonist of the novel, Robert Jordan, is an American is not unusual. Only a few months after his arrival, Hemingway announced to the literary world that he was working on a new novel- its subject was the Spanish Civil War. In 1937, Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the war for the North American Newspaper Alliance. He was correct, and when the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, Hemingway wrote articles and delivered speeches to raise money for the leftist, now called the Loyalist, cause. Hemingway, observing these events, predicted that a civil war would erupt between the leftist and rightist political factions. It was then that Alfonso XIII voluntarily exiled himself and on April 13, 1931, the Republic was proclaimed.

The resulting parliament was evenly divided between leftists and rightists, creating a very volatile political situation. After several years of political conflict and civil unrest, elections were held in Spain. Hemingway visited Spain in 1931, just after the monarchy of Alfonso XIII had been overthrown. For Whom the Bell Tolls was inspired by Hemingway's experiences as a foreign correspondent, first in Paris and then in Spain itself, during the Spanish Civil War.

For whom the bell tolls book