The Spanish Civil War: history, causes and consequences

We explain what the Spanish Civil War was and what its causes and consequences were. We also explain its characteristics and the role of the Church.

In the Spanish Civil War, the conservative nationalists faced the Republicans.

What was the Spanish Civil War?

The Spanish Civil War is known as a military conflict that took place in Spain between July 17, 1936 and April 1, 1939. It pitted the legitimately constituted government of the Second Spanish Republic against various factions of the insurgent Spanish army.

The Spanish Civil War was a complex episode in Spanish history. Many historians define it as an armed class struggle, crossed by different ideological dimensions: dictatorship vs. republic, fascism vs. communism and religious nationalism vs. secular socialism.

The insurgent military was led by General Francisco Franco, who after winning the battle became leader and dictator of Spain until his death in 1975. Under his dictatorial government There was repression and the elimination of socialism, communism and Spanish anarchism.

Occurring as a prelude to the Second World War, the Spanish Civil War represented one of the most tragic war events in European history in the first half of the 20th century. In it Around 500,000 lives were lost and the country was subjected to a fierce and conservative regime that lasted 36 years..

Background of the Spanish Civil War

The Revolutionary Committee that won the 1931 elections proclaimed the Second Spanish Republic.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, with the triumph of the Russian Revolution in 1917, it spread a great fear of communism among the European upper classesIn Spain, King Alfonso XIII and the army began to actively intervene in politics, with the aim of neutralizing the emergence or actions of communist groups.

In 1923, General Miguel Primo de Rivera carried out a coup d’état and installed a de facto government. He then founded the Patriotic Union Party to legitimize his regime and sought to form political corporations to replace the traditional political parties.

In the face of Primo de Rivera’s dictatorial government, a heterogeneous opposition was formed that involved different sectors of society: intellectual elites, workers’ groups, republican supporters, university students and left-wing activists. Due to the pressure of these groups, the king and the army withdrew their support from the government and Primo de Rivera called for elections in 1931.

Second Spanish Republic

The Revolutionary Committee, made up of socialists and republicans, won the elections and proclaimed the so-called Second Spanish Republic. From the government, he sanctioned a new constitution and promoted structural reforms for politics, the economy and Spanish society. Among the most important reforms, the separation of Church and State, the expropriation of lands from large landowners and their distribution among the poor peasantry, and state intervention in the defense of workers’ rights against bourgeois businessmen stand out.

Consequently, the different groups that were affected by these measures came together as a great opposition. Among them were the Church, supporters of the monarchy, conservative groups, aristocratic landowners and the Army.

The end of the Second Republic

In the 1936 elections, a coalition made up of communist, socialist and left-wing republican parties, called the Popular Front, triumphed. In response, military groups supported by the opposition attempted to carry out a coup d’état, which was dismantled by the new government.

However, in July the general Francisco Franco started a second uprising, with the support of the Churchthe upper landed classes and the monarchical groups. Their campaign proclaimed the defense of private property, the Nation, the family and religion.

The Franco insurrection gained enough support but was not immediately successful. Since then, a civil war began between the republican forces and the nationalist forces.

opposing groups

The rebellious side was organized around the military high command.

In the Spanish Civil War, two factions clashed:

• The republican forces. Composed of sectors related to the constitutional government, led by the Popular Front. They were made up of the republican parties added to the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, anarchist, unionist and communist sectors. And they were supported by the peasantry, the proletariat and the Basque and Catalan autonomous movements.
• The nationalist forces revolted. They represented monarchical groups, landowners, conservatives, the Church and the upper bourgeoisie. They were organized around the military high command, which made up the National Defense Board and was chaired by Generalissimo Francisco Franco, appointed Head of State of insurgent Spain. This faction was made up of conservative political movements such as the Spanish Falange, the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights (CEDA), among others, and had the support of the Catholic Church and business elites.

International situation

In 1937, German planes bombed the city of Guernica in support of the nationalists.

Although there was a climate of fear of communism throughout Europe, the powers took different positions in relation to the Spanish conflict. In 1936, France, England, Germany and Italy made up the Non-intervention committee and agreed not to get involved in the Spanish Civil War.

This position of neutrality was promoted by France and England. However, months later, Germany and Italy broke the pact and became involved in the conflict.

The rebellious nationalists received direct support from the totalitarian governments of Italy and Germany. Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler sought to defeat all leftist governments and sent military assistance. The intervention increased and in 1937 the German air force bombed the city of Guernica.

The republican government did not have the help of the European democracies: France and England remained neutral. However, they received support from the USSR and Mexico, which assisted the side with political, diplomatic and military resources.

An international coalition of European communist parties was also formed, known as the International Brigades. These brigades were made up of civilians from different countries, who were willing to take up arms to fight fascism and defend the republic.

Development of the Spanish Civil War

The military uprising that started the Spanish Civil War was led by General Francisco Franco in Melilla on 17 July 1936. The insurrection spread but failed to prevail throughout the country:

Victories of the uprising

The military insurrection began in Melilla and from there it quickly spread to the entire protectorate of Morocco. On July 18 and 19, the coup spread to the peninsula and the archipelagos. While the government of Casares Quiroga reacted slowly to the events.

The coup was successful in:

• Galicia, Castile-Leon, Navarre.
• Pamplona (western Andalusia) with General Mola.
• Seville and the Balearic Islands (except Menorca), with Queipo de Llano.
• Canary Islands, from where Franco, after ensuring the victory of the coup in the archipelago, moved to Morocco to lead the army of Africa.
• Oviedo, with General Aranda.
• Granada, where the murder of García Lorca took place.
• Zaragoza, with General Cabanellas.

Failures of the rebellion

The coup failed in Asturias, Cantabria and part of the Basque Country, where the PNV finally collaborated with the Republic, Catalonia, Levante, Madrid, Castilla la Mancha, Murcia and the eastern part of Andalusia.

The most serious failures occurred in Madrid, where the new president Giral gave weapons to the workers’ militias, and in Barcelona, ​​where an unusual collaboration of the CNT workers with the Civil Guard and the Assault Guard aborted the insurrection.

In general, except in Navarra and Castilla-León, the uprising had almost no popular support and was based on the insurgent military forces. Factors such as the doubts or resolution of the rebels and the authorities in charge of repressing the coup, the capacity for worker mobilization and the role of the Civil Guard were key to understanding the final result of the coup in each area of ​​the country.

The division of the country into two zones: the beginning of the civil war

The partial failure of the coup led to the division of the territory into two zones and the beginning of the war:

• Nationalist zone. The nationalist zone had the grain and livestock reserves of Castile and Galicia, and the coal mines of Leon and Riotinto in Huelva. Above all, it had a much better prepared army that had complete divisions in Castile, Galicia and Andalusia and, above all, the Army of Africa, the Legion and the Regulars.
• Republican zone. The Republican zone included the industrial regions, and it had wheat in La Mancha and the produce from the orchards of the Levant. It also had access to the gold reserves of the Bank of Spain. However, the army units were practically dismantled. Most of the officers rebelled and the government itself dissolved many units whose loyalty was dubious. The Navy (without many of its officers) and the Air Force remained in the hands of the Republican government.

The Republican defeat

The Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, when the rebels took Madrid.

The military superiority of the rebels was becoming noticeable above the republican ranks, divided between political factions and lacking war experience. In 1936 the nationalists had advanced on Madrid and placed it under siege, without being able to conquer the university area.

During the summer of the following year They subdued the Basque provinces and then Asturias. After capturing Teruel and gaining access to the Mediterranean in 1938, the Francoists managed to divide the Republic in two. Thus, the enemy troops were…