The Spanish Civil War

Background to the Spanish Civil War

 Spain was a “fractured” country.
- There were divisions in all the regions.
 Regionalism + Localism
 Many areas of Spain were divided: Basque, Catalan, and Galician’s.
 Their differences were:
 Linguistic
 Historic
 Economic
 Spain’s economic situation overall was STRONG
 However there were areas were this was different
 Their industrial and agricultural production was POOR.
 Agriculture was either:
o Small, peasant landholders
o Vast estates.
The political Spectrum
 The Conservatives had the LANDOWNERS, CHURCH, ARMY
 Half the land was owned by 50,000 people.
 Catholic Church had a GREAT INFLUENCE in SPAIN.
 Especially EDUCATION

 The other side of the spectrum believed in:

- Regionalism influenced the formation of political and ideological movements.

 The ANARCHO SYNDICALISM: political doctrine that advocates replacing central gvt
with decentralised worker control based on a trade union model.
- Movement strong in POOR, RURAL areas : e.g. Andalusia
- This rvln was to come about by a combination of:
 SPONTANEOUS ACTION
 CREATIVE POTENTIAL
- This was NOT only the left wing ideology.
 Marxism + Socialism had been struggling for support from the late 19Century.
 The parties were arguing with each other;
- Marxist fractured
- Stalinists feuded with Trotskyites
- Socialists argued with Trade Unionists
o When Civil war came about; there was an
array of different views+ parties.
Immediate Causes: the failures of the Second Republic + the Popular Front
 April 1931 – support for monarch had disappeared.
- Arm withdrew its support:
  King exiled
- June - General election was called.

The New Gvt.

o New legislations passed:
o Agricultural
 o Labour
o Anti-clerical legislation.
o Protected people from evictions
 Reduced army influence:
- Gave officers pensions early
- Made them retire.
 The opposition was infuriated by these decisions
 Opposition Azana’s gvt.
 The national police rebelled in Aug 1932 under Gen. Sanjurjo.
- FAILED
 Easily crushed
  Shows the opposition to the new Gvt in Spain.
 1933 – Strikes + disturbances continued
 November 1933 – New elections –
- Instability
- Right-wing coalition came to power.
 The new gvt started to undo what the previous gvt had done:
- Reverse + ignore Azana’s reforms.
 There were more strikes:
- More serious revolt in Asturias
- FAILED
 Crushed by Moroccan troops.
o This revolt a response to avoid Germans
o Resist Hitler 2yrs earlier.
 There was a lack of faith in the democratic system:
- The gvt could NOT BE TRUSTED.
 To others, it was confirmation that the radical left in Spain had abandoned the
constitution and could not be trusted. Both interpretations show a lack of faith in
the democratic system.

The Popular Front and the Generals’ Uprising

 1936 – Spanish politics swung back to the left.
- strategy by Comintern,
 Used in France and known as the Popular Front.
 This strategy learnt from the mistakes and infighting that
characterised the left in Germany as Hitler rose to power.

 1936 Elections:
- left-wing parties co-operated more organisationally
 A defensive strategy designed to prevent the rise of the extreme
right.
 Parties still had political + ideological differences.
 The parties disagreed + agreed with many things:
- Agreed: on what they DIDN’T WANT
- RARELY agreed on what they wanted!
- Democracy could not prevent freedom in Spain
  Popular Front was used
 There was a lack of Stability:
- Allowed organised military rebellion.

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  Led by Goded + Mola + Franco
 Aided by Spanish troops in Morocco.
 Junior officers were at the centre of the rebellions:
- HOWEVER the senior officers + higher ranked troops  LOYAL.
 Moroccan troops  most experienced in the Spanish army
- Helped greatly to their successes of the Nationalists.
 EARLY ON: Republican gvt in Madrid failed to act fast enough to crush the revolt.
 THEY HAD BEEN WARNED
 The gvt had insufficient equipment to crush the rebellion.
- Workers got weapons – acted defensively against the opposition
- Most soldier would help the Republic
 The army units would have to get the LOCAL political leaders
 EXECUTE THEM
 Hand over the town to nationalists
 ONLY if the rebellion gained momentum.
 Republicans kept control of the Madrid and the east of the country.
- Barcelona  Anarcho-syndicalists fought against 12, 000 soldiers.
 General Goded asked the rebels to surrender
- Goded was a prisoner of the Gvt.
- Barcelona remained loyalist Spain.
 Gvt on its own was weak.
- Kept control with the help of other organisations
 Because the army was not organised enough to do that job.

The Combatants and international Reaction

The Republicans
 The military were loyal to the gvt:
- HOWEVER the RB (republicans) compromised that.
 The militias managed to arm themselves with the army’s weapons.
- They did this before the civil war
- They had “stocked” up.
 The gvt were reluctant to arm them
- But as the crisis grew it eventually supplied them with weapons.
 The forces were weak and lacked military training and leadership.
 However they were BRAVE and ENTHUSIASTIC
 Ideological, political and strategic differences made co-operation between the militias
very difficult.
 THIS WAS EXPLOITED by THE NATIONALISTS.
The Nationalists
 Made up of units that REBELLED in July 1936
- Increased by VOLUNTEERS from Right wing organisations.
o E.g. Falange
 Introduced conscription in the areas they controlled.
-  increase in forces
 There were around 300,000 men at any one time.
 LOT OF FORCES
 End of the war:
- Nationalist  mobilised over a million men
- Supported by the Catholic Church
- Conservative elements:

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  Landowners
 They were scared of land seizures by the
Republicans.
 General Franco  Leader of the national forces.

The international brigades.

 UK + USA  had Non-intervention
 Hoped for a nationalists win.
 Because of the possible threat of communism + spread.
 Saw the war as a defence of democracy.
- Against AUTHORITARIAN fascism.
 The non-intervention policies stopped official aid to Republicans
 AND made it ILLEGAL for volunteers to travel to Spain and fight for the Republicans.
o DID not stop 30,000 people smuggling in to help the RB.
 They then enlisted into one of numerous international brigades.
 Represented countries all over the world.
 Organised by National communist’s organisations.
- Co-ordinated by Comintern.
 Eventually, the brigades were folded into the more regular RB army.

German Support
 Franco wanted German support as early as 25 July 1936
 The German leader agreed.
 20 German transport planes given to Franco
 Based in North Africa
 Hitler wanted to stop spread of communism in Europe to.
 However we can see that he got involved to benefit from their instability.
- As she was on the south of France.
- Nationalist win = German access to Spanish resources.
 Especially arms production.
 Germans provided the Nationalists with:
 Artillery
 Small arms
 Tanks
 Vehicles.
 Aircraft
 The aircraft gave the nationalist a major advantage.
- RB had NO air force to counter-act it.
 12,000 German personnel were in Spain.
 5000-10000 at any one time
- Contributed to the nationalist victory.
 Especially it went on until 37-38.

Italian Support
 Before Civil war – Mussloini was involved in Spain.
- Financially supporting the monarchists.
 In the war – pledged more aid, material + personnel
 November 1936 –Mussolini + Franco had a secret agreement.
- Mussolini would receive Spanish support in case of a war with France
- In return for a sizeable increase in aid to the Nationalists
 They had around 70,0000 men in Spain
- Helping the nationalist consisted of:
 Militia volunteers
 Regular army units

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  700 Aircraft
 900 Tanks
 They fought hard and well throughout the war
- Contributing in a number of IMPORTANT battles:
 E.g. Guadalajara

Soviet Support
 Stalin had a geographical disadvantage
 Didn’t know whether to lead eth forces of world socialism and a distrust of the soviet
and anarchist elements in Spain.
 Domestic Issue were on Stalin’s mind
- 5yr plans
- Purges
 October 1936 – Soviet Material in Spain to bolster the Republican forces.
 They had to pay for the equipment with Spain’s gold reserves.
- Unlike the Germans/Italians who were paid via credit
 Most of the tanks + planes were from Soviets.
 Brigades controlled by Soviet Officials.

The Western Democracies and Non-intervention

 The western democracies decisions were due to their domestic + foreign policies
- NOT BY THEIR support for either side.
 Popular front Gvt in France would have been a natural ally of their counterpart in Spain.
- They were cautious
 Because the UK – an ally did not want to be dragged into conflict with
Italy
 Therefore a conflict with Germany!
 The creation of the non-intervention committee.
- Barred the sale of arms to either side in the civil war.
- Ignored by GER/ITA/USSR.
-  Republicans relied a lot on USSR support.
- USA refused to sell arms.
 BUT did sell oil to the Nationalists.
 This was not in the neutrality act
 This prevented him selling arms.
 Non-intervention severely damaged the republicans
Neutrality Act: Number of laws passed by US Congress which sought to establish the USA as a
formally neutral country. The Acts did NOT include OIL

The Progress of the war

 There was no quick end to the rebellion.
 Each side took their opportunity to settle their differences.
- Political / personal enemies
  violent retribution
- When one side gained new territory
 Increased suffering of the non-combatants
 Republicans:
- Clergy
- Falange members
 Nationalists:
- Anarchists
- Communists
- Trade unionists.
 Republicans were generally defensive.

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 - September 1936 Managed to stop a Nationalist offensive towards Bilbao.
 November 1936 – attack on Madrid.
 Franco’s army was strengthened by the arrival of more Italian + German troop +
materials.
  Used this to launch TWO new attacks on Madrid.
- Both of which FAILED
 Basque region was targeted by the Nationalists.
 April 1937 – German condor Legion launched an air attack on the Basque city.
- Carpet – bombing the city.
 There was deliberate killing of civilians to scare the people + creating terror.
- The citizens fled to countryside where they were met by machine guns
 The Basque region held out against the nationalists until June 1937.
- June 1937 – Bilbao (capital of Basque) fell.
 AS the was went on:
- Republicans: gain more experience
 Fighting more effectively
 Launching offensives of their own
 The republicans ended up shoot at each other. !

Why the republicans LOST

 Republicans lost lots of territory
 October 1937 – reduced to large territory to the south and east of Madrid.
 Much smaller land in Barcelona
 Ebro Offensive – July – November 1938 –
- Tried to reconnect the above areas with control.
 FAILED
 Early 1939  Last republican area fell.
- BUT Madrid _ Valencia remained
 February 1939 – UK + France recognize the Franco regime the legitimate gvt of Spain.
 Republicans surrendered on 2nd April 1939.
- <SPANISH CIVIL WAR IS OVER>
Why they lost:
1. Lack of effective central command
2. Political infighting
3. Insufficient arms +material
4. Lack of support.
5. Ineffective
6. Nationalist had lots of support
7. Nationalists took their advantage well, Republicans didn’t.
8. Nationalists were experienced – Republicans were not.

Aftermath and Significance of the war.

 July 1936 –April 1939  500,000 people died.
 There was severe damage to infrastructure
 Would take years to rebuild.

 Spanish Civil war likened as the “dress rehearsal” of WW2.

- Carpet-bombing, airpower etc...
 All used in WW2.
 First used in SCW.
 The west:
- War was a dispute between the forces of repression versus freedom.
 Working Class:

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 - War was about landed/industrial interests versus the workers + trade unionists.
- Struggle against expansionary communism and the particular brad of economic
+ proprietary authoritarianism.
 The war brought fascism to Frances borders:
- East + South
- Fascists access to Atlantic
 Franco then left the Germans + Italians
- Became declared enemies
- Enabled Franco’s regime to survive until 1970.