Key Stages of the Spanish Civil War: A Historical Analysis
2. Development of War
The Civil War can be divided into four stages:
- 1st: The War of Columns and the Battle of Madrid (August 1936 to March 1937) – With the failure of the military uprising, Spain was divided into two comparable areas. Major cities and industrial zones remained in the hands of the Republic, while more conservative lands were in the hands of the rebels. Due to international intervention, the Spanish Civil War became an international conflict, with military aid from the USSR to the Republic and financial and military aid from Germany and Italy to the rebels. At the beginning of the war, the main objective of the rebels was a rapid conquest of Madrid to consolidate the uprising. However, given the tough defense and Republican resistance, all attempts to take Madrid failed. The Republican victory in the Battle of Jarama and Guadalajara forced Franco to quit the fight in Madrid.
- 2nd: The Fall of the North (April to October 1937) – Following the failure in Madrid, Franco changed his strategy and directed his efforts against the northern industrial and mining areas under Republican control. The Republican North included Vizcaya, Santander, and Asturias, which was an area isolated from the rest of Republican Spain and politically fragmented. Also devoid of tanks, artillery, and air cover, the rebels quickly conquered these territories. This conquest had serious consequences for the Republic.
- 3rd: The Teruel Offensive and the Battle of Ebro (December 1937-November 1938) – After taking the North, Franco turned his attention to Madrid. Negrin’s government decided on the Teruel offensive in order to save the capital. Franco countered with a counteroffensive that resulted in the Battle of Teruel. The Republican defeat had disastrous results, leading to enormous losses in men and arms. Franco’s next target was to split Republican Spain, which he managed to isolate Catalonia. In July 1938, Negrin decided to unleash an offensive in the Ebro, leading to the Battle of the Ebro. This was a battle of attrition that exhausted the Republican army.
- 4th: The End of the War (December 1938-April 1939) – Franco’s offensive on Catalonia was the decisive blow against the Republic. In late 1938, Barcelona was occupied by Franco’s troops, and a few days later, Gerona fell. Another blow to the Republic was the recognition of Franco’s rule by Britain and France. In Madrid, Colonel Casado, along with socialist leaders of the CNT, Republican Union, and the Republican Left, revolted against the Negrin government (communist). After the defeat of the Communists, Madrid faced virtually no resistance to Franco’s offensive, leading to the occupation of the rest of the country. On April 1, Franco signed his last official part of the war, marking the end of the Civil War.
2.1 Developments in the Two Areas, the Consequences of War, and Incidents in Castilla-La Mancha
The Republican Spain – Between July and September 1936, the collapse of Republican power structures caused:
- Building an army regular.
- The organization of militias and the powers represented by the union of autonomous parties to address the military uprising at various local and provincial committees, which held real power.
- Restoration of public order and an end to uncontrolled violence.
- Repression and terror against all persons and institutions of the right.
- Rebuilding central government power and centralization of resources.
- The profound social revolution, whose best expressions were collectivist.
Between September 1936 and May 1937, the concentration government (parties and unions of the Popular Front), headed by Largo Caballero, implemented measures aimed at restoring central power. Their results were limited and fell after the May fighting in Barcelona between the government and the anarchists. From May 1937 until March 1939, Negrin’s government managed to restore political power to the center of the Republic, finally ending the Revolutionary era and creating a domestic war. However, these attempts failed to gain the support of democratic powers to force a negotiated peace, leading them to cling to extreme resistance in anticipation of the outbreak of war in Europe.
The Rebellious Side. In Spain, the national political line was the repeal of Republican reform efforts and systematic repression. There was a rapid unification of political and military control in the hands of Franco. A one-party state (National Movement) and vertical unions (National Union) were created, inspired by fascism and imbued with traditional Catholic values (national Catholicism). The Church legitimized the regime, and there was rigid ideological control.
Consequences of the Civil War.
- The Human Consequences: The dead at the front, repression during and after the war, hunger, and epidemics; exile and loss of the young population, leading to a consequent reduction in the birthrate.
- Economic Consequences: The physical destruction was substantial, especially in the transport sector, with the loss of machinery and industrial plants, a large number of houses, a sharp fall in industrial and agricultural production, and a ruined and indebted Treasury due to the costs of war.
- Cultural Implications: The exile of intellectuals and scientists who supported the Republic, the dismantling of the educational reforms of the Second Republic, and the establishment of strict censorship of all media of expression and communication.
The Civil War in Castile-La Mancha. The military uprising against the Republic had a special significance in the city of Toledo, where Colonel Jose Moscardo declared a state of war. Until September 1936, Franco and Varela entered Toledo and broke the Republican siege. Most of the current community remained faithful to the government of the Republic. During the first phase of the Battle of Jarama, the rebel troops used the Seseña population as the starting point for their advance south. In 1937, the Battle of Guadalajara and the fighting around Torrija, Trijueque, and Buchuega tested the efficiency of the new People’s Army of the Republic. In January 1939, the Republicans launched an offensive on the front of Extremadura.