Spanish Civil War: A Comprehensive History
The Spanish Civil War
The Two Opposing Sides
The coup, initiated on the 17th, gradually spread. General Sanjurjo was regarded as the leader by the generals, but his leadership was symbolic. The real leader was General Mola, who was called “the director”. Franco gave him great strength, as he had the best troops under his command. The CEDA and the Phalanx helped the coup. Mola stated that the coup had to be accompanied by an extremely strong crackdown on those who opposed it. In case something went wrong, there were forces in Africa if the coup failed. The coup succeeded mainly in the northwest of Spain, the Balearic Islands (except Menorca), the Canary Islands, and the protectorate of Morocco. In the more industrialized areas of the country, the Republic won.
- Madrid: General Mola, seeing that he could not control his troops in the city, retreated to the mountain barracks, where he was bombed and shot.
- Barcelona: The struggle lasted for 3-4 days, and the city ultimately remained loyal to the Republic.
- Seville: The coup succeeded, led by General Queipo de Llano.
Whether a city was on one side or the other was influenced by two factors: the greater or lesser military skill of the rebels and the social environment in which the coup occurred.
In the hands of the rebels was a continuous band from Galicia to Aragon in Zaragoza, and some provincial capitals such as Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz, and Melilla, the Balearic Islands (without Menorca), the Canaries, and the protectorate of Morocco and the African colonies.
The rest of the territory was in the hands of the Republic. The coup had two enclaves surrounded by the Republican zone: the Alcazar of Toledo and the sanctuary of Santa Maria de la Cabeza.
Rebel Soldiers
A part of the Army and aviation supported the rebels. The Navy did not show much support. This side also had private militias, such as the Falange and the Carlist militia. Half of the staff of the Civil Guard joined.
Republican Staff
A part of the Army, a small part of aviation, and most of the Navy supported the Republic, but the Navy was largely ineffective.
From a Social Point of View
The coup succeeded in two types of locations:
- Those places where the garrison was very important, such as the Rif.
- Places where the social structure was more conservative.
Those who supported the coup were the most privileged social groups, while all the middle and working class were in favor of the Republic.
As the rebels were in the minority, they imposed themselves through terror and violence.
Within the Republic, three blocks differed:
- Poor-class ideology was very left-wing.
- Middle class.
- Intellectuals and artists.
Much of the population did not choose sides but were dragged down by geographical or political issues.
Two Interpretations of the Civil War
- The prologue of World War II because the sides facing each other were the same as in the Civil War.
- A war of social groups (rich vs. poor).
International Repercussions of the War
The war had an enormous impact internationally.
When war broke out, the major European powers were divided into three groups:
- Bloc.
- Block of right-wing dictatorships.
- Liberal democracies.
Dictators such as Hitler had conducted a policy of rearmament and, with the threat of war, gained many territories. While in Spain there was fighting with weapons, in Europe there was a struggle with propaganda.
Aid Received by Republicans
England and France received moral support. The USSR provided troops, weapons, and military training, but this support was very concerning because it had to be paid in cash and in advance. Stalin wanted to do business, test weapons, and bring Communist influence. The Republicans also received support from the International Brigades.
Aid Received by Rebels
Four countries assisted with troops and volunteers. Italy was the most generous, sending many volunteers grouped in the CTV, along with weapons and instructors. They wanted to test their weapons and expand their influence. Germany was not as generous but also helped by sending technologically advanced troops, which had to be paid at the time. The Condor Legion was the best aircraft at the time. Portugal provided logistical help and sent the Viriatos, who were volunteer troops. Morocco supported with the Regulars. Catholic volunteers from Ireland and Poland also helped.
The Republican Zone
The Republic disappeared and was replaced by a system of parties and unions. The left-wing parties and trade unions demanded that Casares Quiroga give them weapons to defend the Republic, but he refused and resigned. José Giral came to power and gave weapons, but the militants now had the power. These groups thought that all those who were middle class might belong to the other side and committed many abuses, compounded by common criminals taking advantage of the situation. These abuses lasted the first few weeks of the war. They realized that if they wanted to win the war, they had to establish a strong government to stop these abuses, take away the weapons from the militias, and form a military. Largo Caballero was the strongman who formed the government with Republicans, Socialists, Communists, and four Anarchist ministers.
Generalissimo
It became clear that the military would command, and they gathered at the National Defense Council chaired by General Cabanellas. In early September, Franco was appointed chief and granted the title of highest military commander (Generalissimo of the armies of land, sea, and air) and the top civil chief (head of the state government).
He was elected for his young age and because he was called the “Angel of Death”. The third reason was that he directed the two best armies of the time. Lastly, Hitler and Mussolini had already accepted him as a valid entity. Since Franco came to power, the Defense Council was dissolved and replaced by two bodies: the headquarters of the Generalissimo to deal with military matters and the technical board of the state to deal with civil matters.
Right-Wing Groups with Their Own Militia
The Carlists had their militia called the Requetés, the Falangists had the Phalanx, and the youth militia of mass action.
Franco realized that if these groups continued on their own, they could challenge his power. He promulgated a unification decree, merging all parties into a single party called FET de las JONS. Franco appointed himself as party leader, taking the title of leader of Spain. In March 1938, Franco promulgated the Labor Law, trying to create a sort of constitution for Franco’s Spain. It established a vertical official union that grouped workers and employers in the same sector within the same union.
Institutionalized Repression
If the repression in the Republican area was great, in the Francoist zone it was even higher. There are two differences:
- The number of deaths in the Francoist rearguard was much higher than in the Republican rearguard.
- Those killed on the Republican side were mostly by uncontrolled groups, while in the Francoist camp, they were authorities.
The Franco regime did not end with the war. To ensure that those who had been faithful to the Republic were punished, a law of political responsibilities was enacted, and mixed juries were used to further stiffen the punishment.
Military Operations
1936
As the best troops of the rebels were in the Rif, they had to get them to the peninsula. Although most of the naval fleet was in Republican hands, it was irrelevant, and the rebels managed to get the Regulars and the Legion to pass in the first weeks.
Within weeks, the Legion and the Regulars were able to control the area of western Andalusia and Extremadura and advance rapidly to Madrid because the Republican troops were very weak.
Instead of heading directly towards Madrid, Franco’s troops bypassed to the Alcazar of Toledo, where Colonel Moscardo was, to save it. This was a propaganda victory.
Following the release of the Alcazar of Toledo, Franco’s troops went to Madrid, where they met with the troops of General Mola. Madrid resisted rebel attacks.
1937
Italian troops occupied Malaga in an isolated operation. Franco attempted to enter Madrid by having his troops cross the Jarama River, where there was a battle that lasted almost a month, and the results were not clear. In April, the Italians, seeing that Franco had failed in Madrid, decided to surround it by moving to Guadalajara, but they also failed, and this was used for Republican propaganda. The response of the Republic when Franco began to occupy the northern part was to organize two counterattacks to distract the rebels, one in Brunete and one in Belchite. In the occupation of the north, the most resistance was in the area of Bilbao, where the bombing of Guernica took place. Another Republican counterattack managed to take the city of Teruel.
1938
Franco struck back in response to the conquest of Teruel, advancing to Vinaroz and dividing the Republican zone in two, and began to attack Valencia. Vicente Rojo ordered an attack with all available troops in his plan to cross the Ebro, to regain the initiative and save Valencia. They moved quickly, choosing a few days of storms so that Condor aviation could not fly, but when the sky cleared, Condor aviation crushed the Republicans. Here, there was a battle of attrition.
1939
Franco ordered the occupation of Catalonia to close international borders. This was expected to decompose the Republic, making the conquest much easier. Since mid-March, there had been a coup in the Republic that sought a military government to negotiate with Franco, but this coup failed, and a mini-civil war started within the Republic. On April 1, the war ended.
The Effects of War
It was a cruel war, largely due to the mass killings, which were higher in the Francoist area.
Another effect was the misery and poverty experienced by both sides and the deaths caused by bombings.
Factory workers were needed because the men went to war, so women came to work in industry.
There were large population movements in the Republican area for fear of Franco.