Spanish Civil War: A Concise Overview (1936-1939)
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
The Military Uprising
On July 17, 1936, a military uprising began in Melilla, quickly spreading to the Moroccan protectorate. On July 18 and 19, the coup expanded to mainland Spain and the islands, while Casares Quiroga’s government reacted slowly.
The coup succeeded in Galicia, Castile-Leon, Navarre (led by General Mola in Pamplona), Western Andalusia (led by Queipo de Llano in Seville), the Balearic Islands (except Menorca, with General Goded who then moved to Barcelona), and the Canary Islands (where General Franco, after securing victory, moved to Morocco to command the African army). Isolated successes also occurred in Oviedo, Granada, and Zaragoza.
The coup failed in Asturias, Cantabria, and partially in the Basque Country (where the PNV ultimately collaborated with the Republic), Catalonia, Levante, Madrid, Castile-La Mancha, Murcia, and Eastern Andalusia.
Notable failures occurred in Madrid, where the new president Giral armed workers’ militias, and in Barcelona, where CNT workers collaborated with the Civil Guard and Assault Guards to thwart the uprising.
Generally, except for Navarre and Castile-Leon, the uprising lacked popular support and relied on the military. Factors such as hesitations or the determination of the rebels and authorities responsible for suppressing the coup, the capacity of worker mobilization, and the role of the Civil Guard were key in determining the coup’s outcome in each area.
Division of Spain and the Start of the War
The coup’s failure divided Spain into two zones:
- Nationalist Zone: Controlled cereal reserves and livestock in Castile and Galicia, León’s coal mines, and the Riotinto mines in Huelva. Crucially, they possessed a better-prepared army with whole divisions in Castile, Galicia, and Andalusia, in addition to the African Army, the Legion, and the Regulars.
- Republican Zone: Held the industrial regions, La Mancha’s wheat, and Levante’s produce. They also possessed the Bank of Spain’s gold reserves. However, their army was largely disintegrated, with most officers joining the uprising, leading the government to dissolve units whose loyalty was questionable.
Development of the Civil War
Political Decomposition and Repression
The coup and the war’s outbreak shattered the Republican state’s structures.
- Nationalist side: Power concentrated in a military group that, following Mola’s proposals, established an authoritarian, militarized state.
- Republican side: The government lost control, with real power residing in worker committees organized by parties and unions lacking centralized authority.
Widespread repression occurred on both sides, with frequent executions and assassinations. Nationalist repression targeted militant workers and peasants, though intellectuals like Federico García Lorca also became victims. The repression was organized and controlled by military authorities, though some Falangist factions committed excesses. Republican violence targeted priests and the wealthy. José Antonio Primo de Rivera, imprisoned in Alicante, was tried and executed. After initial chaos and excesses, the government regained control, reducing the repression.
Nationalist Advance
A key factor in the Nationalist victory was the German and Italian-organized airlift, enabling the rapid transfer of the African army to the Peninsula.
The Legion and Regulars, superior to the poorly organized workers’ militias, advanced rapidly toward Madrid. General Yagüe diverted them to Badajoz, where brutal repression ensued. The troops continued toward Madrid but were diverted again to relieve the Alcázar of Toledo, besieged by Republicans. Simultaneously, Mola captured Irun and San Sebastian, isolating the Basque Country from the French border.
The Battle of Madrid
In October 1936, Nationalist forces under Varela reached the outskirts of Madrid. Fierce fighting ensued, and the city seemed poised to fall, but workers’ unions rallied citizens with the slogan: “No pasarán!” (They shall not pass!). Morale rose with the arrival of the International Brigades, Russian tanks and planes, and anarchist Durruti’s column.
The city endured bombardments and intense fighting in Casa de Campo, University City, and at the French Bridge. Republican troops resisted, and Franco abandoned the direct assault on the capital.