Spanish Civil War: Key Campaigns and Aftermath
The Evolution of the Fronts: Campaigns Around Madrid
On the Nationalist side, Franco was chosen as chief military commander at a meeting in Salamanca (21 September 1936), and given the title Generalísimo. Franco won another victory on 27 September when his troops relieved the Alcázar in Toledo. This gave Madrid time to prepare a defense, and was a personal success for Franco. In the North of Madrid (Guadarrama and Somosierra) the troops of Mola were stopped. However, the Francoist troops reached Madrid in November. The Republican government was forced to move from Madrid to Valencia, leaving the defense of the city in charge of General Miaja. The Nationalists’ attack on the capital was repulsed in fierce fighting between 8 November and 23 November. The arrival of the International Brigades to help the Republic was a key factor in the successful resistance. Having failed to take the capital, Franco bombarded it from the air and besieged it.
The Northern Front (April-October 1937)
The target for Franco was the industrial and mining centers, mainly Bilbao. On 26 April, the Condor Legion (German air force) bombed the town of Guernica, killing two to three hundred people. Soon after (June), the Basque Country fell into the hands of the nationalists: they broke the so-called “iron belt” of Bilbao. In August, Santander and Asturias (after the fall of Gijon) were taken, too. The Republicans launched a double (and failed) counter-offensive:
- To the west of Madrid, focusing on Brunete
- Against Zaragoza: the Battle of Belchite
The Battle of the Ebro (1938)
In March 1938, Nationalists launched the Aragon Offensive, and by 14 April, they had cut Republican Spain into two parts. The Republicans tried to reconnect their territory: this was the Battle of Ebro. It was the longest and bloodiest battle of the war, taking place between July and November 1938. The results of the battle were disastrous for the Republic, with tens of thousands of dead and wounded.
The End of the War (1939)
Franco’s troops conquered Catalonia during the first two months of 1939 (Tarragona and Barcelona in January and Girona in February). Azaña resigned as President of the Republic, but Negrín (President of the Government) decided to keep fighting, supported by the Communists (and hoping for the outbreak of WW2). On 5 March 1939, the Republican army, led by Colonel Casado and the politician Julián Besteiro, rose against the prime minister Juan Negrín in order to negotiate peace. However, Franco only accepted an unconditional surrender. On 28 March, the Nationalists occupied Madrid, and by 31 March they controlled all the Spanish territory: the war was over.
International Involvement
Supports for the Rebels:
- Germany (Condor Legion, soldiers, weapons…), Italy (Aviazione Legionaria, Royal Italian Navy, weapons, vehicles…) and Portugal supported the Rebels.
- Volunteers from Ireland, Romania…
Supports for the Republicans:
- The Soviet Union (planes, tanks, artillery, soldiers…).
- The International Brigades (volunteers that came to Spain from more than 50 countries).
Repression After the War
After the end of the War, there were harsh reprisals against Franco’s enemies. A number of repressive laws were passed, like the Law of Political Responsibilities, the Law of Security of State (Ley de Seguridad del Estado), the Law for the Repression of the Masonry and Communism (Ley de Represión de la Masonería y el Comunismo). Thousands of Republicans were imprisoned, and some others (from 50,000 to 200,000) were executed. Many others were put to forced labor. Hundreds of thousands of Republicans exiled, among them many intellectuals and artists who had supported the Republic, such as Antonio Machado, Juan Ramon Jimenez, Rafael Alberti, Jorge Guillén, Pablo Picasso, and Luis Buñuel. Political parties and trade unions were forbidden, excepting the government party, Traditionalist Spanish Falange and Offensive of the Unions of the National-Syndicalist (Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista or FET de las JONS).