Spanish Civil War: Origins, Divisions, and Global Repercussions
The Spanish Civil War: Origins and Global Impact
Coup to Civil War: The Uprising Begins
On June 17, 1936, Colonel Yagüe, commander of the Legion, took up arms against the Republic. The insurrection quickly spread to the rest of the Moroccan Protectorate. Between July 18 and 19, the majority of military garrisons in the rest of Spain joined the coup, along with civilian sectors and Carlist Falangists (Requetés). From Morocco, on July 18, General Franco went to the Peninsula leading the Army of Africa.
On June 19, the head of government, José Giral, decided to arm the militias of the unions and parties of the Popular Front. Part of the army and security forces remained loyal to the government, and it was possible to suppress the uprising in much of Spain. However, the uprising succeeded in virtually all of inland Spain, in Galicia, Andalusia, the Guadalquivir valley, and agricultural areas dominated by big property owners or very conservative smallholders. The uprising failed where workers and left-wing forces had greater influence. The evidence that the coup had not won outright, leading to the country’s division into two camps, was what initiated a bloody civil war.
Consolidation of the Warring Factions
The Nationalist camp consisted of military rebels, conservative right-wing monarchists, Catholics, traditionalist Falangists (Carlists), and all those who had opposed the reforms of the Republic. They defined themselves as “national” and their military officials, who were Catholic, stated their immediate intention was to “restore order” through a military dictatorship, allowing the rebuilding of civil power in the form of a monarchy or republic.
- Royalists and CEDA: Wanted a return to an Alfonsine monarchy.
- Falangists: Sought to impose a fascist regime.
- Carlists: Expected the establishment of a Carlist monarchy.
Those loyal to the Republic were made up of affiliates of the popular classes or were influenced by Socialist organizations, Communists, and syndicalists. They were defined as “Reds.” All of them defended the republican legitimacy and represented all social, political, and trade union forces that had supported the Republican reforms of the biennium and the leftist Popular Front.
Global Impact of the Spanish Conflict
Internationalization of the Civil War
The Spanish Civil War had a major international impact. The outbreak of the war in Spain was seen as a confrontation between democratic forces and fascist regimes. However, the Civil War was also an armed conflict between the old dominant groups in Spain from the Restoration era and emerging groups, including bourgeois and workers, who desired a democratic political system and a progressive social order. The dominant groups believed that the reforms threatened their privileges and abandoned the democratic path, opting for the coup.
The war in Spain “divided governments, media, public opinion, and intellectuals worldwide.”
- Pro-Republic: Labor parties around the world and the USSR.
- Pro-Nationalists: Conservative forces in democracies and fascist governments, who saw Franco’s rise as a way to slow the spread of communism. Traditional Catholicism was generally with the rebels, and the Papacy eventually supported Franco.
The rebels actively sought external support, sending agents to fascist countries to request military aid. The rulers of the democracies were extremely cautious, fearing that the conflict could spread across Europe. A Committee on Non-Intervention was established, with twenty-seven countries joining to support the policy of non-intervention. This policy was a huge injustice to the Republic and one of the causes of its defeat.
Foreign Intervention and Aid
The existence of the Non-Intervention Committee did not prevent the two sides from receiving external aid.
- Republican Side:
- Largo Caballero’s government sent the gold reserves of the Bank of Spain to the Soviet Union to pay for weapons purchased from that country.
- The International Brigades provided significant help in terms of troops. These brigades played an important role in the defense of Madrid and in various battlefields. Most volunteers had progressive or left-wing ideologies.
- Nationalist Side:
- The rebels were most favored by foreign aid.
- German and Italian aid was the most important in terms of weapons.
- Germany sent the Legion Condor (an air force unit).
- Italian support consisted of sending the Corpo Truppe Volontarie and providing arms.