Spanish Civil War: Political, International Impact & Aftermath
The Spanish Civil War: Political and International Dimensions
The Spanish Civil War began with a military uprising aimed at overthrowing the Republic. What was intended as a coup quickly escalated into a conflict lasting almost three years. Historians have proposed two different approaches:
- Posing the Civil War as a conflict of marginal secondary interest for the great powers of the time.
- Considering it a prologue to the Second World War, where leading ideologies of the time—Fascism, Communism, and democracy—clashed.
Foreign Intervention
Foreign intervention was very important in the development of the war in Spain. The Republic tried to appeal to the League of Nations against Italy and Germany for their direct involvement in the war, but it took over a year from the start of the conflict to adopt a resolution, which ultimately was not implemented. This led to the creation of the Non-Intervention Committee, headquartered in London.
Aid to the Rebels
The countries that directly aided the military rebels were fascist regimes or those with similar ideologies.
- Germany: Offered decisive military assistance early on to support the insurgents, both for strategic reasons and to prove the effectiveness of their war machine. They provided communications equipment, aircraft, tanks, and financial support.
- Italy: Provided vital assistance in terms of manpower and economic value. Mussolini’s help was immediate, with the signing of a treaty of friendship and recognition with the government of Burgos.
- Portugal: Made a minor contribution but also sent volunteers (the Viriato) and ceded territory for military operations and the introduction of weapons.
Aid to the Republic
As a legitimate democracy, the Republic should have been able to count on the aid of Western democracies. However, the only countries that decisively supported it were the Soviet Union and Mexico.
- Soviet Union: Began its support in October 1936 and remained constant throughout the war, providing men and material contributions, planes, combat vehicles, and technical and logistical assistance. Their advance payment requirement forced the Republic to send the gold reserves of the Bank of Spain to the USSR.
- Mexico: Supported the Republic from the beginning. President Lázaro Cárdenas ordered the deployment of munitions and rifles from his own army.
- The International Brigades: Were formed by volunteer troops, mostly men of the left (anarchists, socialists, communists, etc.) from the United States, Canada, France, Britain, etc. Their major contribution was focused on the defense of Madrid and Guadalajara. In 1938, the Brigades left Spain to facilitate peace negotiations with Franco.
Consequences of War
Like all wars, the Spanish Civil War exacted a high price in human and material costs.
- Economic Costs: The farming industry declined, and many houses were destroyed.
- Demographic Costs: The number of deaths exceeded 300,000 between the front and rear. Some chose exile; around half a million Spaniards left the country to escape repression. The demographic consequences were evident in the fall of birth rates.
- Moral Costs: The war fractured Spanish society, making post-war reconciliation between victors and vanquished difficult.
- Political Costs: The immediate political consequence of the war was the establishment of a military dictatorship under Franco that lasted nearly forty years. Spain remained isolated from Western democracies after the Second World War.