Spanish Civil War: Republican Collapse and Franco’s Rise
REPUBLICAN STATE COLLAPSE
Upon the uprising, Casares Quiroga resigned and was succeeded by Diego Martínez Barrio, who tried to negotiate an end to the insurrection. Finding it impossible, he resigned and was succeeded by José Giral, also a Republican.
Giral’s government was ready to defend the Republic, taking the first military action. The fundamental problem was the lack of an army. Many had risen, so the Army gave weapons to the party militias and dissolved the army, thinking that would undermine the rebels’ strength. In August, they announced the creation of volunteer battalions, led by former army officers, hoping to regularize the party militias.
In the summer and autumn of 1936, the state’s power suffered a near-total collapse. In some regions, committees and boards unified to form regional councils, among which were the Sovereign Council of Asturias, the Council of Aragon, and the Junta de Defensa de Madrid. These agencies represented the Popular Front forces, with increased prevalence of unions and workers’ parties. The political revolution partly originated from the lukewarm attitude of the republican authorities and their refusal to deliver arms to the people to fight the rebels.
One of the main problems that always beset the Republic was supplying both industrial staples and war material.
Largo Caballero Government
Republican opinion focused their hopes on Caballero, secretary-general of the UGT (the “Spanish Lenin”). He was supported by all the Republican forces and formed his new government in September 1936 with Republican members, Socialists, Basque and Catalan nationalists, and Communists. In November, four syndicalists even entered the government (including Federica Montseny). Because of this, the Statute of Autonomy for the Basque Country was addressed. The government also decided to move to Valencia, fearing the rebels would take Madrid, which was in the hands of a Board of Defense in which the Communists played a notable role.
One of their first acts was to legalize the seizure of peasant lands, together with the Government of Catalonia’s decree legalizing the collectives of industrial enterprises in Catalonia. Popular justice tribunals were also instituted to curb indiscriminate repression.
His project was to create a “great anti-fascist alliance” and rebuild the state’s power, eliminating boards and committees while recognizing the regional councils. Above all, he aimed to direct the war and create the Popular Army, unifying and militarizing the militia. In other words, to achieve victory in the war through revolution. He also aimed to convey an image of the Republic acceptable in the eyes of European democracies. Problems arose from the Communists and syndicalists, in addition to Largo Caballero’s personalism. The anarchists did not give up practicing their own policy, with an emphasis on collectivization, and were reluctant to integrate their militias into the regular army. Political indoctrination was commissioned to the “War Commissioners,” like the Soviet Red Army. The Communists proposed nationalizing basic industries and creating a war industry, opposed by the anarcho-syndicalists. The CNT ministers had to move to Barcelona to counter the collectivization.
The “May Events” in Barcelona undermined Largo Caballero’s government. Not all Republican forces agreed on making the revolution a military victory; the anarchists and the POUM’s Andreu Nin spoke of a revolutionary war. This highlighted the clash for power in Catalonia, where the CNT and POUM faced the Communists and Republicans of the Generalitat. Some defended collectivization, others nationalizations. There were murders of union leaders, and the fight was triggered when trying to dislodge the anarchists who had occupied the telephone building. The fighting ended with the anarchist defeat and a decree banning the POUM and the disappearance of Andreu Nin. Largo Caballero was very weak, relying solely on the support of the UGT. A fight broke out between the Communists and Largo Caballero, and the government lost its authority in matters of public policy.
THE GOVERNMENT OF NEGRÍN
In mid May 1937, came the crisis in government. The Communists insisted they would continue in government if Largo Caballero was directing military policy. The strength of the Communists was based on the great help that the USSR was providing arms and advice to political and military control over the political commissioners. Largo Caballero resigned and was replaced by Juan Negrin.
Negrin government commissioned the conduct of the war the socialist Indalecio Prieto. Were no longer trade unions (CNT and UGT), only political parties, especially communist, which led eventually Prieto output. Negrin government based its policy on the resistance to the death, but that it tried to seek a negotiated end to the war. Also wanted the Republic was recognized as the only legitimate power in Spain. To this end he proposed his famous Thirteen Points program, in providing for the continuity of the Republic, after a democratic election process, when to cease the armed struggle.
Franco did not accept the proposals of the republican government, but Negrin was hoping that in a few months, the international situation lead to world war, and get help against the fascists. However, their hopes were ended in September 1938 when it signed the Munich Pact, which Britain and France recognized the occupation of the Sudetenland to Hitler.
In 1938, after the defeat of Teruel, life began to become extremely difficult in the Republican territory. Lacking food and basic supplies, military setbacks were continuing and people were tired of war. Negrin stressed the need for armed resistance, hoping the European conflict was still expected. Thus was coined the slogan “Resistance is victory.”
Negrin’s new plan in late 1938 reduced their proposals to only three points out of foreign troops, no reprisals of the victors over the vanquished and the establishment of a democratic regime. But Franco “only accept an unconditional surrender.” Negrin desperately sought the mediation of the democratic powers, but the defeats of the Ebro and Catalonia, the recognition of Franco’s rule by France and the United Kingdom, Azaña resignation as president of the republic (which replaced Diego Martínez Barrio) and situation in the rear, accelerated demoralization. Only the Communists advocated the need to resist.
In these circumstances there was a coup by Colonel Casado, head of the Central Army, to the false rumors that Negrin left the communist government. Married and his supporters decided to give Franco the entire area was still in Republican hands. This accelerated the end of the republic and the triumph of Franco, with no time for the disposal of those who wanted to escape the Franco regime.
The rebel zone.
Political and social groups who had given their support to the military uprising were divided, and who had no common project that would provide policy coherence at the military rebellion. So they accepted the supremacy of the army, become the backbone of the new regime commune, always had political initiative and was responsible for organizing the new state emerged from the war. The initial idea was the traditional coup that would have days of fighting, but ended in a Civil War.
The military rebels in Burgos created a management which was called National Defense Council, composed of military (Mola, Franco, Queipo de Llano …) and headed by General oldest Cabanellas. Its mission was the government of the occupied territory and had no jurisdiction in military matters. The Board banned the activity of all political parties, suspended the constitution and ordered the suspension of the implementation of agrarian reform in the conquered territories, and returned to the red and yellow flag.
Sanjurjo, regarded as the head of the rebellion, died in plane crash on July 20, 1936, the uprising was without a leader, so it became necessary to choose a supreme leader of the uprising and Franco was becoming increasingly popular among general, especially help from the defenders of the Alcazar of Toledo and obtain recognition of Hitler and Mussolini. On September 30 in Salamanca, was elected as head of the uprising. On October 1936 a decree was issued appointing him “Head of the State Government” and General of the Spanish Army. Gone was the National Defense Council and established a Technical Board of the State, based in Burgos, divided into commanded by military commissions, but in which there were also civilians. The Generalissimo’s headquarters moved to Salamanca. Germany and Italy officially recognized the Franco government.
The political problems were exacerbated in the rebel zone in late 1936, when it seemed that the war was enough to extend the view of the failure to take Madrid. There was a powerful military commander, but no policy coherence. The insurgents who were strongly anti-liberal ideology, had banned all political parties that were part of the Popular Front, and all unions of classes, and had completed a tremendous repression of the faithful to the Republic that were in its territory. Only acted as political groups, the Spanish Falange, whose founder José Antonio Primero de Rivera, was shot by the Republicans after a trial in Alicante (November 1936) and the Traditionalist Communion (Carlist). CEDA is tolerated and other monarchist groups that were dismantled. In fact, the only descent group among the insurgents was fascist Spanish Falange, and that the rebels represented the old conservatism much Spanish, but they joined en masse the National Movement.
Given the need to organize a new political power unit, the rebels were inspired by the institutional model of Italian and German fascist states, which helped them both. Attended this one-party model, with full power head to create the “New State”. After the gun battle between factions da Falange in Salamanca in April 1937, Franco announced the Unification Decree that created by a single party, Traditionalist Spanish Falange de las JONS (also known as National Movement), ” unite “to Falangists and Carlist. Franco would be the Leader of the Party and Head of the State Government. This decree was prepared by Serrano Suner, Franco’s brother and firm contact with the Germans. It would take the uniform of blue shirts of the Falange and the red beret of the Carlist, the fascist-style salute as an emblem of New Spain, juice and the arrows of the Catholic Kings, and a hierarchy where a mixed military and civilian .
Some resistance of the Carlist or Falangists were silenced with exiles (Manuel Fal Conde, Carlist) or imprisonment (Manuel Hedilla Falange). The vast majority of conservatives and Catholics supported the rebellion and accept the authoritarian nature was adopting fascist Franco dictatorship.
It respected the important influence of the Church, published the following summer the Collective Pastoral of the Bishops in support of the rebels. In late 1936, the bishops described the civil war as a “religious crusade” and in July 1937 in a joint letter of the Spanish bishops to the bishops of the world has fully backed the rebel side and said the Church was a “victim innocent and helpless “in the civil war and the military uprising had prevented a Communist revolution.
The institutionalization of the new Francoist state was completed in January 1938 with the formation of the first Franco government ministers or cabinet formed after the demise of the Technical Board. In the person of Franco, Generalissimo, focused the leadership of state government. Since then became commonly called “Leader of Spain” and the new state began to legislate.
The various ministries were distributed among the various forces that rose up in arms: military Falangists Carlist monarchists, depending more than their loyalty to the leader than his competition, criteria to govern from now on all governments of Franco. The new government enacted the Central State Administration, which was attributed to the chief of the “supreme power to issue general rules of law”, which Franco meeting in his person the executive, legislative and judicial finally consolidated his personal power.
In the following months, Franco adopted a series of decrees reform abolished all the work of the Republic. Abolished the autonomous status of Catalonia and the vast country and imposed Castilian as the only official language.
In terms of industry, issued Decree 1937, the Protection and Promotion of National Industry, which is laid the foundations for an autocratic regime. The lack of economic resources was supplied by applying credits to German and Italian. Occupied lands were returned to their owners and created the National Wheat stocks to control and regulate prices.
Before the war ended, was issued one of its fundamental laws, the Labour Law (March 1938), inspired by the Charter of Italian Fascism lavoro, in the traditional church and some principles of the Falange. This legislation laid the foundation of the corporate organization of state and vertical trade unionism as a State organization that brought together employers and employees, respect for private property, called the power of national-syndicalist state to dictate wages and working standards, promoting economy and class unions ban. In addition, they were considered subversive acts strikes and collective claims. In this new single trade union structure, employers and workers themselves are framed in some unions, industries, the so-called vertical union, subject to the party (FET JONS) and tools to serve the state.
Laws favorable to the Church ended with the intent of secularization of the Republic, was declared Catholicism the official religion, repealed the laws of civil marriage and divorce, religious worship was established in education and the military. He was awarded the Church’s monopoly on primary and secondary education. Reimposed the compulsory teaching of religion and the crucifix back to school. Restored the Society of Jesus, the economic rewards of the clergy, the tax exemption of church property and religious festivals.
To achieve the ideological control suppressed the freedoms of assembly and association and by the Press Law and Printing April 1938 (in force until 1966) was introduced prior censorship and all media and cultural production are put government service.
The Franco regime was officially recognized by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy from the outset in 1938 did Portugal and the Vatican, and in 1939 the two European democratic powers, France and the UK.
Finally, the political Accountability Act of February 1939 empowered courts joint (formed by the army, the judiciary and representatives of the Falange) to impose penalties on persons linked to leftist parties since 1934.
Franco’s repression was much higher than that of the Republic, and not just last longer (well into the Franco regime), but by the systematic and organized it. Was exercised by the military itself or by the political authorities, without any legal guarantees. Hardcore massacres of civilians in Malaga, Seville and Badajoz. García Lorca was executed from a Lluís Companys, Julian Besterio and many others in many “walking” or “bags” and in the concentration camps. In the rear also carried out requetés militias and youth groups Falangists.