Spanish Civil War: The Popular Front and Military Revolt
The Popular Front (February 1936)
In late 1935, talks began between the left and Republicans to forge an electoral alliance. This alliance was reflected in the Popular Front of January 1936: an alliance of left Republicans with the PSOE and the PCE. The CNT stayed away but without recommending abstention in the elections of February 1936.
The election was held with great verbal violence but without major incident. The Popular Front won by getting a sufficient majority to govern with the program to continue reforms started in 1931 and paralyzed in 1933. Manuel Cortes Azaña was elected president, and Republicans formed a government without the presence of socialists and communists, who gave parliamentary support.
The months before July were a cycle of violence. The CNT and the government were overwhelmed from the left as Socialists and Communists demanded immediate reforms. The right, having lost hope of achieving power through voting, established conspiratorial contacts with the Spanish Military Union (EMU), a clandestine military organization, while monarchists found financial support in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Spanish fascist organizations (FE and JONS) and the Carlists launched a strategy of armed clashes with militias from the left to respond.
The most serious attacks occurred in July when a lieutenant of assault, Lieutenant Castillo, was killed by Falangists, while his teammates took revenge on the person of the right-wing MP Calvo Sotelo. The crime was not a state crime, as the Socialists and Communists (new leaders Ibamiri José Dolores Diaz and “The Passion”) were defenders of republican legality, but it was presented as such by the right.
On 17 July, General Mola revolted in Navarra, Franco in the Canary Islands and Africa, Sanjurjo from Lisbon, and Queipo de Llano in Seville. The rebellion failed in large cities and industrial regions (the Civil Guard remained loyal to the republic, general strike and workers’ militias), marking the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
Civil War (1936-1939)
The Military Revolt
Preparation of the Military Coup
The military’s attempts to end the monarchical republic took place soon after its establishment. The finding of General Sanjurjo in Seville (1932), the attempted coup involving right-wing politicians, failed. However, as a result of the Popular Front victory in 1936, coup plans accelerated. The conspiracy involved military personnel, monarchists alfonsinos, Carlist political Falangists cedistas launched preparations in which the army would be the protagonist: Sanjurjo lead the revolt from Lisbon, Franco in the Canary Islands in Morocco Yagüe, Mola in Navarre and Queipo in Llano in Seville. It was a general uprising.
The preparations for the military coup against the Republic were part of the increasing political tensions in Europe. In France, the Popular Front victory in the elections, the French right grouped around fascist organizations, Hitler in Germany, violates the 1919 peace treaties of Versailles, began rearming German territorial claims and demands in Czechoslovakia and Poland.
The Military Uprising
The uprising used as an excuse the murder of Deputy monarchist José Calvo Sotelo and began in July 1936 in Melilla. Between days 18 to 20, it was followed by a significant number of captain-generals in Spain. However, the coup was relatively successful in Morocco, Canary Islands, Western Andalusia with Seville, Galicia, Castilla-Leon, Navarra and Aragón Zaragoza part of the rest of the territory remained loyal to the republic: Madrid, Catalonia the Levant and the Cantabrian coast.
The failed military uprising in large cities and industrial areas was due to the action of militias armed by the left parties and trade unions and to the confusion and passivity of the government headed by Giral. Popular resistance against the military uprising and defense of the Republic transformed the coup into civil war.
The country was divided into two zones, the republican and the rebellious. The territory loyal to the Republic concentrated industry and most of the population, but the government ran out of instruments of defense or army or aviation, only the navy and the militias. The rebels retained elite units Moroccan army, the military organizational structure and a wealth of assistance in the form of men and war materials to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.