Spanish Civil War: A Deep Dive into the 1936-1939 Conflict
Item 16 – Civil War (1936-1939)
Introduction
The Civil War was the result of political radicalization during the Second Republic and the ideological confrontation that arose in Europe by the rise of fascism. This war began as a coup by a section of the army against the Republic that failed but was not crushed. This fact and the international influence helped turn it into a long three-year Civil War. Franco, in turn, raised it as a war of attrition and annihilation of the political enemy and, in the
Read MoreEconomic Fluctuations and the Rise of Protectionism in the 19th Century
The **Great Depression** and a Return to Protectionism
Another consequence of international economic integration was the synchronization of price movements. In the preindustrial economy, price fluctuations were due to local issues affecting crops. However, with increasing industrialization and the international market, fluctuations began to relate more to the state of trade and fluctuations in demand. These became cyclical, spreading from country to country through trade channels.
The complex interactions
Read MoreFranco’s Regime: Power, Laws, and State Structure
Concentration of Power Under Franco
General Mola, the main organizer of the 1936 rebellion, initially aimed to establish a temporary military dictatorship. However, Franco created a new state as a “regenerator of Spain,” rejecting liberalism, liberal democracy, communism, and any separatist tendencies. His regime was based on Catholicism and was supported by the military, the Church, the Civil Guard, the Spanish Falange, landowners, and large business owners.
Franco’s rule began on September 29, 1936,
Read MoreFranco’s Regime: Falange, Church, and Authoritarian State
**The Falange and National Syndicalism**
After the war, Franco’s Falange provided elements of its ideology and its external image. Liberal, Marxist, and anti-democratic, **national syndicalism** advocated by the Falange was a totalitarian system based on the theories of Italian fascism regarding the organization of the corporate state. It was controlled by a single party and a union that would overcome the conflict between social classes, promoting feelings of national solidarity.
The **Falange**
Read MoreWorld War I: Causes, Consequences, and Interwar Period
Consequences of World War I
Between 1914 and 1919, a terrible war broke out among the European powers. This war became global when the colonies first participated, and other extra-European powers like the U.S. and Japan entered. The First World War was seen by its contemporaries as the most terrible war in memory, so they called it “The Great War.” It was an enormous phenomenon that resulted in the deaths of 11 million Europeans. After 45 years of peace, this war was especially terrible because no
Read MoreThe Second Spanish Republic: Rise and Fall of the Rightist Biennium
Introduction
Preliminary considerations: The arrival of the Republic in 1931 surprised the Spanish right, who had no ability to oppose the Republican way, which facilitated the reform policy of the Provisional Government. These reforms left many sectors discontented, which facilitated the right’s opportunity to reorganize and stand for election in 1933. From here: The Rightist Biennium.
Ideological Polarization
Azaña’s reformist politics, which tried to fix almost everything, ended up bringing disaffection
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