The Spanish Civil War: Republican Zone and Revolution
The Republican Area: The Contained Revolution
The Sinking Republican State
The Republican administration (José Giral) had to hastily arrange a military force capable of confronting the insurgents. They decided to deliver weapons to the militias of parties and trade unions, and dissolve the army. The police ordered the creation of battalions of volunteers, which had to be integrated into the militias. In the territory under Republican power, a popular structure emerged, based around trade unions and leftist parties. The power of the state suffered a collapse and was substituted by revolutionary organizations, such as councils, committees, and boards. (Highlights: The Sovereign Council of Asturias, the Regional Defence Council of Aragon, the Executive Committee of Valencia, or the Board of Defense of Madrid). It was important for the Central Committee of Antifascist Militias of Catalonia, created at the request of the CNT-FAI, to reach an understanding with the Catalan political parties and reconstruct the power of the Government.
The Outbreak of Social Revolution
In the territory that remained loyal to the Republic, the insurrection caused a revolutionary climate, and the population confronted the armed insurgents. The most significant aspect of the social revolution was the collectivization of much of the agricultural and industrial property. Some businessmen and industrialists fled or were arrested or assassinated, and workers took control of companies, managing them under a self-management regime. A series of decrees gave coverage to the confiscation of land and industries. Current accounts and bank deposits were also seized. In the field, large estates were expropriated and occupied (Aragon, Valencia, Andalusia, and La Mancha). In areas where anarchists were prevalent, land was totally collectivized. In the Republican zone, everything that had a relationship with the insurgents was targeted. The Church, the bourgeoisie, the landowners, and the wealthy classes were persecuted, and there were murders, executions, illegal arrests in Czechs (clandestine prisons), looting and burning of churches and convents, and requisitioning of goods and private property. Notably, José Antonio Primo de Rivera was killed (shot in Alicante).
A revolutionary “terror” was imposed, driven by the most radical sector of anarcho-syndicalism (CNT-FAI) and the POUM. The other forces were also in critical positions and demanded a strong state power to concentrate their efforts on winning the war.
The Government of Largo Caballero (September 1936 – May 1937)
On September 5, 1936, Largo Caballero created a government composed of Republicans, Socialists, the first Communists, and four Anarcho-syndicalists. The government decided to move to Valencia before the imminence of an attack on Madrid. Largo Caballero wanted a “great anti-fascist alliance”: putting an end to the power of elected boards and committees, directing the war by militarizing party militias, and creating the Popular Army.
Military failures had confronted the Republican forces. A sector formed by Republicans, Communists, and some Socialists was keen to put order in the rear, control collectivization, and rebuild a strong state. The POUM (anarchists and communists) insisted on the strengthening of revolutionary transformation. Problems erupted in Barcelona that weakened the government of Largo Caballero (May 1937). Clashes erupted when the government of Catalonia wanted to dislodge the anarchists from a building they had occupied, the Telefónica, from which they controlled communications. This led to a military confrontation between the CNT-POUM and the PSUC-ERC-UGT, who sided with the government, which reacted by sending forces to Catalonia. The conflict ended with 200 deaths, the defeat of the POUM and the anarchists, and a government crisis.
The Government of Negrín (May 1937 – March 1939)
The events of May strengthened the Communists, who demanded the dissolution of the POUM and the detention of its leaders, since they considered the group Trotskyist and enemies of the revolution. Largo Caballero refused, but the PSOE wanted to reach an agreement with the Communists. Largo Caballero resigned, and President Manuel Azaña commissioned the formation of a new government to the Socialist Juan Negrín. The POUM was declared illegal, and Andreu Nin, its main leader, was imprisoned and murdered by Soviet agents. The new government was formed by the Popular Front parties, but without the UGT and CNT, although they gave their support. Indalecio Prieto took over the Ministry of War. His political priority was the military effort; for this, he strengthened the central power, unified the management of the war, and integrated the militias into the Popular Army. He also dissolved the Council of Aragon, dominated by anarchists. The government moved again, this time to Barcelona, for refuge after the fall of the north. They tried a negotiated exit from the war, launching the Thirteen Points program, in which they proposed a cease-fire, the maintenance of the Republic, and the opening of a democratic election process. Franco did not accept, making it known that he would “only accept an unconditional surrender.” From March 1938, life was very difficult in the Republican territory. Food was missing, and war fatigue began to spread among the population. The Munich Agreement was a hard blow to the Republic since Great Britain and France submitted to Nazi expansion. Negrín insisted on the need for military resistance. The loss of Catalonia meant exile for the governments of the Republic, Catalonia, and the Basque Country. Great Britain recognized Franco’s government, and Manuel Azaña presented his resignation in Paris.