SPANISH CIVIL WAR1936
Ms LeslieHistory 12
BACK GROUND Spain in Decline for 100’s of years Mostly ruled by landowners, the army
and the Catholic Church Opposition comes from Land Hungry
peasants, Workers and Nationalists in Catalonia and Basque
1921 – Try to put down revolt in Spanish Morocco – failed
1923 – General Primo de Rivera takes power from King Alfonso XIII
1931 – elections bring victory to republicans and King Alfonso abdicates
Alfonzo
POLITICS Cortes (parliament) is Center-Left Separation of church and state Army officers forced in to retirement Industrial wages increased
Anarchists and Syndicates want to over throw capitalist system - riots and strikes
1933 government guards torch villages to smoke out the anarchists
Public opinion is changed as a result Nov 1933 Right wing government
elected Reforms of last government reversed
1934 – terrorist attacks – general strikes Right fears communist revolutions Government brutally puts down the
revolts with army unites led by General Francisco Franco
1936 February – Popular Front Government elected in Right wing leader in custody is murdered
CIVIL WAR – Nationalists vs Republicans Republicans = current government, socialists,
Communists, Stalin supported, International Brigades.
Nationalists = The church, the Army and the Falange (Spain’s Fascist group)Franco, Right wing, well trained, Hitler and Mussolini supported
Barricades
American Sniper Casualty
Displaced Children
Franco Used the Falange Party
to get the upper hand Is not considered a
fascist until he is in power
War of attrition rages for 3 years Nationalists have most ground Guernica – April 26, 1937 Nationalists win when they take the
Capital in 1939
Geurnica flattened
WORLD’S REACTION France initially sent help But with drew shortly afterwards because of
pressure from Britain France did not want European countries to
intervene – Isolationism
500,000 – 1 million died in war; not counting those who starved or died of disease.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-video/558032/18883/Spanish-Republicans-abandoned-by-the-democracies-and-relying-on-aid
Impact of European Affairs Hitler learned that Democracies won’t stand up to
ring wing aggression. Stalin learned he could not trust the UK and
France would help him if Germany attacked. Britain started to re-arm