Civil War Origins and Uprising: 1936 Spain
Origins of the Spanish Civil War: 1936
The origins of the Spanish Civil War can be traced to the deteriorating living conditions that followed the electoral victory of the Popular Front. The spring of 1936 was marked by clashes between right-wing organizations and leftist groups, who engaged in open struggle in the streets and universities. These confrontations, often involving militias and the Falange, created an escalation of violence that the government was unable to control.
The unrest also reached Parliament, as evidenced by the debate on June 16th, where Gil Robles accused the government of being solely responsible for public disorder. In the same debate, Calvo Sotelo hinted at the possibility of a military coup. By then, the conspiracy leading to the coup was already underway.
The hostile relationship between some military leaders and the Republic had begun after the October Revolution and intensified after the Popular Front’s victory in the February 1936 elections. Large sections of the right believed that only a military coup could prevent an impending socialist revolution.
Key political leaders (Gil Robles, Calvo Sotelo, Fal Conde, and Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera), representatives of the economic oligarchy (Juan March), and anti-republican generals (Mola, Varela, Goded, Fanjul, Saliquet, Sanjurjo, and Franco, among others) initiated contacts to prepare the coup, under the leadership of Mola, who was stationed in Pamplona.
The military coup was precipitated by the assassination of Lieutenant Castillo on July 12th, which was followed by the kidnapping and murder of José Calvo Sotelo, leader of the National Bloc. This event seems to have ultimately convinced Franco, who had been hesitant, to participate in the uprising. Franco’s participation was key in Mola’s plans. Amid rumors of the coup, the head of government, Casares Quiroga, remained inactive, and maintained this attitude when the rebellion occurred in Morocco on the afternoon of July 17th.
The Uprising: July 17-19, 1936
The uprising began on the evening of July 17th in Melilla and Ceuta, quickly spreading to Tetuán. That night, Franco flew from the Canary Islands and, after a stop in Casablanca, arrived in Tetuán on the 19th to lead the Army of Africa.
On the morning of the 18th, Queipo de Llano joined the coup in Seville. Throughout the day, the coup succeeded in almost every capital of Castile, some cities of Galicia, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, Caceres, and the Canary Islands. In the Balearic Islands, on the afternoon of the 18th, Azaña resigned, and Casares Quiroga made one last attempt at reconciliation by ordering Martinez Barrio to form a government. This government tried to negotiate a deal with Mola, but he refused.
That night, the PSOE and PCE called for the mobilization of all their members. In Pamplona, Mola waited until the morning of the 19th to declare himself. During that day, other cities came under the control of the rebels: La Coruña, Oviedo, Granada, Zaragoza, Huesca, and Teruel (the only provincial capitals). The coup failed in other important locations: most of Aragón, Asturias, Cantabria, Catalonia, Valencia, Vizcaya, and Guipuzcoa.
The most significant failures occurred in Madrid and Barcelona. In Barcelona, the CNT and workers took to the streets with weapons, besieging the rebels in the Telefónica building. In Madrid, on the morning of the 19th, the rebels, led by General Fanjul, took refuge in the Montaña barracks. That morning, José Giral formed a government and made the decision to deliver arms to the workers’ militias, who besieged and stormed the barracks until they were defeated. The same occurred with the other rebel headquarters in Getafe and Campamento.
In general, the success of the coup depended on three conditions: the rapid coordination of its protagonists, the resilience of popular forces, and the decision of governors and mayors to give weapons to the population.