Key Figures and Events of the Spanish Second Republic and Civil War
Key Figures of the Spanish Second Republic and Civil War
Manuel Azaña
A representative of the bourgeois left, Manuel Azaña founded the Action Party and was Minister of War in the provisional government of the Republic, ensuring military loyalty to the new regime. As head of government, he formed a cabinet with the Socialists. He merged his party with others to create the Republican axis of the Popular Front. In 1936, he became President of the government. He went into exile at the end of the Civil War.
Niceto Alcalá-Zamora
A member of the monarchist Liberal Party, Niceto Alcalá-Zamora was Minister of Public Works and War with Prieto. He was elected President of the Republic while holding the presidency of the government. He led the reforms of the 1931-33 Biennium.
Lluís Companys
A Catalan politician, Lluís Companys founded Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and the Catalan Penitentiary. He confronted the national government, declared a Catalan state, and was imprisoned. The Popular Front’s victory brought him to the Generalitat, where he remained until the end of the Civil War. He was exiled in France, arrested by the Germans, and shot in Spain.
Land Reform
Land reform was part of the Reformist Biennium’s reforms of 1931-33. It aimed to redistribute land ownership to satisfy the demands of landless laborers. However, it was not applied simultaneously throughout the country, greatly angering landowners, especially in Castilla.
Sanjurjada
The Sanjurjada was a military conspiracy that began in March 1931, promoted by military officers nostalgic for Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship. General Sanjurjo, one of those affected by the reforms, led a coup d’état. The coup only succeeded in Seville. He was arrested and sentenced to death but served his sentence and went into exile. This crisis occurred during Azaña’s government.
Colonel Casado
At the end of the war, Colonel Casado betrayed the Republican government and staged a coup in Madrid. He had established contacts and negotiations with Franco. However, politicians and CNT leaders in Madrid also participated in the operation, as did Besteiro. As a result, Negrín and the PCE leaders had to flee, as their supporters were shot by Casado’s coup forces.
Autonomy Statute
The Autonomy Statute belongs to the reforms of the Reformist Biennium. The problem of peripheral nationalism arose when Macià proclaimed the Catalan Republic within a Federal Iberian state. However, he had to accept the government’s link to Madrid and abide by the constitution in exchange for obtaining an autonomous government for Catalonia.
Emilio Mola
A Spanish military officer, Emilio Mola was the strategist behind the 1936 uprising, which, after its failure, led to the Civil War. The city of Pamplona had been designated for the coup due to suspicions. The military conspiracy began as a consequence of the Popular Front’s victory.
Juan Negrín
Between 1937 and 1939, Juan Negrín led a ministerial team and was Prime Minister until the end of the war. He carried out the construction and normalization of the army and industry. He boosted the Republican offensive in the Battle of the Ebro, announced the withdrawal of the International Brigades, and tried to prolong resistance.
Largo Caballero
A Spanish politician and trade unionist, Largo Caballero was Secretary-General of the UGT and a member of the PSOE. He was Minister of Labor under Azaña. He led the radical sectors of socialism and was Chairman of the Government. Called the “Spanish Lenin,” he went into exile after the war.
Ramón Serrano Suñer
Between 1938 and 1942, Ramón Serrano Suñer was the most representative figure of the Francoist regime. He was Interior Minister in Franco’s first government. This *realpolitik* figure was responsible for designing a state based on national syndicalism. Although Spain was not involved in World War II, the Francoist government collaborated in the invasion of the Soviet Union through the Blue Division.