Spanish Civil War: A Deep Dive into Causes and Key Events
The Spanish Civil War: Causes and Key Events
On July 17, 1936, General Franco, in Tetouan, delivered a manifesto urging the population to revolt against the government of the Republic. The government was unable to control the situation, and communists, anarchists, socialists, Basque and Catalan nationalists stormed barracks and seized Asturias, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Valencia. That area proved to be loyal to the Republic, while Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, Old Castile, the Canary Islands, and North Africa made up the Nationalist area.
International Involvement in the Uprising
The U.S., Britain, and France remained neutral. The Soviet Union strongly supported the Republican government, in exchange for the Communist Party controlling the Popular Front government. In exchange for this aid, the Russians took 2,000 tons of gold reserves from the Bank of Spain. The minister responsible was the socialist, Negrin. That amount was so high that, at the death of Stalin, it constituted a quarter of the Russian reserves. Moreover, the communist Soviet Union recruited worldwide and founded the International Brigades, which were used in the battles of Guadalajara and Madrid. Another country that supported the Republicans was Mexico, which sent them arms and food.
On the Nationalist side, Italy and Germany backed Franco. In Italy, Mussolini sent the *Corpo Truppe Volontarie* (CTV) to Spain. These were volunteers who came to fight against communists and were not very well prepared. Mussolini did this because he was afraid of the Soviets in the Mediterranean. Germany, for the same reasons as Italy, sent the Condor Legion, which had greater military readiness than the Italians.
Political Developments in the Republican Zone
Largo Caballero took over the government two months after the national uprising occurred. A heterogeneous government was formed, whose first steps were to distribute 4 million hectares among farmers, nationalize the railways, CAMPSA, and some banks, and grant the status of autonomy to the Basque Country.
The *Confederación Nacional del Trabajo* (CNT) and the *Federación Anarquista Ibérica* (FAI) began a process of expropriation and collectivization of farmland. In Catalonia, this affected 70% of enterprises, resulting in economic chaos.
Internal Strife
In the Republican zone, conflicts occurred between socialists and communists. In May 1937, a civil war broke out in Barcelona between the anarchists of the CNT-FAI and the Trotskyists of the *Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista* (POUM) on one side, and the *Partido Comunista de España* (PCE) on the other. In this confrontation, the POUM leader was assassinated.
Afterward, Negrin formed a government controlled by Communists. Collectives were banned, lands that had been occupied in the early months of the war were dissolved, and anarchism, along with Trotskyism, was decimated.
Political Developments in the Nationalist Area
In Nationalist Spain, the command became increasingly unified. This was made easier thanks to a serious accident in which General Mola was killed in a plane crash along with General Sanjurjo. Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, leader of the Spanish Falange, also died after being shot in prison in Alicante.
Given these circumstances, Generalissimo Franco was proclaimed, and soon after, leader and head of state. He was supported by the Church and the bourgeoisie.