Spanish Civil War: Phase 1A Military and Political Analysis
Phase 1A: (July 1936 – September 1936)
This phase is characterized by the dispersion of powers. Within the Republican faction, there is a subgroup with a set of criteria, but ultimately a dispersion of power.
Military Operations
Nationalist Forces:
- Battle of Lvun: Aimed to isolate the north of France.
- Battle/Campaign Bangkok: To unite two Nationalist areas.
- Granada-Cordoba Battle: To link two isolated cities.
All of these operations were successful, resulting in a link between Cordoba and Granada, and the Extremadura area, a very important territory because it linked the two sides.
Republican Forces:
- Palma de Mallorca and Aragon: The attempt to conquer Palma de Mallorca failed, and while Aragon saw some gains, there was no significant conclusion.
Despite the Republicans having more land, capital, and military resources, they did not succeed in their battles. This was because power was fragmented among Republican militias and due to a lack of trust from Republicans towards the military. Not all militias acted together.
Republican Rear
Political Level:
Fragmentation of central power: The Government of the Republic did not have full command due to divisions among militias. Parties and unions benefited, with each militia ruling its area (anarchists (CNT), communists, socialists, Trotskyists, Basque and Catalan nationalists). Each site was controlled, and ideological models were applied differently, with everyone pursuing their project in the area they controlled.
Economic Front:
The Republican zone’s economy was dismantled. In some places, collective farms (collectivizations) occurred, while in others, nationalization took place. This led to a dismantled and disadvantaged economy, causing shortages of essential items, including food, in the Republican area, leading to hunger.
Social Level:
There was repression of perceived enemies based on suspicion or actions. These repressions were largely carried out by chekas, which were popular courts, leading to trials, pressures, runs, etc. They prosecuted any suspected enemy, kidnapped people, and assassinated them (paseos). Approximately 8,000 people died in Catalonia, of whom 4,000 were religious figures.
Nationalist Rear
Political Level:
The army constituted the sole power, along with the Falange. Other parties were excluded. The army was under the Board’s decision, along with the National Defense Board (Defensa Nacional) with Mola and Sanjurjo, where Mola offered him the power that would be the sole authority, but he died. Given the lack of these gentlemen, these five ladies became leaders.
Economic Front:
Production and marketing were under the control of the army, with planning for needs and food rationing. There was no shortage of food in the Nationalist area.
Social Level:
Repression was articulated around the army and the Falange. The army was composed of soldiers, trade unionists, and politicians. The Falange also carried out paseos.
International Intervention
The Nationalists were supported by Mussolini’s Italy, which collaborated by providing transport planes for non-combatants. The Republicans requested support from European countries, but they received none and were left to fend for themselves. In Catalonia, a major military group was the anarchists.
Companys was the President and established the Committee of Antifascist Militias (a government pretending to be a concentration where groups against the Nationalists should be, where the anarchists entered). The price paid to gain the anarchists’ collaboration was the Decree on Collectivizations, which decreed the collectivization of companies with over 25 employees, making the workers the owners. This was done to earn the anarchists’ support and create this government of concentration.