Spanish Civil War & Road to World War II: Key Events
The Spanish Civil War
Petitions for autonomy were a key factor leading to the conflict.
The rebels, who called themselves “nacionales,” received support from Germany and Italy, including approximately 200,000 soldiers and modern weaponry. The Republicans were aided by the Soviet Union. In 1936, General Franco became the leader of the nacionales. The areas under nacional control were organized according to fascist principles.
After three years of fighting, the rebels won the war, and the fascist model of organization was extended throughout the country.
The Basque Statute
During the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, nationalist movements re-emerged.
In 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, the Statute was approved for Araba, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa.
Jose Antonio Agirre was appointed as the first “lehendakari” (President of the Basque Country). This government formed its own army to fight against the rebels. However, in 1937, they were forced to capitulate, and the Basque Government went into exile. Biscay and Gipuzkoa were labeled traitor provinces because they had fought against Franco. The economic agreement was reinstated in 1976, after lasting throughout the dictatorship.
Countdown to the Second World War
In 1936, Hitler had banned all other political parties, imprisoned his opponents, and initiated the persecution of Jews.
- March 1936: Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by marching into the Rhineland.
- 1936: Germany formed the Anti-Comintern Pact against the Soviet Union.
- 1937: Hitler sent the Condor Legion to Spain to assist the rebels, bombing Durango and Gernika.
- 1938: Germany annexed Austria, proclaiming the Greater German Reich.
- European powers, worried about the rise of Communism and Stalin, initially viewed Hitler as a potential ally against Communist expansion.
- 1939: Hitler broke his promise and seized the rest of Czechoslovakia.
- 1939: Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, agreeing not to attack each other.
- The British and French, finally recognizing Hitler’s intentions, warned that an invasion of Poland would result in a declaration of war.
- Following Germany’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war, marking the beginning of World War II.
Characteristics of the Second World War
The Second World War was the largest and most destructive military conflict in history.
The two world wars had key differences:
- World War II was truly worldwide, with fighting taking place in the air, on land, and at sea.
- The use of fighter planes and bombers was crucial to the Allied victory.
- Technology had significantly advanced.
- Civilian populations were heavily affected, with longer occupations and strategic bombing campaigns by Germany and Britain aimed at undermining enemy morale.
- Espionage played a more significant role, allowing for the anticipation of enemy movements and tactics, often referred to as the ‘secret war’.
- The Holocaust resulted in the deaths of six million Jews due to Hitler’s racial ideologies.
- The total number of casualties was significantly higher than in the First World War, with an estimated 45 million more deaths.
- Different consequences:
- The USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- The Soviet Union recognized the power of nuclear weapons and sought to keep pace militarily.
- The end of the war led to the emergence of two superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union, resulting in the Cold War.
The Major Players
- Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan, with the Soviet Union initially aligned until Operation Barbarossa.
- Allied Powers: Britain and its Commonwealth, France, Norway, Belgium, and The Netherlands. After 1941, the USA and the Soviet Union joined the Allied forces.
- Some countries, such as Spain and Switzerland, remained neutral.