The Popular Front Government and the Onset of the Spanish Civil War
The Popular Front Government (February-July 1936)
The 1936 Elections and the Popular Front’s Victory
In the elections of February 16, 1936, the leftist coalition known as the Popular Front, consisting of Republicans, Socialists, and Communists, won with a 72% voter turnout. This coalition received support from CNT-FAI militants and garnered votes primarily in cities and rural areas with large estates. Their program, focused on reform rather than revolution, aimed to restore previous reform policies, grant amnesty to prisoners from the October Revolution, reinstate the Statute of Catalonia, and restore dismissed Republican Socialist municipalities. The Popular Front significantly reduced anti-clerical rhetoric.
The Right’s Response and Political Maneuvering
Despite forming alliances in several provinces, the right lacked the unity that had secured CEDA’s victory in 1933. While they received nearly as many votes as the Popular Front, their support was concentrated in rural areas. The major groups on the right were the CEDA and the National Bloc, led by the monarchist Calvo Sotelo. Gil Robles proposed declaring a state of war, but Franco deemed the timing premature.
Formation of the New Government and Political Divisions
The new government, again chaired by Azaña, was composed solely of Republicans. The PSOE was divided: Indalecio Prieto’s sector supported collaboration with Republicans, while Largo Caballero’s larger sector pursued a revolutionary strategy against the “bourgeois” government. This division prevented Socialist ministers from participating in the government.
Early Measures and Rising Tensions
One of the government’s first actions was restoring the Generalitat. Conspiring military figures were reassigned: Franco to the Canary Islands, Mola to Pamplona, and Goded to the Balearic Islands—a measure that would soon prove unwise. The government faced challenges responding to proletarian radicalism and deteriorating public order. Convents and churches were burned, street violence escalated, and right-wing members abandoned legal organizations for extremist movements. The Falange, with financial backing from Italian fascists, intensified its violent acts. Rumors of a coup fueled anti-militarism in the leftist press, further contributing to the climate of violence.
Political Complications and Growing Unrest
In May, the situation worsened with the removal of Alcalá Zamora. Azaña’s promotion to the presidency diminished his executive capacity. The PSOE’s boycott of Prieto’s candidacy for head of government led to the appointment of the politically weak Casares Quiroga.
Revolutionary Agitation and Escalating Violence
During June and July, revolutionary agitation gripped both rural and urban areas. Peasants occupied land, and the Communist Party grew. The CNT organized strikes, met with employer lockouts. The Falange, under Primo de Rivera, employed a strategy of violent provocation, resulting in numerous murders and bombings. Clashes between unionists and Falangists became commonplace. Primo de Rivera was arrested, and the Falange outlawed.
The Assassinations and the Eve of War
On July 12, unknown gunmen (likely Falangists) assassinated Lieutenant Castillo of the Assault Guard. The following day, José Calvo Sotelo, leader of the parliamentary right, was murdered by law enforcement officers seeking to avenge Castillo’s death. Fear and anticipation gripped Spain as the military plot seemed poised to unfold.
The Conspiracy and the Outbreak of War
The conspiracy against the Popular Front government had been brewing. The Republic’s decision to relocate General Mola to Pamplona, intending to distance him from Madrid, proved a mistake. There, Mola gained the support of the Carlist requetés and became a leader of the conspiracy that had begun after the Popular Front’s victory. Franco and Goded also conspired from their respective posts. On July 17, 1936, the Melilla garrison revolted, declaring a state of war in Morocco and triggering the Spanish Civil War. Franco flew from the Canary Islands to Tetuan to command the “African” army. The uprising spread to the Peninsula, while the Casares Quiroga government remained inactive. Within days, the uprising’s failure in major Spanish cities led to open warfare between insurgent and loyalist forces, with Franco quickly assuming a decisive role.