The Spanish Coup of 1936: Origins and Uprising
Conspiracy and Military Uprising
The military conspiracy was initiated following the victory of the Popular Front in the elections of February 1936. However, there had been other attempts before, such as the Sanjurjada (1932) and movements led by Generals Goded, Fanjul, and Franco (December 1935-February 1936).
The Plans of the Conspirators
The conspiracy also had civilian collaborators (Alfonsist and Carlist monarchists, fascists, etc.), who were expected to provide support. However, the coup of July 1936 was primarily organized by a series of discontented military leaders.
The chief strategist of the operation was General Emilio Mola, who was stationed in Pamplona, a city to which he had been assigned by the government precisely because he was suspected of plotting a coup. General Sanjurjo, meanwhile, was the person designated by the conspirators to head the military directory that would be created after the coup. However, he died in the early days of the uprising in a plane crash as he flew from Portugal, where he had been living, back to Spain. General Franco joined the conspiracy at the last minute after much persuasion.
The conspirators had not agreed on any other objective or planned a clear political alternative, except for establishing an authoritarian power to remove the legitimate government and suspend constitutional liberties. In addition, the rebels expected a swift victory lasting only hours or days, not a civil war lasting years. They imagined that the weak Republican institutions and Spanish society would not offer much resistance.
For its part, the government of the Second Republic, then headed by Casares Quiroga, failed to take adequate measures to prevent the brewing conflict. The civil war was, therefore, the consequence of a poorly executed military coup and a government too weak to tackle it.
The Coup of 1936
- The uprising began on July 17, 1936, in Morocco, where the largest and best-equipped Spanish army garrison was stationed. It consisted of about 50,000 men, including the legionaries (los legionarios), led by General Juan Yagüe, and indigenous troops, who had been involved in suppressing the revolution in Asturias in 1934. Franco, after controlling the situation in the Canary Islands, moved to Morocco and took command of the rebellion.
- Between July 18 and 19, Seville (under General Queipo de Llano) and Cadiz (essential for landing troops from Northern Africa) joined the uprising. Apart from the islands, two separate areas revolted: the areas off the Strait of Gibraltar and Galicia, Castilla y León, and Navarra. With the exception of Zaragoza and Seville, these were areas of low population and rural economy. Most of the army, especially officers, were on the side of the rebels. Only in Navarra, thanks to the Carlists, was there massive popular support for the coup.
- The area loyal to the government was split in two: the Cantabrian coast and the Basque Country (except Álava) on the one hand, and Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, Málaga, and Murcia on the other. The uprising failed in most large cities and industrial centers.
- Assault guards, some isolated military units and civil guards, and most of the fleet and naval aviation also remained loyal to the Republican government. The attitude of the UGT and the CNT in the places where they could obtain weapons was crucial to the success of the Republican forces. The support of the PNV for the Republican government in the Basque Country was inconclusive.