Understanding the Spanish Civil War
Final Reflections
The Civil War was a tragedy for 20th-century Spanish society, much like the three Carlist Wars in the 19th century. The explanation of the Civil War is complex, with remote causes before 1930 and proximate causes during the Republican period.
Remote Causes
- Challenges in implementing the liberal revolution in Spain.
- The army’s attitude and mentality.
- Delay in the country’s ideological and economic modernization.
- Dominant international ideologies.
The radical opposition of two blocks in 19th-century liberal revolutions led to a secular form of warfare. The army frequently intervened in government appointments, and the Restoration period’s political system excluded significant sectors of the population. The vote was undermined by caciquismo, and emerging movements were marginalized and violently persecuted. These elements fueled social and political radicalization and military intervention.
The army’s coup practices over a century, shifting from liberalism to conservative positions, contributed to the 1936 military uprising. Franco justified the coup by the need to curb perceived disintegration and the fear of communism.
Spain’s limited modernization compared to other European nations hindered societal advancement. The Republic attempted reforms, but conservative forces violently opposed them. The Industrial Revolution arrived late and only affected Catalonia and the Basque Country. Spanish products had little presence in foreign markets.
The urban bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie, advocates of reformism, were weak against a divided labor movement (anarchists and socialists). The agrarian system’s unfair land distribution needed urgent reform, opposed by landowners. Social tension in the countryside and radicalization were key factors in the Civil War’s outbreak.
Delayed modernization was also evident in Spanish society’s illiteracy, the state’s weakness, lack of educational infrastructure, and the Church’s ideological dominance due to insufficient investment in public and secular schools.
Finally, the influence of Communism, Nazism, and Fascism in Europe aggravated the situation. The Soviet revolution inspired the working class and peasant aspirations, leading to radicalism and refusal to participate in democratic governance.
Proximate Causes
The international economic and social crisis of the 1930s coincided with the Republican period in Spain. European societies faced radical decisions to resolve social conflicts. The policy options were:
- Democratic reform (universal suffrage, mass parties, improved labor relations, public schools).
- Fascist reaction (aggressive nationalism, anti-liberalism, cult of the leader, single party).
- Communist revolution (USSR model).
The Spanish Republic struggled to channel social change through reform. It failed to solve issues like land reform, education, and the secular state. No political or social group guided the overall transformation. The right imitated Italian Fascists, undermining reforms. The radical left opposed governments labeled as bourgeois and opted for revolutionary ways.
When political solutions fail in a tense situation, violent conflict resolution arises. The generals’ will to initiate and continue the conflict triggered the disaster.
Consequences
The Civil War was more traumatic than the Carlist Wars. Citizens and families fought each other, leading to hatred and annihilation of opponents. The defeated were persecuted, causing widespread pain and bitterness.
Thousands of Republican fighters and families fled Spain. Many intellectuals, fighters, and artists went into exile, with Mexico becoming the political headquarters of the Republic in exile.
The cultural consequences were significant. The educational and cultural regeneration of the Silver Age was destroyed. Over 60% of teachers were executed or dismissed. Intellectuals and artists were killed or exiled (Machado, Alberti, Picasso, Lorca). Official culture regressed to clerical obscurantism, repression, and censorship.
The economic consequences were disastrous: loss of reserves, reduced active population, destruction of infrastructure, and a fall in income levels. Rationing and deprivation were common in the 1940s and 1950s.
Politically, the Civil War ended Spain’s modernizing and democratizing experience, leading to repression, lack of political freedom, and 20 years of international isolation. Spain remained without solving its problems of coexistence and political participation for all.