Understanding the Spanish Civil War: Key Players and Turning Points
Key Figures and Events of the Spanish Civil War
Durruti: Along with Juan Garcia Oliver, Durruti was a leader of the 1927 FAI, opting for the insurrectional line. Their anarchism opposed the tactics of the UGT.
Esquerra Republicana (ERC): Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia) is a political party founded in Barcelona in 1931. It adheres to Catalan separatist ideology, originally federalist but later advocating for the independence of Catalan territories.
Núria Statute
The Núria Statute was a draft prepared by the Generalitat and put to a plebiscite of Catalan citizens on August 2, 1931. With a 75% turnout, the proposed regulations obtained 90% approval. The project was discussed in Parliament, but the failed coup d’état in May 1932, led by General Sanjurjo, accelerated the discussion and approval of the project on September 9, 1932.
Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola was in charge of planning the coup, with General Sanjurjo as its leader (in exile in Portugal). Casares Azaña placed Mola in Pamplona, putting him in touch with the Carlists.
Ejército Popular (People’s Army)
The initial Republican Army was based on a people in arms, lacking controls and proving inefficient. Eventually, the Popular Army created mixed brigades, though anarchists largely did not participate.
FE (Falange Española)
Falange Española (Spanish Phalanx) was a Spanish political party founded on October 29, 1933, by José Antonio Primo de Rivera. It subsequently merged with the National Offensive Boards of the Syndicalist (JONS), which advocated for the economic disposal of the bourgeoisie and criticized the anticlerical laws of the Republic. This fusion was renamed Falange Española de las JONS. Its ideology is national syndicalism, based on an interpretation of revolutionary syndicalism with elements of Catholicism. It aimed for a target drive in the universal as an expression of community interests and brotherhood with Latin American nations.
Police Assault (Guardias de Asalto)
The Spanish police force, Guardias de Asalto, was created on January 30, 1932, by the Republican authorities. It was militarily organized into platoons and companies, deployed in Spanish cities. Its function was to maintain public order, especially during disturbances. It maintained public order, a function previously exclusively handled by the Civil Guard. The Guardias de Asalto were under the direct command of the Prime Minister’s Interior Ministry.
Gil-Robles
GIL-ROBLES: Leader of CEDA, supporter of establishing a liberal corporatism and an authoritarian regime within which the political and economic power of the Church could be restored. He also aimed to paralyze land reform and labor and social reforms, advocating for the first Catholic doctrine to resolve the conflict for workers.
Goded
Goded: A Spanish military figure who rose to the rank of general through merit during the war in Morocco (1924-1927). He participated in the Alhucemas landing and served as Chief of Staff under Sanjurjo. Although he initially supported Primo de Rivera’s rise to power, he later opposed him, leading to his trial for betrayal and imprisonment. Upon the establishment of the Republic, he was released and appointed Chief of the General Staff. In 1934, during Franco’s repression of the Asturias revolt, the radical CEDA government appointed him Director General of Aeronautics of the III Inspection of the Army. With the Popular Front in power, he again plotted against the government, leading to his removal from the capital and appointment as Commandant General of the Balearic Islands.
War of Attrition
War of Attrition: A conflict that developed between 1936 and 1937, characterized by stabilized fronts, increased foreign intervention, and the creation of a popular Republican army belonging to the Republican government.
War Columns
War Columns: In 1936, the conflict involved various military columns from both sides, including both Nationalists and Republicans.