The Spanish Civil War is one of the most tragic pages in the history of this state. And the prerequisites for it were formed at the beginning of the 20th century. The Spanish monarchy was in serious crisis. Traditionally, the rigid division of the population into classes gave rise to mutual enmity and hatred in society. The clergy, called upon to play a reconciling role, aroused the distrust of the lower strata. The peasants suffered from a shortage of land, the situation with the workers was no better - lawlessness, oppression, beggarly wages.
The semi-feudal state was also torn apart by national contradictions - Basques, Catalans, Galicians - demanded autonomy. The army was actually independent from the authorities - its officers constituted a special "caste", and although it received a crushing defeat in hostilities with Morocco due to the commitment of its leadership to conservative strategy and outdated weapons, the generals dreamed of taking power in the country into their own hands ...
All this required urgent reform, but King Alfonso III of Bourbon, who ruled from May 17, 1886 to April 14, 1931, resolutely rejected attempts at social reform, resorting to the army and the National Guard if necessary.
Military coup
In 1923, despite the measures taken to strengthen law and order, a military coup took place. General Miguel Primo de Rivera took power into his own hands, dismissing the government and parliament, abolishing existing political parties, and introducing a dictatorship. The king's direct involvement in this was not proven, but, most likely, de Rivera acted with his full consent.
The general's beginnings in the economic sphere were very successful - he relied on the practical experience of the Italian fascists, starting modernization in all areas. The economy grew, and the well-being of society also grew. But insurmountable circumstances stood in his way - a global crisis began, which brought to naught all de Rivera's good undertakings. On January 28, 1930, the nobility and the king forced the general to leave the political life of the country. He emigrated to France, where he soon died. A year and a half later, in the spring of 1931, the monarchy in Spain fell.
In the April 1931 municipal elections, the opposition was victorious. This was mainly in large settlements; in the countryside, the population still remained loyal to the king. But they got the majority. Demonstrations and unrest began throughout the country, which literally "demolished" the monarchy. The fate of Alphonse after the overthrow was relatively successful. Unlike other monarchs who lost their power in coups, and with it his life, he went into exile without even abdicating the throne. However, he signed a manifesto in which, admitting his shortcomings and mistakes, he refused to restore the monarchy by military means.
Parliamentary elections in Spain
Meanwhile, Spain was preparing to change the socio-political system. In the summer of the same year, parliamentary elections were held, which were won by socialists and left-leaning liberals. And already in December 1931, a constitution was adopted, which was in effect until April 1, 1939. According to it, the head of state, as well as the head of government, came to office as a result of elections, and were not appointed.
Spain became a parliamentary republic in which from now on everyone was equal before the law. Titles, class privileges were abolished, all citizens received equal access to education, medicine, participation in the political life of the country.
The issue was partially resolved with the peoples claiming autonomy. Catalonia became autonomous, the issue with other contenders remained pending.
Social issues were also resolved - surplus land was confiscated from the landlords. The church was separated from the state, but this did not extinguish the discontent of the people - in particular, a rumor was spread among the workers that the churchmen poisoned the children of workers and peasants with poison added to cookies. This provoked a series of murders of priests and monks, pogroms and fires throughout the country.
These events played a double role in the history of the state - on the one hand, they were insufficient to satisfy the demands and aspirations of the lower social strata, on the other, they provoked close attention of countries to the situation in Spain, which considered that the country that chose the "left" path, will become a conductor of Stalin's ideas in Europe.
A series of government crises begins in the country - in the period from 1931 to 1936 there are about 20 of them. All this leads to unrest and unrest. The torn apart controversy in Spanish society is closely watched by outside countries, ready to provide support to one side or the other, depending on the ideology they supported.
The parliamentary elections of 1936 brought victory to the "Popular Front" - the parties of the "left"; General Franco entered the political scene of the country. "A cloudless sky over Spain" - this was the call sign for the start of the uprisings in Spanish Morocco, the Canary Islands and other regions of Spain, organized by him.
The beginning of the civil war
The riots were suppressed, but Italy and Germany intervened. And, thanks to them, as well as twenty-seven other countries that supported the "right-wing" forces, a civil war began in Spain. The "left" forces were tacitly supported by the Soviet Union; it, as well as fifty-three other countries, supplied weapons and volunteers to the belligerent country. And the internal conflict gradually grew into an international one. The goal of Germany and Italy was to establish themselves in Spain. The USSR helped the "left" forces stay in power.
The war lasted three years - from 1936 to 1939 and ended with the fall of the Second Spanish Republic, and then the establishment of the fascist dictatorship of General Franco. She claimed more than 400 thousand lives - this is about 5% of the total population of the country. Such huge human losses were not only due to the fighting. On the territories conquered by one side or another, a real terror was established with the destruction of the population. 60 thousand Spaniards were forced to emigrate from the country. The war was fought not only on the ground - the skies over Spain were controlled by German aircraft. Thanks to her, among other things, by the end of the confrontation in the state there were almost no roads, bridges, infrastructure facilities. Almost all major cities lay in ruins.
The regime of General Franco, whose victory was proclaimed on April 1, 1939, inherited the destroyed country - more than 170 cities and villages had to be rebuilt. But the general showed himself not only as a talented commander, but also as a fairly strong politician. Despite the obvious pro-fascist ideology, he managed to maintain neutrality during. The Spanish "Blue Division" fought in the USSR, but was officially listed as a volunteer.
After the defeat of fascism, Franco not only remained in power, but also ruled until his voluntary resignation in 1973. And only after his death, his successor, the Spanish king Juan Carlos I of Bourbon, was able to proclaim a course towards the democratization of society.
Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 somewhat resembles the current war in Libya, the scale was only larger. In Libya, it all began with the rebellion of separatists and Islamists in the east of the country, in Cyrenaica, in Spain - with the rebellion of the military in Spanish Morocco. In Spain, the rebellion was supported by the Third Reich, Italy, Portugal, and other Western powers - France, England, the United States, with their hostile neutrality. In Libya, the insurgency was also supported by most of the Western world.
There is only one important difference: no one officially supported the legitimate government of Gaddafi, except for a protest. And the Spanish government was supported by the Soviet Union.
It all began with the fact that the union of leftist parties, the Popular Front, won the parliamentary elections in Spain in February 1936. Manuel Azaña and Santiago Casares Quiroga became president and head of government, respectively. They made the seizures of land by peasants from the landowners legal, released many political prisoners, and arrested several leaders of the fascists. Their opposition included: the Catholic Church, landowners, capitalists, fascists (in 1933, an ultra-right party, the Spanish Phalanx, was created in Spain). In Spanish society, a split deepened between the supporters of progressive changes in society (overcoming the legacy of the Middle Ages in the form of the enormous influence of the Catholic Church, monarchists and the landlord class) and their opponents. Even in the army, a split occurred: the Republican Anti-Fascist Military Union, which supported the government, was created and the Spanish Military Union, which opposed the left government, was created. A number of clashes took place on the streets of the cities.
As a result, the military supporters of the fascist dictatorship decided to seize power in order to destroy the "Bolshevik threat." General Emilio Mola was at the head of the military conspiracy. He was able to unite part of the military, monarchists, fascists and other enemies of the left movement. The conspirators were supported by large industrialists and landowners, they were supported by the Catholic Church.
It all started with the rebellion on July 17, 1936 in Spanish Morocco, the rebels quickly won in other colonial possessions of Spain: in the Canary Islands, Spanish Sahara, Spanish Guinea. On July 18, General Gonzalo Capeo de Llano raised a mutiny in Seville, fierce fighting in the city went on for a week, as a result, the military was able to drown the left resistance in blood. The loss of Seville, and then of neighboring Cadiz, made it possible to create a foothold in southern Spain. On July 19, almost 80% of the army rebelled, they captured many important cities: Zaragoza, Toledo, Oviedo, Cordoba, Granada and others.
The scale of the rebellion came as a complete surprise to the government, they thought it would be quickly suppressed. On July 19, Casares Quiroga resigned, and Diego Martinez Barrio, head of the right-wing liberal party "Republican Union", became the new head of government. Barrio tried to negotiate with the rebels to negotiate and create a new coalition government, Mola rejected the offer, and his actions sparked anger in the Popular Front. Barrio resigned on the same day. The third prime minister of the day - the scientist-chemist Jose Giral - immediately ordered to start distributing to everyone who wanted to defend the legitimate government. This helped, in most of Spain the rebels were unable to win. The government was able to retain over 70% of Spain, the rebels were defeated in Madrid and Barcelona. The legitimate government was supported by almost all the Air Force (after the victory of the Nazis, almost all pilots will be shot) and the Navy. On ships where the sailors did not know about the mutiny and followed the orders of the rebels, when they learned about the truth, they killed or arrested officers.
Mola, Emilio.
This made it difficult for the rebels to move troops from Morocco. As a result, the war took on a protracted and fierce nature, a quick victory did not work, it lasted until April 1939. The war claimed almost half a million lives (5% of the population), of which every fifth fell victim to their political convictions, that is, was repressed. More than 600 thousand Spaniards fled from the country, in many respects the intellectual elite - the creative intelligentsia, scientists. Many large cities were destroyed.
Aftermath of the bombing of Madrid, 1936
The main reason for the defeat of the legitimate government
The world "democratic community" reacted very negatively to the victory of the leftist forces in Spain. Although these leftist parties in Spain were not all allies of Moscow, there were many movements that considered the Stalinist USSR a traitor to the ideals of Lenin and Trotsky, many anarchists, Trotskyists, etc.
The legitimate government would have won if the "world community" simply did not get involved in the internal affairs of Spain. But three powers openly sided with the Spanish fascists, monarchists and nationalists - fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and authoritarian Portugal. England, and under her pressure and France, remained hostilely neutral, stopping the supply of weapons to the legitimate government. On August 24, all European countries announced "non-intervention".
Italian_bomber_SM-81, accompanied by_fighters_Fiat_CR.32_bomb_Madrid, _autumn_1936_g.
Portugal helped the rebels with weapons, ammunition, finances, volunteers, the Portuguese government was afraid that the left forces, having won in Spain, would inspire the Portuguese to change the system.
Hitler solved several tasks: testing new weapons, testing military specialists in battle, "hardening" them, creating a new regime - an ally of Berlin. The Italian leader Mussolini generally dreamed of the entry of fascist Spain into a single union state under his leadership. As a result, tens of thousands of Italians and Germans, whole military units, took part in the war against the republican government. Hitler awarded 26 thousand people for Spain. This is not counting assistance with weapons, ammunition, etc. The Italian Navy and Air Force participated in the battles, although officially Hitler and Mussolini supported the idea of "non-intervention". Paris and London turned a blind eye to this: the fascists are better in power than the left.
Why did the USSR come out to help the legitimate government?
One should not think that Moscow supported the leftist government of Spain because of the desire to establish socialism and the ideals of the "world revolution" throughout the world. There were pragmatists in Moscow, and they were interested in purely rational things.
Testing new equipment in battle. At least 300 I-16 fighters fought for the legitimate government. Tanks and other weapons were also supplied. In total, up to 1000 aircraft and tanks, 1.5 thousand guns, 20 thousand machine guns, half a million rifles were delivered.
Training of combat personnel in real combat conditions. So, Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets was the commander of a fighter squadron in the ranks of Republican Spain; became the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union. For 116 days of the "Spanish ticket" he participated in 57 air battles, on some days he made 5-7 sorties. He shot down 30 enemy aircraft personally and 7 as part of a group. In Spain, our pilots, tank crews, commanders and other military specialists received a unique experience that helped to withstand the Great Patriotic War. In total, about 3 thousand of our military specialists fought in Spain, Moscow did not cross the border, did not get involved in the war "headlong". About 200 people died in the battles.
Gritsevets Sergey Ivanovich.
Soviet steamer with military materials in the port of Alicante.
Moscow thus held back the start of the "Great War" away from its borders. Spain could not be surrendered to the Nazis and Nazis without a fight; if it were not for the long civil war that drained the country, it is quite possible that the Spanish fascists would have sent in 1941 to help Hitler not one division - the "Blue Division", but much more.
Although, of course, we must remember that only the USSR provided purely humanitarian, friendly assistance: Soviet citizens were truly imbued with the tragedy of the Spaniards. The Soviet people collected money, they sent food and medicine to Spain. In 1937, the USSR accepted Spanish children; the state built 15 orphanages for them.
Soldiers of the Republican Guard. 1937 year.
Sources of:
Danilov S. Yu. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). M., 2004.
Meshcheryakov M.T. USSR and the Civil War in Spain // Patriotic War. - M., 1993 .-- N 3.
Chronology of the Spanish Civil War: hrono.ru/sobyt/1900war/span1936.php
Hugh Thomas. Spanish Civil War. 1931-1939 M., 2003.
Spanish Civil War(Spanish Civil War) (1936-39), fierce military. confrontation between left and right forces in Spain. After the fall of Primo de Rivera (1930) and the overthrow of the monarchy (1931), Spain was split into two camps. On one side, there were privileged and politically influential groups such as the monarchists and the Spanish phalanx, on the other - republicans, Catalan and Basque separatists, socialists, communists and anarchists. In the elections of 1936, the left-wing government of the Popular Front came to power, after which a wave of strikes, riots and wars swept across the country. conspiracies. In July 1936, Generals José Sanjurjo and Francisco Franco headed the Isp. Morocco failed revolt against the republic, civilian began. a war marked by atrocities on both sides. In 1937, nationalists led by Franco, including the Phalangist, Carlist and Moroccan troops, took over the Basque Country, supporting the Republicans in the hope of gaining full independence. The nationalists also managed to keep the important city of Teruel, repelling the attacks of the rep. troops. This allowed Franco with the help of him. and ital. troops to separate the forces of the Republicans, seizing the territory. between Barcelona and Valencia (1938). Republicans weakened by int. intrigues between rival factions and the end of Soviet aid, launched a desperate counteroffensive, but failed. Barcelona fell into Franco's hands (Jan. 1939); it was soon followed by Madrid. Franco became the head of state, and the Phalanx became the unity, the legal party. In G.v. both sides received support from abroad: the Soviet Union sent advisers and weapons to the Republicans, and approx. 50 thousand soldiers from Italy and 10 thousand from Germany, predominantly. pilots and tankers. The bombing of civil. objects it. pilots and the destruction of the Basque city of Guernica (1937) became a symbol of fascist brutality and inspired Picasso to create one of his most famous paintings. Many volunteers fought in the ranks of the international brigades for the cause of the Republicans. countries of the world - mainly. people of the left and com. beliefs. The war cost Spain approx. 700 thousand killed in battles, 30 thousand executed or killed without trial and 15 thousand killed by air. raids.
Excellent definition
Incomplete definition ↓
CIVIL WAR IN SPAIN (1936-1939)
It took place between the left-socialist republican government of the country, supported by the communists, and the right-monarchist forces that raised an armed rebellion, on the side of which a large part of the Spanish army, led by General F. Franco, sided.
The rebels were supported by Germany and Italy, and the republicans were supported by the Soviet Union. The mutiny began on June 17, 1936 in Spanish Morocco. On July 18, most of the garrisons on the peninsula revolted. Initially, the leader of the monarchist forces was General José Sanjurjo, but soon after the start of the rebellion, he died in a plane crash. After that, the rebels were led by the commander of the troops in Morocco, General F. Franco. In total, more than 100 thousand out of 145 thousand soldiers and officers supported him. Despite this, the government, with the help of the army units that remained on its side and the hastily formed detachments of the people's militia, succeeded in suppressing the revolts in most of the country's large cities. Only Spanish Morocco, the Balearic Islands (with the exception of the island of Menorca) and a number of provinces in the north and south-west of Spain were under the control of the Francoists.
From the very first days, the rebels received support from Italy and Germany, which began to supply Franco with weapons and ammunition. This helped the Francoists in August 1936 to capture the city of Badajoz and establish a land link between their northern and southern armies. After that, the rebel troops managed to establish control over the cities of Irun and San Sebastian and thereby hamper the connection of the republican North with France. Franco's main blow was directed against the capital of the country, Madrid.
At the end of October 1936, the German Condor Air Legion and the Italian Motorized Corps of the Soviet Union arrived in the country, in turn sent to the republican government significant consignments of weapons and military equipment, including tanks and aircraft, and also sent military advisers and volunteers. At the call of the communist parties of European countries, volunteer international brigades began to form, sent to Spain to help the republicans. The total number of foreign volunteers who fought on the side of the Spanish Republic exceeded 42 thousand people. With their help, the Republican army managed in the fall of 1936 to repel the Francoist offensive against Madrid.
The war became protracted. In February 1937, Franco's troops, with the support of the Italian expeditionary forces, captured the city of Malaga in the south of the country. Simultaneously, the Francoists launched an offensive on the Jarama River south of Madrid. On the east bank of the Harama, they managed to capture
The fighters of the international brigade had a bridgehead, but after fierce fighting, the Republicans threw the enemy back to their original position. In March 1937, a rebel army attacked the Spanish capital from the north. The main role in this offensive was played by the Italian Expeditionary Force. In the Guadalajara region, he was defeated. Soviet pilots and tank crews played an important role in this victory of the Republicans.
After the defeat at Guadalajara, Franco shifted his main efforts to the north of the country. The Republicans, in turn, in July - September 1937 conducted offensive operations in the Brunete area and near Saragossa, which ended in vain. These attacks did not prevent the Francoists from completing the destruction of the enemy in the north, where on October 22 the last stronghold of the Republicans, the city of Gijon, fell.
Soon, the Republicans managed to achieve serious success In December
In 1937, they launched an offensive on the city of Teruel and in January 1938 captured it. However, then the Republicans transferred a significant part of their forces and resources from here to the south. The Francoists took advantage of this, launched a counteroffensive and in March 1938 recaptured Teruel from the enemy. In mid-April, they reached the Mediterranean coast near Vinaris, cutting in two the territory under the control of the Republicans. The defeats prompted a reorganization of the Republican armed forces. From mid-April, they were combined into six main armies, subordinate to the commander-in-chief, General Miakha. One of these armies, the Eastern, was cut off in Catalonia from the rest of Republican Spain and operated in isolation. On May 29, 1938, another army was separated from its composition, called the Ebro Army. On July 11, a reserve army corps joined both armies. They were also assigned 2 tank divisions, 2 anti-aircraft artillery brigades and 4 cavalry brigades.! The Republican command was preparing a major offensive to restore Catalonia's land ties with the rest of the country.
After the reorganization, the People's Army of the Spanish Republic consisted of 22 corps, 66 divisions and 202 brigades with a total strength of 1,250,000. The Ebro army, commanded by General H.M. Guillotte, "there were about 100 thousand people. The Chief of the Republican General Staff, General V. Rojo, developed an operation plan that provided for the crossing of the Ebro and the development of an offensive against the cities of Gandes; Vadderrobres and Morella. Having secretly concentrated, the Ebro army began crossing the river on June 25, 1938. The Ebro River was between 80 and 150 meters wide, and the Francoists considered it a formidable obstacle, and had only one infantry division in the area of the Republican army's advance.
On June 25 and 26, six Republican divisions under the command of Colonel Modesto occupied a bridgehead on the right bank of the Ebro, 40 km wide, 1 front and 20 km deep. The 35th International Division under the command of General K. Sverchevsky (in Spain he was known under the pseudonym "Walter"), which was part of the XV Army Corps, captured the heights of Fatarella and Sierra de Cabals. The Battle of the Ebro was the last J battle of the Civil War to be fought by international brigades. In the fall of 1938, at the request of the republican government, they, along with Soviet advisers and volunteers, left Spain. The Republicans hoped that thanks to this it would be possible to obtain permission from the French authorities to allow arms and equipment purchased by the socialist government of Juan Negrin to enter Spain.
The X and XV Republican Army Corps, commanded by Generals M. Tatuenha and E. Lister, were to encircle the Francoist forces in the Ebro region. However, their advance was stopped with the help of reinforcements, which Franco transferred from other fronts. Due to the Republican attack on the Ebro, the nationalists had to end their attack on Valencia.
The Francoists managed to stop the advance of the enemy's V corps near Gandesa. Franco's aviation seized air supremacy and constantly bombed and shelled the Ebro crossings. For 8 days of fighting, Republican troops lost 12 thousand killed, wounded and missing. A long battle of attrition began in the area of the Republican bridgehead. Until the end of October 1938, the Francoists launched unsuccessful attacks, trying to throw the Republicans into the Ebro. Only at the beginning of November, the seventh offensive of Franco's troops ended with a breakthrough of the defense on the right bank of the Ebro.
The Republicans had to leave the bridgehead. Their defeat was predetermined by the fact that the French government closed the Franco-Spanish border and did not let in weapons for the Republican army. Nevertheless, the Battle of the Ebro delayed the fall of the Spanish Republic by several months. Franco's army lost in this battle about 80 thousand people killed, wounded and missing.
During the Spanish Civil War, the Republican army lost more than 100 thousand people killed and died from wounds. Irrecoverable losses of Franco's army exceeded 70 thousand people. The same number of National Army soldiers died from disease. It can be assumed that the losses from disease in the republican army were somewhat less, since in terms of numbers it was inferior to the Francoist. In addition, the losses of the international brigades in the dead exceeded 6.5 thousand people, and the losses of Soviet advisers and volunteers reached 158 people killed, died of wounds and missing. There is no reliable data on the losses of the Condor German Aviation Legion and the Italian Expeditionary Force who fought on the Franco side.
Excellent definition
Incomplete definition ↓
The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 became a prelude to World War II, new methods of warfare were tested on the battlefields, and a new generation of military equipment was tested.
In November, battles were already on the outskirts of the capital, but the Republicans were able to defeat the enemy and save the city. True, they could not take advantage of this victory. The second attack on Madrid was also repulsed thanks to the Soviet armored group. But these successes, as well as the defeat inflicted on the Italian troops near Guadalajara, did not help the government.
Better organized nationalists (Franco was elected commander) conquered one province after another. The turning point in the war came at the end of 1937. In December, the last major Republican offensive near Teruel ended in failure. 1938 brought new defeats to the Republicans.
Spanish civil war photos
In addition, for a number of reasons, the Franco economy was in a much better condition than the republican one. And when Franco at the end of 1938 launched an offensive against Catalonia, already the most staunch supporters of the republic realized that this was the end. On April 1, 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended in complete victory for the Phalangists.
Results of the civil war
The total death toll on both sides is more than 450 thousand people. More than 600 thousand people emigrated. More than 40 thousand soldiers from the USSR received combat experience. Franco flatly refused to take Spain on anyone's side. Francisco Franco was in power until 1973, he died in 1975.
Miscellaneous
- The catch phrase "Fifth Column" - during the first offensive on Madrid, Emilio Mola said that in addition to the advancing four army columns in Madrid itself, there is a fifth (secret supporters of the Phalangists in the city), which will strike from the rear at the right time.
- The first twice Hero of the Soviet Union S.I.Gritsevets received his first Gold Star for battles in Spain, where he shot down 7 planes. Interestingly, German ace Werner Melders fought on the other side at the same time - 14 victories. Tragic similarity of fates: both died in plane crashes after Spain.
- For the first time, the Soviet fighter I-16 and the German Bf-109B met in the battles, and the advantage was often on the side of the I-16. Based on this experience, the Germans carried out a deep modernization of Messerschmitt. Unfortunately, the Soviet designers did not do the same, and in 1941 the picture turned out to be the opposite.
in Europe, there was a large-scale armed clash in Spain. Then, not only the indigenous people of the country were involved in the conflict, but also external forces in the form of such powerful states as the USSR, Germany, Italy. The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 flared up on the basis of conflicting views on the future of the country of the left-socialist (republican) government, supported by the Communist Party, and the rebellious right-monarchist forces led by Generalissimo Francisco Franco.
Preconditions for war
Until 1931, Spain was a monarchical state with a backward economy and a deep crisis, where there was interclass enmity. The army in it had a special status. However, it did not develop in any way due to the conservatism of management structures.
In the spring of 1931, Spain was proclaimed a republic, and power in the country passed to the liberal-socialist government, which immediately began to carry out reforms. However, stagnant Italy skidded them on all fronts. The established monarchical society was not ready for radical changes. As a result, all segments of the population were disappointed. Attempts to change the government took place several times.
The clergy were especially dissatisfied the new government. Previously, under the conditions of monarchism, it participated in all state processes, having tremendous influence. With the establishment of the republic, the church was separated from the state, and power passed into the hands of professors and scientists.
In 1933, the reforms were suspended. The ultra-right party, the Spanish Phalanx, won the elections. Riots and unrest began.
In 1936, left-wing forces won the general elections in the country - Popular Front Party, which included Republicans and Communists. They:
- resumed agrarian reform,
- pardoned political prisoners,
- encouraged the demands of the strikers,
- reduced taxes.
Their opponents began to cooperate around the pro-fascist nationalist organization Spanish Phalanx, which was already breaking through to power. Her support was in the person of the military, financiers, landowners, and the church.
The party opposing the established government staged an uprising in 1936, supported by the troops of the Spanish colony - Morocco ... At that time, they were commanded by General Franco supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Soon the rebels began to rule the Spanish colonies: the Canary Islands, Western Sahara, Equatorial Guinea.
Causes of the Spanish Civil War
Several reasons influenced the start of the Spanish Civil War:
The course of events of hostilities
Fascist insurgency and the Spanish Civil War- events are simultaneous. The revolution in Spain began in the summer of 1936. The revolt of the fascist army led by Franco was supported by ground forces and the clergy. They are also assisted by Italy and Germany, helping with the supply of weapons and the military. The Francoists immediately occupy most of the country and introduce their own regime there.
The government created the Popular Front. He was helped by: the USSR, the French and American governments, international brigades.
From spring 1937 to autumn 1938... military operations took place in the industrial regions of northern Spain. The rebels managed to break through to the Mediterranean and cut off Catalonia from the republic. The Francoists had a clear advantage by the fall of 1938. As a result, they occupied the entire territory of the state and established an authoritarian fascist dictatorship there.
Britain and France officially recognized the Franco government with its fascist regime. The war turned out to be long, with a huge number of victims and destruction. These events were reflected in films about the Spanish Revolution of 1936-1939, shot by many directors. For example, the film "Ay, Carmela!", Directed by Carlos Saura.
The revolution in Spain ended with the establishment of fascism in the country for reasons:
