SPANISH CIVIL WAR1936

Ms LeslieHistory 12

BACK GROUND Spain in Decline for 100’s of years Mostly ruled by landowners, the army

and the Catholic Church Opposition comes from Land Hungry

peasants, Workers and Nationalists in Catalonia and Basque

1921 – Try to put down revolt in Spanish Morocco – failed

1923 – General Primo de Rivera takes power from King Alfonso XIII

1931 – elections bring victory to republicans and King Alfonso abdicates

Alfonzo

POLITICS Cortes (parliament) is Center-Left Separation of church and state Army officers forced in to retirement Industrial wages increased

Anarchists and Syndicates want to over throw capitalist system - riots and strikes

1933 government guards torch villages to smoke out the anarchists

Public opinion is changed as a result Nov 1933 Right wing government

elected Reforms of last government reversed

1934 – terrorist attacks – general strikes Right fears communist revolutions Government brutally puts down the

revolts with army unites led by General Francisco Franco

1936 February – Popular Front Government elected in Right wing leader in custody is murdered

CIVIL WAR – Nationalists vs Republicans Republicans = current government, socialists,

Communists, Stalin supported, International Brigades.

Nationalists = The church, the Army and the Falange (Spain’s Fascist group)Franco, Right wing, well trained, Hitler and Mussolini supported

Barricades

American Sniper Casualty

Displaced Children

Franco Used the Falange Party

to get the upper hand Is not considered a

fascist until he is in power

War of attrition rages for 3 years Nationalists have most ground Guernica – April 26, 1937 Nationalists win when they take the

Capital in 1939

Geurnica flattened

WORLD’S REACTION France initially sent help But with drew shortly afterwards because of

pressure from Britain France did not want European countries to

intervene – Isolationism

500,000 – 1 million died in war; not counting those who starved or died of disease.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-video/558032/18883/Spanish-Republicans-abandoned-by-the-democracies-and-relying-on-aid

Impact of European Affairs Hitler learned that Democracies won’t stand up to

ring wing aggression. Stalin learned he could not trust the UK and

France would help him if Germany attacked. Britain started to re-arm