The Spanish Civil War
by Staff WriterJuly 17, 1936 marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. The war was the result of a conflict between the Nationalist Party led by General Francisco Franco and the Loyalist Republican Party led by President Manuel Azana of the Second Spanish Republic.
The political turbulence that Spain had experienced for decades accounts for the roots of the Spanish Civil War. The struggle between right and left caused King Alfonso to leave Spain in 1931. The King hoped his exile and the formation of a new democratic republic would help avoid civil war. But when the New Leftist government fell into turmoil, Francisco Franco’s army invaded and he became the leader of the nationalist right.
In the beginning stages of the war, General Francisco Franco launched his attack on Southern Spain from Morocco in North Africa. The assault turned Spain’s long-standing civil unrest into civil war. He was joined by two army generals in his push to overthrow the leftist government. Franco’s insurgent nationalist troops moved north quickly but still faced fierce fighting from Spain’s Loyalist Republican Army. Similar to leaders of Germany and Italy, Francisco Franco preached a fascist and anti communist doctrine.
The insurgents occupied towns and villages and harassed fear stricken people. Many civilians were forced from their homes sought refuge in the mountains. Also, children, women and elderly were evacuated from war districts and placed in refugee camps. However, escape from the fighting did not end the hardship.
Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Nationalists were supported to a great extent due to the involvement of Hitler and Mussolini in the Spanish Civil War. Since Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy and Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany took part in the war, they demonstrated their immense support for Franco and his ideals. Franco controlled most of the country within a few months, but still had not taken the capital or the Mediterranean coast. And even though Hitler and Mussolini denied it to the world, Italian and German planes fought on the side of Franco’s nationalists. The Nationalists received a great deal of aid, aircraft and weapons from Italy and Germany. By the end of 1937; Mussolini had about 70,000 Italian troops fighting for Franco. Mussolini’s participation in the war increased his popularity among his Italian Catholic people. Air raids on Barcelona, Madrid, and other large cities were carried out by Hitler’s air force in preparation for Germany’s own future war. The Loyalist Republican Party however, only received aid from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union allowed them to purchase arms.
The End of the War
In January of 1939, Franco’s troops took bomb-ravaged Barcelona and on March 28, they marched into Madrid. The government armies crossed into France to escape the final Nationalist advance. The civil war was won. April 1, 1939, Generalissimo Francisco Franco declared final victory in Spain’s civil war.
The Aftermath
After three years of fighting, Franco’s fascists had finally taken control of the country. There were about 500,000 deaths from various causes. It has been estimated that 200,000 people died in combat or combat-related causes. Out of those 200,000; 110,000 were on the Loyalist side and 90,000 on the Nationalist side. Around 10,000 Spanish people were killed in bombing incursions. Due to the war, the economy in Spain took decades to recover. The war also caused civil unrest and emotional distress of civilians. Many claimed that that the major struggle in Spain was between fascism and freedom.
With Franco’s victory, another European country dealt with fascism. But unlike Hitler and Mussolini, Franco stayed in power for many years. He ruled Spain until his death in 1975.
