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Beginnings of the Spanish Civil War
On April 14, 1931 the Spanish monarchy was declared overthrown and a provisional government took power. In the ensuing years, the government became increasingly divided between the socialists of the extreme left and the monarchists of the extreme right. In the elections of February 1936, the left won a clear majority, and the right reacted with a coup on July 17, 1936, led by the Nationalist generals Goded, Mola, and Francisco Franco.
Mola organized military action in Pamplona, while Franco traveled to Morocco to lead the African installment of the Spanish army against the Republic. The Nationalists were easily defeated in many cities where the loyal Civil Guard was present, but in cities unprotected by the Civil Guard, the Nationalists took control quickly, in many cases aided by supplies from Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. By May 1937, the Republicans, aided by the Soviet Union, were entrenched in defensive positions Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona.
The Republican Defeat
The Republicans tried to turn their rag-tag militia into an effective fighting force with the creation of the Popular Army. While better organized than the militias, they were chronically short of arms and ammunition, beset by incompetent junior officers, and divided by political factions within the ranks. With only limited support from France, and none at all from Britain, the Spanish Republicans turned to the Soviet Union for support. They also received aid from the International Brigades, groups of leftist workers who volunteered both out of boredom, disillusionment, or a desire for adventure as well as genuine political idealism. However, this support was not enough.
On April 25, 1937, the small northern town of Guernica was bombed by the Nationalists. 1500 died and 800 were wounded in this brutal massacre, but the military targets in the town remained intact. As the bloody conflict escalated, the Republican government fell prey to corruption and split into faction, with support and organization steadily waning. Under the barrage of Nationalist attacks, Barcelona fell in January 1939, Catalonia in February, and Valencia and Madrid by the end of March. Following the Republican defeat, Francisco Franco took power, imprisoning and killing up to a million Spanish citizens, according to some estimates. Many fled, becoming refugees as they awaited the toppling of the Franco government. They would wait for 36 years, for Franco remained in power until his death in 1975.
Republican Weaknesses and Nationalist Strengths
One major difference setting the Nationalists apart from the Republicans was leadership. Nationalist, fascist leadership proved more effective at carrying out the war than the clumsy democratic government of the Republicans, which was both divided within itself and confused about its identity and ideology. Furthermore, the Nationalists received far more foreign support from both Italy and Germany. While the French Popular Front was sympathetic to the republic, Leon Blum’s hands were tied by conservatives in the government who did not want to get involved in a foreign war. Britain, as well, urged the French not to get involved, and remained detached from the situation themselves. This attitude, amounting to tacit support for Franco, forced the Republicans into the arms of the Soviets. Stalin aided Spain in efforts to strengthen his position against Germany, to appear as the defender of legitimate government, and to divert attention away from the purge trials in Moscow. While Soviet intervention gave the Republicans superior technology early in the conflict, they never capitalized on this advantage.
Added to unbalanced sources of support was the unbalanced zeal of the two contending groups. As the Republican government slipped further and further into uncertainty, many begun to question if it was worth fighting for. Morale was low throughout the Republican forces, while it remained high in the Nationalist ranks. The bombing of Guernica was the final blow to the Republican spirit, convincing many that to resist the Nationalists was to open the doors to bloodbath. Morally crushed, the Republicans collapsed in front of the Nationalist effort.
