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The Spanish Civil War

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The Spanish Civil War 4 The Spanish Civil War Discussion points Introduction 1 What is the difference between a You have now studied two major total international wars. In this chapter, you civil war and a national war? will be investigating another type of war – civil war. You should approach the 2 Can civil war be total war? study of this war in a similar way, by thinking about why it happened, its nature 3 Why have civil wars often had and how it was fought, and what results and effects it had. By now you should greater impact on civilians than be accustomed to thinking in terms of asking and answering key questions, as national wars? well as analysing and explaining events and their impact. Chapter 5 deals with another civil war in a different region, and you will be able to make comparisons of key issues. There are more political terms to understand in this chapter, but you should be able to build on your knowledge of military events and vocabulary, and start to see connections between these civil wars and the world wars. Civil wars are fought by different groups within the same country. They are often characterised by greater bitterness than national wars, and the consequences are sometimes greater – the wounds take longer to heal, and families and communities are often divided. The feelings that give rise to civil war are often stronger than those that bring about national war. National wars can be 138 fought for territory, in support of allies, to gain security or in response to an outrage committed against a country. Decisions may be taken for a national war without the people of a country feeling any particular animosity towards their Fact opponents. This is much less true of civil wars. The Russian Civil War (1918– Rwanda’s civil war (1990–93), was 21) saw great bitterness, many atrocities and a heavy toll taken on civilians. based on tribal hatreds between the The Chinese Civil War (1926–49), which had already been raging for nearly ten Hutus and the Tutsis, and involved years when the civil war began in Spain in 1936, was one of the most prolonged mass killings that may have led to as and divisive wars of the 20th century. Later civil wars, such as those in Nigeria, many as 800,000 deaths. the Congo, Rwanda and Vietnam, resulted in similar sustained violence and unwillingness to compromise. The Spanish Civil War (1936–39) came about as a result of an attempted military coup (takeover) against the elected government of the Second Spanish Republic. The republic had existed since the abdication of the Bourbon king Alfonso XIII republic A state without a monarch in 1931. What sparked the revolt was the creation of a coalition government as its of! cial head. of the left-wing parties called the Popular Front in 1936. The military leaders, who started the revolt in Spanish Morocco and then crossed to the mainland, were concerned that a communist-in! uenced republic would destroy traditional Spain. However, unlike the coup that had occurred in 1923, the revolt encountered prolonged resistance. In 1936, Spain had a population of 24 million. In all, the war may have directly touched a million Spaniards and indirectly many more – killed, wounded, mutilated, exiled or rendered homeless. The violence persisted well after the end of the war. In some areas there was continuing guerrilla activity, and Francisco Franco was signing death warrants for political enemies right up to 1975. The war was fought with considerable brutality on both sides, and the divisions took many years to heal. Republican volunteers 1 Origins and causes of the Spanish Civil War Timeline Key questions 1923 Sep: King Alfonso XIII installs a military r What were the main long-term causes of the war? dictatorship under General Miguel Primo de r What were the main short-term causes of the war? Rivera (the king ruled until 1930) 1931 Apr: Second Spanish Republic established; left-wing election victories; Overview Manuel Azaña becomes prime minister at the head of a reforming government r Spain had a history of political instability, with deep divisions dating back to the 19th century and beyond between different 1933 formation of CEDA (mass Catholic right- regions and also between the forces of change and those of wing party) conservatism. r The rise of a militant left wing in Spain intensi" ed divisions, and 1934 Oct: right-wing government takes of! ce; conservative forces in the Church and the army resisted change. revolt of Asturias r There was growing unrest in town and country, and worsening 1936 15 Jan: Popular Front pact of left-wing economic conditions led to more extremism. parties r The dictatorship of Primo de Rivera failed to solve the underlying problems, and he was replaced by a republic in 1931. This is 16 Feb: Popular Front wins election usually called the Second Spanish Republic (the " rst was between 139 Apr: general strike in Madrid, spreading 1873–74). throughout Spain; street ! ghts occur r By the 1930s, Spain was deeply divided between left and right. The efforts to reform between 1931 and 1933 increased the between left and right; rumours of a coup divisions, and on both sides there was hostility towards any form 13 Jul: assassination of right-wing leader of democratic and parliamentary government. José Calvo Sotelor r The creation of a left-wing coalition, the Popular Front, and the murder of a leading right-wing politician (Sotelo) provoked a 17–18 Jul: military revolt military coup in 1936. The initial success of the coup led to a 19 Jul: armed workers control Barcelona prolonged civil war between those who supported it and those who opposed it. 26 Jul: arrival of German Nazi and Italian fascist planes to support Franco SOURCE A American journalist John Whittaker wrote of an encounter with the Moroccan nationalist General Mohammed Mizzian. ‘I met this general near Navalcarrero when his troops threw two girls of less than 20 years to his feet. He discovered in the pocket of one of them a trade union card. He took her to the public school of the village where 40 Moorish soldiers were resting. He threw her to them.’ A huge cry resonated in the building, writes Whittaker, horri" ed by what he saw. General Mizzian smiled and dismissed Whittaker’s protest by saying, ‘She will not survive more than four hours.’ Question Whittaker, J. 1942. Prelude to World War: A Witness From Spain . How useful is Source A as evidence of Council on Foreign Relations. the nature of the civil war? 4 The Spanish Civil War What were the main long-term causes of the war? Long-term divisions in Spain’s history Spain itself was no stranger to civil war. Between 1803 and 1936, no fewer than 19 military coups had taken place. Three civil wars, called the Carlist Wars, were fought between 1833 and 1876. The Carlists were members of a conservative political movement in Spain. They fought bitterly against more liberal opponents over succession to the throne. Unlike other mid 19th-century wars, the Carlist Wars, were fought with a fervour and brutality derived from deep divisions within Spain. They also lasted longer than national wars and were more dif"cult to resolve. They anticipated the Spanish Civil War in a number of respects. There was a strong element of different and con!icting beliefs within the country: Marxism and socialism This was r profound traditional Catholicism against modern liberal thought the belief based on the writings of the r regional independence against traditional central control German theorist Karl Marx (1818–83) r political liberalism against deep conservative monarchism. that all human history was the history of class struggle. The workers were The rise of the left bound to take over and dominate the The left had few roots in Spain and its rise in the 20th century came as a surprise state, and their rule would bring true to many. In the mid 19th century, when Marxism and socialism emerged in social justice and the destruction of Europe, there was little to suggest that Spain would soon have its own !ourishing capitalism and the ruling class who revolutionary movement. Spain was predominantly agricultural, and in many owed their wealth to exploitation. areas of the Spanish countryside, traditional customs and values and the power Socialist groups and parties had 140 of the Catholic Church were strong. Capitalist industry had not developed in the spread across Europe by the 1880s. same way as it had in Germany, Britain and America, and Spain had little in the way of organised labour. After small-scale beginnings in 1868, anarchism came to be a major revolutionary anarchism This is a belief in!uence of the 20th century, and was more widely embraced in Spain than associated in the 19th century with other left-wing ideas. The movement "rst gained notice in the 1870s. After a the Russian thinker Mikhail Bakunin violent incident at the town of Alcoy in 1873, when anarchists took advantage (1814–76). It rejected the need for of a strike to spread radical ideas, causing the police to "re on the gathered disciplined revolutionary organisation populace, a clampdown was enforced that sent the movement underground. and looked to a working-class Consequently, it became largely based in rural areas, which were more dif"cult revolution which would bring an end to police. Anarchism was reduced to individual acts of terrorism, which in to state rule and usher in government turn were met by repression and torture by the state throughout the 1880s by the people.
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