Background Guide

Spanish Civil War

AAC Crisis Committee

Written and Chaired By: Luna Petrovato

Background

Following its defeat in the 1898 Spanish-American War, Spain was facing dire economic hardships. This was only exacerbated after its neutrality in WW1, which only further increased poverty in rural areas and the South, as well as nationwide food insecurity. This intense poverty caused many to rally behind communism and anarchism, setting off dire alarm bells for the elite class.

Spain’s monarchy—more specifically King Alfonso XIII of the House of Bourbon—heavily tied itself to the dictatorship of General Miguel Primo de Rivera, who had come to power through a military coup in 1923. When the Great Depression crippled Spain starting in 1929, General Rivera so poorly mismanaged the economy that the army forced him to resign in January 1930. In April the following year, a Spanish election was held that saw the monarchy be discarded and the establishment of a Republic. Shortly following the King’s exile, between May 10th and 13th 1931, over one hundred Catholic churches and convents were deliberately razed by far-left anticlericists.

This new Republic was marked by extreme political volatility. This instability was exacerbated by the rise of radical political movements, including the far-right Falange and far-left Popular Front. The military was also very divided, split between those who support the Republic and those who are plotting against it. A stark contrast between the wealthy elite and working class and an impoverished peasantry caused widespread social inequality, leading to frequent strikes and protests.

There were many other factors as well. Basque Country and Catalonia, two very important regions of Spain, wanted independence. There was also intense hostility between the Republic and the Roman Catholic Church. And lastly, the Great Depression was still crushing Spain’s primarily agricultural economy, making prime agricultural crop exports dropping significantly in value, as well as stunting the little industry in Spain. Unemployment rose and wages were cut.

The first government, led by then-Prime Minister Manuel Azaña, initiated numerous reforms to modernize the country:

1. Catalonia was granted some degree of self-government.

2. Historic privileges of the Catholic Church—such as the government paying priests’ wages and religious education in schools—were revoked.

3. Huge estates in Spain were nationalized.

4. The wages of industrial workers were increased.

5. The army’s influence over politics was reduced.

In the end, this began to create resentment from four very powerful bodies: the military, the industrialists, large landowners, and the Catholic Church. In 1932, a handful of army officers attempted to overthrow the government, which ultimately failed. However, Azaña’s government didn’t just lose support from the Right, but the Left as well. Prominent far-left parties wished for the complete overthrow of capitalism, and Azaña’s approach was middle-of-the-road. Azaña had formed a political alliance with the moderate center, further complicating things. He was seen as having betrayed the Spanish working class. In January 1933, Spanish Anarchists attempted a revolution with the aim of toppling the Republic and establishing anarcho-communism. This cultivated with 25 people being killed by government troops, losing the government a great deal of support among the working class and socialists. Azaña resigned as Prime Minister and elections were called for November 1933.

In that election, the Right won a majority of support and the largest party in parliament (“the Cortes”) was CEDA, led by Gil Robbles. This new government immediately overturned all of Azaña’s changes. This angered many, especially the Catalans who had their many privileges withdrawn. It was clear that an attack on the Left was underway, and so they joined forces to form the left-wing Popular Front. They organized strikes, riots, and even train derailments. In October 1934, a mass strike by coal miners in Asturias developed into a violent revolutionary uprising, and was brutally crushed by the army led by Franscisco Franco. Spain was delving into chaos. In a last-minute attempt to avoid serious conflict, a general election was called for February 1936. It was won by the Popular Front and Azaña once again became Prime Minister.

However, as more and more public disturbances occurred, it became clear that the government had lost control over Spain.

More reading: The Causes of the Spanish Civil War - History Learning Site

Start of the War

José Calvo Sotelo (a monarchist deputy in parliament), José Antonio Primo de Rivera (son of the former dictator), and Generals José Sanjurjo and Emilio Mola—all right-wingers—formed a conspiracy to overthrow the Republic and restore order to Spain through an authoritarian corporatist government. They secured the support from the monarchists, who wanted the restoration of King Alfonso XIII, and the Falangists, who wanted to establish a Fascist regime.

Meanwhile, Socialist Party leader Francisco Largo Cabellero staged a march of tens of thousands of workers in Madrid on May 1st to demand a workers’ government. There was talk of a leftist revolution to prevent a rightist coup and to finally implement the long-desired radical reforms.

On July 13th, Calvo Soleto was arrested and then assassinated in revenge for a Falangist assassination on José Castillo, a policeman for the Republic, the previous day. This shocked the public, and the military conspirators designed to capitalize on this massive change in mood and moved up the date of their uprising.

July 17th: military garrisons of the Canary Islands, Morocco, and throughout Spain mobilized against the Republic and commandeered local governments. In response, workers seized arms and resisted the military, leading to the failure of the insurrection in a number of cities, including key political and industrial centers like Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. Spain was then split between Republican zones—areas controlled by the leftists and the Republic—and Nationalist zones—areas controlled by the military and rightists. The Republic controlled mining and industrial areas, and the Bank of Spain’s gold reserves were used for financing. The rebels controlled significant land resources and had the support of the majority of the army, as well as fascist and Carlist militias.

More reading: Spanish Civil War Begins | History | Research Starters

After reading, consider looking at this timeline for relevant items: 1936 in the Spanish Civil War - Wikipedia 

The Committee

Date: December 31st, 1936

Name: “New Years’ Peace Conference”

Goal: Given the extensive international involvement and the overall failure of the Non-Intervention Committee at preventing escalation, this committee of international, Republican, and Nationalist actors will attempt to resolve the Spanish crisis before further atrocities happen 

Nationalists

Francisco Franco

Franco is the Generallismo of Spain, Leader of the Nationalists, and a renowned veteran from the Rif War. He’s in charge of organizing the military, especially in Spain’s south, and leads the State Technical Junta. He wants to restore order to Spain and form a stronger national government. He also wants to centralize the Nationalists into a more coordinated and disciplined front.

Emilio Mola

Mola is the Commander of the Army of the North, commanding the Nationalists in northern Spain. He was highly involved in the July Coup, was a part of the Africanists and served in Spain’s colonial war in Morocco, and collaborated with the Spanish Military Union. A staunch conservative and nationalist, he previously worked with militant Carlists in Navarre.

Gonzalo Queipo de Llano

Queipo de Llano is a Nationalist military leader and Commander of the Army of the South. He is a distinguished veteran for his work in Cuba and Morocco. During the Civil War, he gained the nickname “El general de la radio” for his threats that he made over the radio. He also played a large role in the White Terror.

Juan March

March is a business magnate and the richest man in Spain, who deeply associated himself with the Nationalists. Founder of the Banca March, he was temporarily imprisoned by the Republic for illegal activities, namely tobacco and arms smuggling. He provided much needed financial assistance to the Nationalists (such as by paying for Italian arms) and also helped arrange certain logistics.

Fidel Dávila Arrondo

Dávila is a brigadier general and the President of the State Technical Junta, as well as the Chief of Staff of the Army. A veteran in Cuba and Morocco, he holds monarchist Catholic values similar to Mola. As the Junta’s President, he directs it and regularly meets with Franco.

Antonio Goicoechea

Goicoechea is a monarchist politician and leader of the far-right Spanish Renovation political party. A strong believer of Alfonism, Goicoechea and his party support the restoration of King Alfonso XIII to power, competing with the rival Carlist movement. His party is highly connected to the Acción Española think-tank and the Spanish Military Union.

Enrique Pla y Deniel

Deniel is a prominent Catholic Bishop in Spain, officially the Bishop of Salamanca. A staunch supporter of the Nationalists, he argues that they are waging a just war against the evils of communism and anarchism. This comes at a time when much of the Nationalist side is heavily influenced by Catholicism, especially the Rerum novarum’s endorsement of the corporatist economic model. Also consider: Quadragesimo anno. 

Republicans

Francisco Largo Caballero

Largo Caballero is the Prime Minister of the Republic. A radical socialist, he headed both the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and the Workers’ General Union, and was a major supporter of the failed Revolution of 1934 in Asturias. He is tasked with maintaining governmental authority in the Republic, defeating the Nationalists, and establishing a Dictatorship of the Proletariat.

Manuel Azana

Azaña was once the Prime Minister of the Republic and is now its President. Azaña is relatively moderate compared to Largo Caballero, but is still very anti-clerical. He is a prominent leader of the Republicans, pro-Catalan autonomy, and a steadfast believer in republicanism.

Indalecio Priesto

Priesto is the Minister of the Navy and Air Force. A leading socialist figure in the Basque Country, Priesto opposed Basque separatism and was also a bit less radical than Prime Minister Largo Caballero.

Juan Negrín

Juan Negrín is the Minister of Finance. During his tenure, he strengthened the Carabineros and made the highly controversial decision to transfer Spanish gold reserves to the Soviet Union in return for arms and weaponry.

José Antonio Aguirre

A Basque Nationalist and Catholic, Aguirre is the first President of the Basque Country. He organized the Basque Army to fight for the Republic and previously united the two opposing factions in the Basque Nationality Party. He was also a former football player.

Joaquín Ascaso

Ascaso is an anarcho-syndicalist and the President of the Regional Defense Council of Aragon. As a leading member of the CNT, he was elected President of the new administrative entity created by the confederal militias. This autonomous regional government has since been officially recognized by the Republic.

Lluís Companys

Companys is a leader of pro-independence Republic Left of Catalonia party, and is the president of Revolutionary Catalonia. He has worked extensively with the CNT, FAI, and POUM parties to fight against the Nationalists. He is highly sympathetic to anarcho-syndicalism and strongly believes in Catalan independence.

International

Joseph Stalin

Stalin is the Marxist-Leninist leader of the Soviet Union. Through his five-year plans and doctrine of socialism in one country, he turned Russia from an undeveloped, agrarian society to an industrial superpower. After winning the leadership struggle against Leon Trotsky following Vladimir Lenin’s death, his administration has been characterized by political repression and consolidation of power. He promotes communism abroad through Comintern. He is a strong supporter of the Republicans.

Benito Mussolini

Mussolini is the dictator of Fascist Italy and founder of the fascist movement. Initially a socialist journalist, he became deeply entrenched in Italian nationalism following the Great War. He led the March on Rome after years of severe economic difficulties and the Biennio Rosso. Il Duce was a foremost advocate of fascist corporatism, anti-clericalism, and self-described his regime as totalitarian. He is a strong supporter of the Nationalists.

Léon Blum

Blum is the socialist Prime Minister of France. France has officially maintained a stance of neutrality in the Spanish Civil War to avoid it spilling over into the rest of Europe, albeit Blum is sympathetic to the Republicans and doesn’t wish for France to be completely surrounded by fascist states. Notable issues and policies under his administration include the Matignon Accords and the Remilitarization of the Rhineland.

Neville Chamberlain

Chamberlain is the Tory Prime Minister of Britain. He was a prominent proponent of the Non-Intervention Committee, aiming to prevent a proxy war in Spain from becoming a Europe-wide conflict. He had a relatively soft stance on fascism, and was vaguely sympathetic to the Nationalists.

António de Oliveira Salazar

Salazar is the dictator of the Portuguese authoritarian corporatist regime Estado Novo. He is a major supporter of Franco and the Nationalists, a Catholic, and of the National Union political party. Also, there are Spanish Republicans agents in Lisbon which he is fearful of, especially in regards to its implications for Portuguese sovereignty.

Georgi Dimitrov

Dimitrov is a communist and the General-Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party. He is also the General-Secretary of the Communist International (Comintern), which was responsible for organizing the International Brigades in support of the Republic. Comintern also gave funds to the Republicans.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Roosevelt is the Democratic President of the US. He came to power during the Great Depression, and his New Deals were critical to stabilizing the American economy. Especially since after the fallout of the Great War, he strongly supports American non-interventionism in the Spanish Civil War, declaring as such during the Non-Intervention Committee.

Joseph Avenol

Avenol is a French diplomat and the Secretary General of the League of Nations (the precursor to the modern-day United Nations), which was instrumental to non-interventionism. The 1936 meeting of the League of Nations condemned intervention and urged all council members to not intervene.

Other

Prince Xavier (Don Javier)

Prince Xavier is the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and is the dynastic leader of Carlism, a monarchist movement aligned with the Nationalists that aims to establish an alternative branch of the Bourbon Dynasty, where he is the pretender to the throne. He played a major role in the Carlist plans of their own uprising against the Republic (the planned 1936 Carlist coup d’état. However, following the death of General José Sanjurjo, the Carlist movement became crippled and alienated from the rest of the Nationalistic cause.