Spanish Civil War

I

Introduction

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), conflict in Spain following the failure of a military rebellion to overthrow Spain's democratically elected government. The war divided Spain both geographically and ideologically. It brought to power General Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain from the end of the war until his death almost 40 years later. By the time the war was over, an estimated 500,000 people had been killed in combat or by execution, or had died as a result of hunger or wounds. An additional 250,000 to 500,000 supporters of the losing side left Spain to avoid persecution.

II

Growing Divisions

Conservative social values and religious beliefs had long characterized Spanish society. In some regions, wealthy classes monopolized the land, while peasants often had difficulty growing enough food to eat. For centuries Roman Catholicism had been the official religion of Spain, and the church had been an important force in Spanish government. The church exercised considerable influence over education and freedom of expression. Some clergy held seats in the senate, a division of Spain’s parliament, the Cortes. Many Spaniards felt the church had too much political power and wealth.

Following the Spanish-American War (1898), Spain lost the remainder of its once-great empire. The United States won control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, while Cuba gained its independence from Spain. This defeat increased dissatisfaction, and demands for change grew. However, people disagreed on the changes needed, and Spanish politics became dominated by factions. New political parties appeared that favored a republican form of government; labor movements throughout the country advocated more workers’ rights and industrial reforms; and the Basques and Catalans wanted autonomy for the Basque Country and Catalonia. In addition, conflict grew within the traditional Liberal and Conservative parties that had dominated Spain between 1876 and 1923.

A

Primo de Rivera’s Regime

The growing political turmoil led to a military coup in September 1923. Following the coup, Spain’s king, Alfonso XIII, made General Miquel Primo de Rivera, head of the government. Primo de Rivera’s authoritarian regime suppressed far-left groups and allowed moderate-left parties to operate only under the watchful eye of his administration. In addition, the government stripped the few home-rule privileges that had been given to Catalonia, a region that identified itself ethnically and linguistically as Catalan rather than Spanish.

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Opposition to Primo de Rivera grew, especially after the onset of economic hard times of worldwide depression in 1929, when he lost support among the middle and working classes. By early 1930 Primo de Rivera acknowledged his increasing unpopularity with factions across Spain’s political spectrum, and he was soon forced to resign. Support for Spain’s monarch also evaporated because many people felt Alfonso had betrayed them when he approved Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship.

Parties in favor of a republican form of government defeated monarchist parties in the elections of April 1931, and King Alfonso was forced to leave the country. His departure paved the way for the establishment of a republican form of government, which the majority of Spaniards greeted enthusiastically. This was the beginning of the government called the Second Republic.

B

The Second Republic

During the republic’s first two years, a multiparty coalition of socialists and middle-class republicans dominated the government. The largest parties wanted sweeping changes in Spain’s social, political, and economic institutions. They took special aim at the military and the Catholic Church, two major institutions that had for many years enjoyed privileged positions in Spanish society. Many of the republican reforms centered on restructuring the military and reducing the church’s power. The reforms included legalizing divorce, which had been illegal under Catholic Spain; ending the church’s role in education; and reducing the size of the officer corps.

In addition, the government proposed economic reforms. These included seizing land from elite landowners and redistributing it to peasants in order to address the problems of migrant labor and high unemployment in agricultural areas. These reforms threatened Spain’s wealthy classes who controlled most of the country’s land and industry.

Such sweeping reforms angered conservatives. The Catholic Church was hostile to the government’s attempts to reduce its power, and many Spaniards who saw themselves and their country as fundamentally Catholic supported the church. In addition, the efforts of civilian politicians to reform the military stirred resentment; some officers began plotting to overthrow the Second Republic.

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