history scw events

essay planningggg <333

Evidence for initial republican strength

July 1936 → German ambassador not optimistic abt coups success, foreign office try to dissuade Hitler from interfering

How Franco delays his progress

diversion to take Toledo (site of the Alcazar)

October 1936 stand der dinge

nationalist progress, pressure on berlin

key detail to madrids defense

stalin decides to help by sending tanks, aircrafts and 2000 advisors (instead of outright soldiers)

Main conquerings in 1937

Bilbao Asturias and Guernica (northern spain= key industrial areas; cut off supplies to the republic from the north)

nationalist strengths

superior tanks and control of the air (messerschmidt 109s)

October 1937 stand der dinge

little prospect of republican victory

when republican spain was divided in half

may 1938

munich conference

september 1938 → led to end of stalins support as he saw no prospects of an anti fascist alliance in europe

fall of barcelona

january 1939, starvation ua wegen north taken by nationalists

franco takes madrid

march 1939

end of war

franco declares end of war on april 1st 1939

what nationalists have that republicans dont

Political unity

Miltary unity

Economic advantage

Foreign assistance

quote on foreign support impact

hugh thomas “international crisis whose solution was decided by external circumstances”

reasons for initial republican superiority

control of 2/3 of country, elected government, control over main industrial areas of northern spain, capital city and gold reserves

army siding

almost evenly divided in july 1936: republic has support of 70% of senior military, most of civil and assault guard and most of the (small) navy and airforce. BUT nationalists had 2/3 of younger junior officers → explains subsequent military success, but army of africa swayed the balance definitively

foreign assistance in outbreak of war

provision of german and italian planes for transport

what was more important than quantity of aid

timing and consistency

why hitler helped franco

because he wanted to weaken France and establish a pro german government in madrid

october 1936 german aid

sent the condor legion (combined air and tank unit with 100 aircraft and advisors)

significant wording for consistency of german aid

kept up to strength

mussolini motivation for helping franco

make italy the centre of a fascist mediterranean empire

italy provision to franco

70 000 troops

stalin date of sending aid

october 1936, after initial hesitation

russia provision to republican government

tanks, aircraft and 2000 advisers

who organised additional help for reps

comintern organised international brigades eventually amounting up to 35 volunteers

policy that disadvantaged foreign aid to reps

non intervention policy of britain and France

why british government nono wanna help

prevent the spread of war + being influenced by anti communism

why france nono wanna help

wants to keep in step with britain and fear that assistance would provoke civil conflict in France

agreement that stopped stalins help

munich agreement of september 1938 with germany → culmination of anglo french appeasement policy broke any soviet hopes of an anti fascist european alliance

what limited soviet aid in first place

italian naval blockade of the mediterranean

instances of great timing of foreign aid

• airlift

• soviet aid = temporary air superiority for reps, saved madrid from nats

  • continued german italian aid between 1937 - 1939, including latest aircraft models and gave nats air superiority for 1938 offensives

credit terms italy germany

easy

payment to soviets

pay for aid with entire gold reserves

political price of soviet assistance

progressive interference and eventual domination of republican government by the communists

nationalist continued foreign trade example

despite us non intervention policy they could buy oil from their companies

big export article as financial strength

occupied spains main grain growing areas so they could export wheat

money spent by nationalists on foreign exchange purchases related to the war

76 million or 12% of their total foreign aid

overall econ of nationalists

relative ease of financing the war without excessive inflation

sarcasm over republican governments financial weakness

“dr negrins resistance pills” referring to lentils the population was forced to rely on

franco political unity

merging disparate parties under falangist

quote Soviet influence

“some degree of control by Moscow was inevitable” - Ptricia Knight

key republican pro communist politicians

Negrin, Del Vayo (Foreign minister)

deposed socialist minister of defense

prieto

central question within republican government

fate of revolution: should social change start now, only way to overcome franco, or should it wait until after victory

final answer to central question

stalin didnt want to alienate the brits and french further, so the communists stood against immediate change.

quote abt lack consistency foreign assistnce republicans

“virtually starved of weapons at crucial points” - pamela radcliff

political infighting of republicans

may 1937 barcelona, four days of street fighting between trotskyist POUM and Anarchist CNT, eventually halted by communist secret police

italian forces were key to taking

in feb 37, andalusia

which city the condor legion bombed

guernica

problem with republican airforce

based centrally and north was out of reach

numbers of carlists and falange

70 000 and 1 mil respectively

what party franco makes for unison

FET

how nationalists benefited from amis

700 million in credit as trade was not restricted, = buy all the weapons and munition they needed

alltogether aid franco received

20 K portugal

70 K italy

10 K germany

800 aircrafts 200 tanks germany

750 planes 150 tanks italy

→ key was the modern equipment

starting when nationalists had control over the air

1937