Spanish Civil War Events, IB Curriculum

Background of the Coup

Following the election loss in 1936, CEDA and the right went into crisis mode →

• Gil Robles supporting a coup

• Military officers and extreme nationalists planning the coup

• Coup had managed to consolidate CEDA, Falange, and even ally the Carlists and Alfonsists

• Date of coup set for 18th July 1936

Initial coup attempt

• The coup had to start earlier, on the 17th of July, as the Spanish government had discovered it

• Spanish Morocco, parts of Andalusia, and parts of Northwestern Spain (Galicia and Cantabria) joined the coup, however the industry remained with the republic and half of the army remained loyal

Dividing the camps

The coup failed, and radicalised many more Spanish:

• The workers, Catalans, and Basques sided with the Republic

• The upper class and church sided with the nationalists

• The middle class was divided

• Northern and central peasantry supported the Nationalists, in the south the Republicans

The Spanish airlift?

Airlift in which Germany (and Italy) airlifted 24000 nationalist soldiers from Africa to the mainland, coordinated with the uprising in the north.

Republican advantages?

• Retained large part of the military

• Control of major cities and industry

• Support from the USSR

• Held Madrid

Initial phase (-December 36)

• Nationalist victory at Badajoz, decisively linking the southern and northern fronts

• Surrounded Madrid to the south and west in November 1936 with German support

• Nationalists gain a stronger foothold in Andalusia with Italian support

• Republicans hold Madrid thanks to International brigades and Soviet aid

1937 (Until november)

• Continued southern success for the nationalists, with Italian aid

• Republican victory at Guadalajara, Madrid secured

• Republicans divided in the north, Guernica bombed and Bilbao fell, closing the Basque pocket

• Asturias coal seized in October by the nationalists

• Republican air force did not have the range to make it from the centre of Spain to where the combat was taking place

Continuation (Nov 1937-October 1938)

• Nationalists ended their bombing campaign in the north, however the decisive air superiority had deprived the republic of resources, and denied them several victories, such as at Teruel

• April 1938 the Nationalists reached the Mediterranean, cutting the Republic in two.

• The republic failed with essentially their last stand at the Battle of the Ebro

• By the end of this period, the republic was ready to collapse

The end (Late 1938-March 1939)

• Stalin ended his support after the Munich conference

• Republicans went into exile in France

• The nationalists took Barcelona in January 1939

• 27th February the UK and France recognised Franco’s government

• One month later the nationalists marched into Madrid

• 1st of April: Franco declares the war over.

The NIC

Non-Intervention Committee, founded by the UK and France to prevent military support for the warring parties members included the USSR, Germany, and Italy

Failure of Non-Intervention

• France would’ve supported the Republic, but did not want the conflict to erupt in their own country, so enacted non-intervention instead

• Britain barely abided, allowing the nationalists to use Gibraltar for communication and signed a trade agreement with them

• American companies traded readily with the nationalists

• Germany, Italy, and the USSR could still intervene militarily as they did without any repercussion, despite being members

Britain in particular

• Allowed Franco to use Gibraltar, did not permit anything similar for the Republic

• Saw the Republic as communist, and therefore more dangerous than Franco

• Public opinion in favour of the republic

• Believed Franco would bring order to Spain

France in particular

• Spain was very important, they did not want more fascists on their border

• Still fear of an internal revolt being sparked by the entry, also reliant on the British for safety

• The result was the NIC, negatively impacting the republicans

• Sent 94 aircraft to Spain, but mainly sent humanitarian aid

• 10000 citizens joined the international brigades

• the lack of aid forced the republicans to rely on the USSR, making them more communist

The USA

• Support for the NIC

• Neutrality and isolationism

• Extended the neutrality act to civil wars

• US companies were happy to trade with Franco, he was given 700 million dollars of supplies entirely on credit

The USSR

• Did not want a nationalist victory to strengthen Hitler

• Also did not want a grand alliance against Communism (Britain, France, and Germany)

• Supported the Republicans mainly to drain German resources, scaled down support in 1938 following the Munich agreement

Germany

• Stop the spread of communism, Göring was instrumental in convincing Hitler to support

• Opportunity to test the airforce and tactics

• Raw materials

• Strategically important location in a conflict against Britain and France

Italy

• 80000 troops, + planes, weapons, and tanks

• Bombing campaigns, air and naval support

• Anti-communist

• weaken France, work closer with Germany

• Grow in strength in the Mediterranean

Portugal

• Not a member of the NIC

• 20000 troops to the nationalists

• Supplies to the nationalists along the border