Spanish Civil War Causes of the War Soft Construction with Boiled Beans Salvador Dali

Historical Context Spain had a history of political instability 1923: King Alfonso XIII installed a military dictatorship under Miguel Primo de Rivera 1931: Rivera failed to solve any issues and he was replaced by a Second Spanish Republic (first was in ) Spain was divided by the left and right and efforts at reform increased the divisions Miguel Primo de Rivera

Spain before 1931 Agricultural population and economy with poor and uneducated peasants Aristocratic landowners dominated in rural areas Church dominated schooling Vast differences in wealth and education between cities and countryside, between regions, and between social classes Rapid industrialization after 1910 led to emergence of working class

Long-term causes Long held divisions in Spain ◦ Spain had 19 military coups between 1803 and 1936 ◦ Three civil wars between 1833 and 1876 ◦ Different beliefs about  Traditional Catholicism against modern liberal thought  Regional independence against traditional central control  Political liberalism against conservative monarchism

Long-term causes The rise of the Left ◦ Labor unions were formed and general strikes were organized  Confederación Nacional del Trabajo  Unión General de Trabajadores ◦ These strikes led to the creation of the military dictatorship of General Primo de Rivera ◦ Anarchism beliefs rose  Federación Anarquista Ibérica organized bank robberies and assassinations

Long-term causes Rural unrest ◦ Land ownership concentrated among small number of people ◦ Ideas of land reform spread ◦ Falling agricultural prices led to wage cuts and rural unemployment rose ◦ Federación Nacional de Trabajadores de la Tierra (a peasant workers’ union) was formed ◦ Land seizures and estate occupations became frequent

Long-term causes Catholic Church ◦ Catholic Church was very powerful in Spain and had been for centuries ◦ Catholic Church supported Primo de Rivera and also helped stop revolts in the rural areas The army ◦ Military dictatorship under Miguel Primo de Rivera from ◦ The military held a position of power and was threatened by the Second Republic

Long-term causes Separatist movements ◦ There were growing separatist movements in Catalonia and the Basque country

Long-term causes Foreign influences and ideas ◦ Spain became a battleground for opposing ideologies  Catholics, militarists, nationalists, fascists, democrats, anarchists, separatists, and communists all fought for their beliefs ◦ Militaristic right-wing dictatorships in Italy and Germany influenced the growth of a fascist movement in Spain

End of the monarchy In January 1930, the Rivera military dictatorship ended King Alfonso XIII hoped to gain support for the continuation of the monarchy He arranged elections to be held on this issue Unfortunately for him, the voters selected a democratic republic King Alfonso refused to abdicate his throne but he did leave Spain.

Coalition Governments Between 1931 and 1936 there were 3 major elections in Spain that had dramatic swings between the left and right ◦ Left-wing coalition government – 6/31-11/33 ◦ Right-wing coalition government – 11/33-2/36 ◦ Left-wing coalition government known as the Popular Front – 2/36-7/36

Left-wing Government The June 1931 elections brought in a left- wing government ◦ Included Socialists (largest party) but they still needed a coalition to pass laws so they joined with the Radical Party ◦ The Left-wing held all of the 470 seats in the parliament expect for the 41 held by the right-wing

Left-wing Reforms The Left-wing government passed a series of reforms ◦ Agrarian reforms (including a 8 hour work day and land redistribution) ◦ Urban worker reforms (8 hour work day and overtime) ◦ Anti-clerical reforms (ended Church monopoly of education) ◦ Military reforms (reduced # of military officers) ◦ Separatist reforms (gave limited authority to Catalonia

Opposition to Reforms Both the extreme left and the conservative right objected to the reforms The November 1933 elections were called because of the breakdown in the left-wing coalition government In November 1933, the right-wing conservatives won the majority in Parliament

Short-term causes 1933 Election Confederación Española de Derechos Autonomas (Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right) (CEDA) won the 1933 election with support from the church There was a coalition between the CEDA and the moderate radicals After the election support for the government dwindled on both left and right

Right-wing Republican gov’t The Confederacion Espanola de Derechas Autonomas (CEDA) became the largest party in Parliament The right-wing government sought to undo the reforms of the previous government ◦ They refused to enforce the agrarian and urban reforms and allowed the Catholic Church to again control education

End of the Right-wing gov’t The Right-wing government was extremely unpopular and led to many uprisings. President Alcala-Zamora dissolved the parliament and called for new elections in February 1936.

Popular Front Gov’t Feb-July Election Loose coalition of left-wing parties called the Popular Front won a narrow victory over CEDA Socialist Party (PSOE), Liberals, Communist Party, regional nationalist parties After the election, unrest in the countryside exploded Assassination of former finance minister José Sotelo on July 13, 1936 was the trigger for the war

The Spark José Soleto: leading monarchist and conservative July 13, 1936: Murdered by police with links to the Socialist Party Center and right parties were outraged Nationalist generals were already planning an uprising and this provided the justification for a coup Jose Calvo Soleto

Nationalist Coup Organized by Generals Jose Sajurjo & Emilio Mola Francisco Franco sent to Spanish Morocco to take command of the Spanish Army of Africa July 17, 1936 – the coup begins Republican leaders were paralyzed by disagreement and indecision Within weeks Nationalists gained control of most of western and northern Spain Republicans retained control of eastern and central Spain

Nationalist Leaders Francisco Franco Emilio Mola

The Nationalists Favored a strong government and unified country Opposed regional separatism Supporters included most businessmen, practicing Catholics, army officers, landowners Coalition between several groups including the CEDA, the Alfonsists and the Carlists After 1937, these groups were merged into the Falange, a party favoring a strong dictatorship and military The main leader of the Falange, General Francisco Franco, would lead this faction throughout the war and later would become the dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975.

Republican Leaders Manuel Azana, President Francisco Largo Cabellero, PM

The Republicans The Republican faction also known as the Loyalist faction, supported the established government of the Second Spanish Republic Cast the war as a struggle between tyranny and democracy Supported by most workers, landless peasants, and educated middle class Republican groups/parties generally had a wider range of goals and ideologies ◦ Republican Left –liberal democracy ◦ Socialists – land distribution and worker-controlled factories ◦ Communists – Soviet-style communist government ◦ Trade unions – worker control over factories ◦ Catalans & Basques –regional independence