1. What was the extent and effect of foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil War?

3. Overview The Nationalists benefited far more from foreign assistance the Republicans Their military support was of much better quality and quantity Timing of their assistance was also more favourable – for example, the airlift in 1936 Much of the support given to the Republicans harmed rather than helped their efforts

4. Aid to the Republic: the USSR The main aid to the Republic came from the Soviet Union They gave tanks, aircraft, and military advisers Stalin’s main motive for helping the Republic was not so much to promote Communism, but to protect the position of France Also, he wanted to oppose fascism and Nazism in Europe Aid was reduced from 1938, when Stalin realized the Republic was doomed, and redirected the aid to the Far East

5. Aid to the Republic: The International Brigades The Republic also received help from the ‘International Brigades’ It was a force of volunteers from all over Europe who wanted to help protect the Republic from fascism In total, there were 35,000 men fighting in the International Brigades Most of the volunteers were industrial workers and political refugees

7. Aid to the Nationalists: Germany Germany gave the most important assistance They airlifted the Moroccan army to mainland Spain in 1936, and sent their Condor Legion, a combined air, tank, and artillery unit Their motives for sending this assistance was probably to help weaken France They also gained economically, acquiring raw materials for German rearmament And of course, the Germans saw the war as an opportunity to fight against communism

9. Aid to the Nationalists: Italy Italy also supplied important assistance They helped in the airlift in 1936, and sent 60,000 troops to support Franco’s side They too saw the war as a fight against Communism, and a chance to weaken France Mussolini was also seeking more prestige and glory following his campaign in Abyssinia

10. Non-intervention: Britain Britain did not involve itself in the war for several reasons They did not want the conflict to turn into another European war They were eager to appease Italy Most British politicians were reluctant to help any side associated with Communism

11. Non-intervention: France France’s decision to remain neutral was more surprising, since it also had a Popular Front government But there were many political divisions which weakened her position, and made the government reluctant to commit to aid France knew that it would be acting without the assistance of the British Like Britain, France did not want the war to spread

12. Non-intervention: The USA The United States had its own concerns They had for many years been following the policy of isolationism from European affairs The Depression was still blighting the country: involvement in a foreign war was the last thing they needed The USA was far too involved in its own economic recovery (the ‘New Deal’) However, this did not stop the US Texas Oil Company supplying the Nationalists with oil on credit

13. The non-intervention committee This committee was set up in August 1936 by the British diplomat Lord Plymouth Its aim was to enforce an embargo on arms to Spain, ban volunteers, and to force them to withdraw Members of the committee included Italy, Germany, and the USSR By denying the Republicans the right to buy arms, it reduced a legitimate government to the same status as the rebel army which was trying to overthrow a state Non-intervention did not impede Italian and German aid, but did succeed in making the Republic almost entirely dependent on the Soviet Union, which in turn helped spread Soviet Communism in Spain In short, it was a disastrous failure

14. The results of intervention: Spain The Nationalists benefited far more than the Republicans from the position of the international community Without help from the Germans and the Italians, it is unlikely that Franco would have been able to start, let alone win, the war

16. The results of intervention: Germany Germany gained more than any other country from the Spanish Civil War Fascism had been promoted France was weakened The alliance with Italy was strengthened, making the Anschluss possible The prolonged war had helped to distract the western powers from Germany’s plans to move in on Czechoslovakia

18. The results of intervention: Italy Italian relations with Germany were strengthened France was weakened, and fascism was promoted However, Italy achieved less than Germany The Italian army had performed badly during the war, yet had cost a lot of money to put into the field

20. The results of intervention: USSR Soviet involvement brought few rewards The Spanish Republic had been destroyed Relations between the USSR and Britain & France had been damaged

22. The results of intervention: Britain and France One of the main reasons why Britain had not intervened was to avoid damaging relations with Italy Although an agreement was signed between the two countries in 1938, by this time Italy had moved much closer to Germany France had been weakened by the war, because a fellow socialist republic had been overthrown by fascism