Republican Spain: Revolution, Terror, and Internal Conflict

Republican Spain

Repression and Revolution

As the uprising began, Prime Minister Casares Quiroga ordered the dissolution of rebel units and exempted soldiers from obeying their rebellious leaders. Fearful of the escalating revolution, he resigned, and another government was formed, led by Martínez Barrio. President Azaña then commissioned José Giral to form a new government. Lacking a loyal army to quell the uprising, the government ordered the distribution of arms to militant workers' organizations. This step initiated a full-blown revolution.

The Red Terror

From this point on, uncontrolled terror was unleashed by committees, militias, and people's courts. The first weeks saw the burning of churches and convents, assaults on prisons, and the assassinations of right-wing military and political figures. The images of this violence were very damaging to the Republic's international reputation, while the massacres committed by the Nationalist rebels often received less repercussion abroad.

The Social Revolution

At the same time, the anarchists of the CNT and, to a large extent, the UGT, undertook a profound social revolution, best expressed through the creation of collectives. This was particularly prominent in Catalonia, led by the Central Committee of Antifascist Militias, where industries and services fell under the control of the anarchist union, the CNT. In Aragon, the majority of farming communities were established by Catalan anarchists and organized under the Council of Aragon. Other collectives were developed in different areas of the Republic, but on a smaller scale.

Internal Struggles in Republican Spain

By late August 1936, the Republic was beleaguered. This situation necessitated the formation of a coalition government capable of reconciling the revolutionary experiments of trade unionism with the urgent need to rebuild the Republican state and centralize resources to win the war.

The Governments of Largo Caballero

In September, Largo Caballero formed a government that included Socialists, Republicans, Communists, and Catalan and Basque nationalists. On October 1, the Cortes approved the Basque Statute of Autonomy. Days later, the council of municipalities of Biscay elected José Antonio Aguirre, leader of the PNV, as the Lehendakari (President) of the Basque government. Initially, the CNT remained outside the government of the Republic. However, on November 4, Largo Caballero remodeled his government, bringing in four syndicalist ministers. Among them was Federica Montseny, who became the first female minister in the history of Spain. On November 6, as Nationalist forces approached Madrid, the new government decided to relocate to Valencia. This hasty departure left the defense of the capital in the hands of a newly formed Defense Council.