Spain: Dictatorship, Republic, and Civil War

Primo de Rivera's Dictatorship

• In the first phase of the dictatorship (1923-1925), the government was in the hands of a military directory. This directory suspended the constitution of 1876, dissolved the Cortes, forbade political parties, repressed the labor movement and nationalism, and defeated the Rif rebellion after the Alhucemas landing.
• In the second phase (1925-1930), Primo de Rivera formed a Civil Directory. This government promoted irrigated agriculture and industry and boosted the construction of roads and the improvement of railways. However, facing the repercussions of the 1929 crisis, rising unemployment, the labor movement, the revival of nationalism, and opposition from intellectuals, Primo de Rivera resigned in 1930.

An attempt was made to restore the parliamentary system, but the monarchy was discredited. The municipal elections held in April 1931 saw Republicans triumph in large cities. In this situation, Alfonso XIII fled the country.

Second Republic: Conservative Biennium & Popular Front

• After the elections, a center-right government headed by the Radical Party leader Lerroux took power. The conservative shift of the new government and the halting of reforms produced an increase in strikes and demonstrations, leading to the October Revolution of 1934. This movement reached great intensity in Asturias and Barcelona. The revolution highlighted the polarization of political stances and the decomposition of the government.
• The Popular Front government faced growing political radicalization. On the left, the PSOE sector gained weight. On the radical right, the Falange Española grew. Political violence manifested itself in attacks and violent street clashes between Falangist, communist, and anarchist militants (the tragic spring of 1936). In this situation, the more conservative elements resorted to a coup to overthrow the Republic.

Spanish Civil War: The Coup

The military uprising started in Melilla, Tetuan, and Ceuta on July 17, 1936, and the next day it spread throughout Spain.

• Inside the country, the rebels were supported by conservative military, landowners, gentry, monarchists, Carlists, and Catholics. The Republican government had the support of progressive military, landless peasants, the petty bourgeoisie, and leftist parties.
• Outside the country, a Non-Intervention Committee was formed to prevent foreign support from unleashing a world war. The rebels received support from Germany and Italy, and the Republic from the USSR and the International Brigades, composed of more than 40,000 volunteers.

Military Development of the Civil War

The aim of the coup was to take the capital, Madrid. Two army corps were directed against it, one sent from Navarra and the other from Africa, led by General Franco. However, the resistance encountered forced a change in plans. The war shifted to the Cantabrian coast and then to the Mediterranean in order to split the Republican area. To help the Republicans, they launched the Ebro offensive. Ultimately, the Republicans were defeated, and the rebels took Catalonia. Finally, they advanced on Madrid, which surrendered without resistance, followed by other Republican areas. On April 1, 1939, Franco signed the final war report: the war had ended.

Civil War: Politics and Consequences

• On the Republican side, there was a social revolution that led to the collectivization of land and industries and a multitude of disorders, strong anti-clericalism, and the passage of the Basque Statute of Autonomy. The government was weakened by the division between anarchists and radical communists who wanted to perform the revolution first to win the war, and communists who wanted to win the war first for the revolution.
• In the Nationalist zone, all the reforms of the Republic were abolished. Franco concentrated all civilian and military power and decreed the unification of all supporting political forces into a single party led by him.

Consequences of the War

The war had a major impact:

• Human loss, estimated at 380,000 dead and 350,000 political exiles.
• Imposition of an authoritarian political system.
• Destruction of buildings and infrastructure.
• Social triumph of the more conservative groups and the church.
• Cultural impoverishment.