Spanish Civil War: Conservative & Popular Front (1933-1936)

The Conservative Period (1933-1936)

The Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas (CEDA) won the elections and formed a government in coalition with Lerroux and his party, Partido Radical de Centro.

In 1934, members of the CEDA entered the government, and protests escalated into the October Revolution of 1934.

In Asturias, miners initiated a rebellion. The revolt was suppressed by the army, which deployed Moroccan troops led by Franco to control the situation.

In Barcelona, the autonomous government proclaimed a Catalan Republic separate from the Spanish Republic. The Statute of Autonomy was abolished, and the Generalitat was dissolved.

New elections were held in 1936. The Frente Popular (left-wing parties) won.

The Popular Front (February-July 1936)

The government of Casares Quiroga decreed an amnesty for political prisoners of the 1934 Revolution and reinstated reforms.

A new political party with extreme right-wing ideas, Falange Española, demanded a fascist regime for the country.

Political tensions caused fights and assassinations between the Falangistas, the communists, and the anarchists (Tragic Spring of 1936).

Commentary on the Map of the Spanish Civil War (1936)

This image shows a map of Spain representing the stages and key locations of the Civil War in 1936.

In 1936, the African army took Seville and Badajoz. It then advanced along the stronghold of Toledo and took up positions around Madrid. Meanwhile, in north-west Spain, the rebels captured Oviedo in 1936.

The Republican Side

• A social revolution supported the collectivization of land and industry.
• Strong anti-clericalism emerged.
• The Basque Country was granted a statute of autonomy.
• The government was initially led by Caballero, later transitioning to Negrín.
• Divisions between communists and anarchists weakened the government.

The Nationalist Side

• All republican reforms were retracted.
• Repression was used to eliminate rebels.
• Franco united all rebellious factions under Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS (Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista).

Consequences of the War

• Approximately 380,000 deaths.
• Approximately 350,000 political exiles.
• Destruction of fields, artwork, and infrastructure.
• Triumph of the Church and conservative sectors aligned with the Nationalists.
• Cultural impoverishment.

The new regime, imposed by Franco after his victory in the Civil War, transformed Spain into a dictatorship that lasted 40 years.