Spanish Popular Front: Formation, Policies, and Downfall

The Formation of the Popular Front Government

On February 18, 1936, Niceto Alcalá Zamora ordered the formation of a new government under Manuel Azaña. This government would implement the Popular Front's program, based on four key pillars:

• Continuation of agrarian reform
• Strengthening of educational policy
• Amnesty for political prisoners
• Restoration of the Generalitat of Catalonia and promotion of Basque and Galician autonomy statutes

On April 7, Alcalá Zamora was ousted as President of the Republic and replaced by Manuel Azaña. Santiago Casares Quiroga became President of the Government.

Public Disorder and Political Violence

Public disorder manifested in three main ways:

• Violence in the countryside, with strikes and land occupations.
• Attacks on church buildings and the burning of convents.
• Political attacks, featuring clashes between Falangists and Monarchists on one side, and union leaders and Communist/Anarchist groups on the other.

The most significant of these attacks was the assassination of Calvo Sotelo on July 13, 1936. This attack was perpetrated by members of the Assault Guard in retaliation for the murder of José Castillo by Falangists.

Social and Political Radicalization

On the right of the political spectrum, there was an increase in violent activities by the Falange and the JONS. This violence led to the persecution and imprisonment of its leader, José Antonio Primo de Rivera. The Falange advocated for an authoritarian alternative to the parliamentary regime.

On the left, there was also ideological radicalization, particularly in sectors of the PSOE and the CNT. The PSOE experienced a division between more radical supporters of revolution and other factions. In Catalonia, radical politics led to the merger of several small leftist parties. In September 1935, the POUM (Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) was formed, led by Joaquín Maurín, as a result of the merger of the BOC (Workers' and Peasants' Bloc) with the Communist Left. On July 23, 1936, the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) was formed.

In May 1936, the CNT reaffirmed its position, advocating for the abolition of public worship and the confiscation of goods, among other things. This ideological and political radicalization translated into a degree of social radicalization. During the crisis of the 1930s, the radicalization of European society was generally quite similar, including Spain. However, the difference in Spain stemmed from the attitude and will of a sector of the army, which was divided from the early Republican period. The Spanish Military Union (EMU) and the Antifascist Republican Military Union (UMRA) are examples of these divisions.

The Military Conspiracy

From the moment the Republic was proclaimed, there were conspiracies against it. The uprising led by General José Sanjurjo in 1932 was a prime example.

Among the various conspiracies, one notable event occurred on the night of the elections in February 1936. Upon learning of the Popular Front's electoral triumph, Franco proposed declaring a state of war. The Republican government was aware of this danger and therefore placed trusted military leaders in command of key divisions. Suspected generals were sent to the periphery, such as Franco to the Canary Islands.

In the first days of March 1936, various conspiracies began to take shape. One involved a group of generals, and another involved politicians. From April onwards, General Mola prepared a more consistent coup network, gaining the confidence of all anti-republican movements. The plan was to be swift and decisive, not shying away from the violence necessary to succeed. Initially planned for the end of July, the coup was moved to the 18th, partly due to the murder of Calvo Sotelo. The military conspiracy was connected to a plot involving major landowners and financiers.