Understanding the Spanish Civil War and Its Global Consequences

11.1 The Revolt Against the Republic and the Conduct of War: The International Dimensions of Conflict

The military coup organized by Mola aimed to dismiss the republican authorities, dissolve the Parliament, and implement a "republican dictatorship." The uprising began on 17 July in Morocco and became widespread in the peninsula the next day. The various military garrisons were to seize the levers of government with the help of civic groups involved. The "Uprising" failed in large cities but triumphed in some capitals of the interior, while others started a fight with mixed results. This was related to the attitude of military commanders as well as the social and political conditions of each region.

The uprising was supported by much of the military, landowners, monarchists, Catholics, traditionalists, and phalanges. Besides rejecting the Republican regime, many other factors that led them to act included the prevailing political climate of violence, attacks against the Catholic Church, and especially the fear of a collectivist revolution. There was no unanimity on what was intended to do once the coup had succeeded; each political group had its own project.

The Fighting in Barcelona

Fighting in the streets of Barcelona involved groups loyal to the Republic, which consisted of workers, municipal employees, and laborers. The majority were under the influence of socialist organizations, syndicalists, and communists. Next to them were also the middle classes, linked to nationalist and republican parties, who were always fearful of social revolution. Although some sectors were betting on it (left socialists, anarcho-syndicalists), most advocated a reformist policy as initiated during the first two Republican terms.

Neither the rebels nor the Republican government had foreseen the possibility of triggering a war. The failure of the military uprising became a civil war not only because of irreconcilable positions but also due to the foreign aid received by both sides. Governments and international public opinion were divided over the "war in Spain." The Western democratic governments (France and Britain) soon adopted a policy of extreme caution, fearing that intervention could precipitate the start of a European conflict. The regimes of Mussolini and Hitler supported the rebels from the outset, while Stalin's USSR and most of the labor organizations in the world (socialists and communists) were the mainstay of the republican regime.

Britain advocated a policy of appeasement with Nazi Germany and wanted to avoid, at all costs, a European conflict. France was the power most affected by its proximity and its sympathy for the republican cause, as they also had a Popular Front government. However, the need to have the support of Britain against Hitler led them to promote the organization of a Non-Intervention Committee, created in August 1936 and established its headquarters in London. It associated twenty-seven countries but could not prevent the two sides from receiving foreign aid. The Committee, with representatives of countries that provided assistance to the combatants, including Germany, Italy, and the USSR, had the sole intention of monitoring each other.

From the moment the uprising became a civil war to its conclusion almost three years later, the conflict was militarily crossed by five major stages of unequal length:

1. The Passage of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Advance to Madrid (July-November 1936)

It aimed to territorially unify the rebel-controlled areas.

2. Battles Around Madrid (December 1936 - March 1937)

This included Madrid, Jarama, and Guadalajara, with an unsuccessful attempt to occupy the capital.

3. The Occupation of the North (April-October 1937)

This phase saw the fall of Bilbao, Santander, and Asturias, along with their industry and mineral resources.

4. The Offensive Towards the Mediterranean (November 1937 - June 1938)

This began with the Battle of Teruel and continued with the campaign until the arrival of Franco's troops to the Mediterranean.

5. The Battle of the Ebro and the End of the War (July 1938 - April 1939)

After the defeat of the Republican army in Catalonia and the subsequent fall of Madrid, the war came to an end.