Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) *1st Battle Between Democracy & Fascism* Prelude To Tragedy, WWII

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Mon Aug 16, 2021, 12:50 AM - Edit history (4)

- BBC, (1983). 6 - Part Series. Episodes 1.- 2. Prelude To Tragedy, WWII.
Episode 3. Battleground For Idealists, Episode 4. Franco & The Nationalists, Episode 5. Inside The Revolution, Episode 6. Victory & Defeat.

Gen. Francisco Franco and his nationalist, 'Falangist' party fascist forces defeated republicans to win the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Dictator Franco ruled until his death in 1975. Artists portrayed and memorialized the struggle- Hemingway's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls,' George Orwell's 'Homage To Catalonia,' Jean-Paul Sartre, Spanish artists Salvador Dali, Juan Miro, and Picasso's tribute work, 'Guernica.'

- Episode 3. Battleground For Idealists, Episode 4. Franco & The Nationalists.

- Episode 5. Inside The Revolution.

- Episode 6. Victory & Defeat.

- (Wiki) The Spanish Civil War was a civil war in Spain fought from 1936 to 1939. Republicans loyal to the left-leaning Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic, in alliance with anarchists, of the communist and syndicalist variety, fought against an insurrection by the Nationalists, an alliance of Falangists, monarchists, fascists, conservatives and traditionalists, led by a military group among whom General Francisco Franco soon achieved a preponderant role.
Due to the international political climate at the time, the war had many facets and was variously viewed as class struggle, a religious struggle, a struggle between dictatorship and republican democracy, between revolution and counterrevolution, and between fascism and communism...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco



- Republican forces during the Battle of Irun in 1936.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War
________
- (History) Spanish Civil War Breaks Out: On July 18, 1936, the Spanish Civil War begins as a revolt by right-wing Spanish military officers in Spanish Morocco and spreads to mainland Spain. From the Canary Islands, General Francisco Franco broadcasts a message calling for all army officers to join the uprising and overthrow Spain’s leftist Republican government. Within 3 days, the rebels captured Morocco, much of northern Spain, and several key cities in the south. The Republicans succeeded in putting down the uprising in other areas, including Madrid, Spain’s capital. The Republicans and the Nationalists, as the rebels were called, then proceeded to secure their respective territories by executing thousands of suspected political opponents..

In 1931, Spanish King Alfonso XIII authorized elections to decide the government of Spain, and voters overwhelmingly chose to abolish the monarchy in favor of a liberal republic. Alfonso went into exile, and the Second Republic, initially dominated by middle-class liberals and moderate socialists, was proclaimed. During the first 2 years of the Republic, organized labor and leftist radicals forced widespread liberal reforms, and the independence-minded region of Catalonia and the Basque provinces achieved virtual autonomy. The landed aristocracy, the church and a large military clique opposed the Republic, and in November 1933 conservative forces regained control of the government in elections. In response, socialists launched a revolution in the mining districts of Asturias, and Catalan nationalists rebelled in Barcelona. General Franco crushed the so-called October Revolution on behalf of the conservative government, and in 1935 he was appointed army chief of staff.

In February 1936, new elections brought the Popular Front, a leftist coalition, to power, and Franco, a strict monarchist, was sent to an obscure command in the Canary Islands off Africa. Fearing that the liberal government would give way to Marxist revolution, army officers conspired to seize power. After a period of hesitation, Franco agreed to join the military conspiracy, which was scheduled to begin in Morocco at 5 a.m. on July 18 and then in Spain 24 hours later. The difference in time was to allow the Army of Africa time to secure Morocco before being transported to Spain’s Andalusian coast by the navy. On the afternoon of July 17, the plan for the next morning was discovered in the Moroccan town of Melilla, and the rebels were forced into premature action..

On July 18, Spanish garrisons rose up in revolt all across Spain. Workers and peasants fought the uprising, but in many cities the Republican government denied them weapons, and the Nationalists soon gained control. In conservative regions, such as Old Castile and Navarre, the Nationalists seized control with little bloodshed, but in other regions, such as the fiercely independent city of Bilbao, they didn’t dare leave their garrisons. During 1937, Franco unified the Nationalist forces under the command of the Falange, Spain’s fascist party, while the Republicans fell under the sway of the communists. Germany and Italy aided Franco with an abundance of planes, tanks, and arms, while the Soviet Union aided the Republican side. In addition, thousands of communists and other radicals from France, the USSR, America, and elsewhere formed the International Brigades to aid the Republican cause. The most significant contribution of these foreign units was the successful defense of Madrid until the end of the war...

More, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/spanish-civil-war-breaks-out

[Claire Oh Nette]

1. If you think our approach to US History is poor...

Ever take a look at the world history curriculum?

This war is a paragraph, likely, in a prelude to WWII. Unless one takes post secondary history beyond the big survey courses, it is still just a vague backdrop to The Sun Also Rises...

Americans in general are oblivious to any history not made into a movie.

[appalachiablue]

2. It's sub-poor. Throughout public school

and college there was no mention of the Spanish Civil War, cause 'revolution ' and 'communists!' I wouldn't know much at all if not for self study and books and films.