To what extent did the foreign intervention influence the outcome of the Spanish Civil War?

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Yamile Jasaui                                                                                                            03/05/07

 

To what extent did the foreign intervention influence the outcome of the Spanish Civil War?

        Foreign intervention influenced the outcome of the Spanish Civil War to the extent that it gave the Nationalists the weapons, the soldiers, the military advisers and the economic support to defeat the Republicans. In addition, it led to the formation of the Non-Intervention Committee, which was signed, by Britain, France and the United States. This enabled to Nationalists to keep Germany’s and Italy’s support although prevented the Republicans from getting international support from other countries except for the International Brigades and Stalin. This means that they were not able to neither buy weapons nor receive troops from other countries, which led to an unbalanced situation between the two fronts. However, there were other causes, which influenced the outcome of the Spanish Civil War such as the First Republic which involved the governments of Zamora and Azaña, the incoherent aims and philosophies of the Republicans, the ineffective military organization of the Republicans, the lack of good leaders of the Republicans unlike the Nationalists who had Francisco Franco, the different crosscurrents in Spain at that time and the influence of the Church over the people in order to support the Nationalists. Consequently, the leadership of Franco was very important on the outcome of the Civil War because he organized the administration of the militias which helped him to have greater defeats over the Republicans which, combined with the motivation he was always giving, he created an effective movement which was able to take over Madrid in 1939. According to Gallo, Franco was “very competent and determined” although according to Puzzo “his head was a cemetery of dead ideas”.

During the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939, the Republicans as well as the Nationalists were being supported by foreign powers. The Republicans were being supported by the USSR while the Nationalists were being supported by Italy and Germany as well as Britain, although it was an indirect support. This foreign intervention had major influences on the outcome of the Spanish Civil War due to the weapons and troops each major power gave to the supported side. On the one hand, Germany and Italy gave great amount of support involving men, tanks and aircrafts. Mussolini provided the Nationalists with 50,000 ground troops, 950 tanks, 763 aircraft and 91 warships, while Hitler provided 16,000 military advisers, the most modern aircraft and the Condor Legion services which was Hitler’s best fighting force. The aim of both countries was to prevent the spread of Communism by making Spain fall to the Nationalists; therefore, they struggled and offered unconditional support so that this would not happen. This was an important matter which Hitler feared “There is a danger of the Reds taking power in Spain. It is not my intention to let this happen”. Furthermore, these two countries helped the Nationalists in mobilizing troops from Morocco to Spain which enabled Franco to conquer Andalusia in 1936, encouraged them to keep fighting even after some failures against the Republicans by an increase in Italian equipment in 1937 and finally, helped Franco in crushing Catalonia by giving more armaments in 1939. In addition, the Non-Intervention Committee signed by Britain, France and the United States in 1936 helped the Nationalists although in an indirect manner. Although Germany and Italy had also signed the agreement, they did not stop sending supplies to the Nationalists, which meant that Franco was getting what he wanted.

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Moreover, Germany and Italy did not play the most important role. Britain and the United States also played a major role in the Spanish Civil War just as Germany and Italy. Britain, by creating and signing the Non-Intervention Committee, avoided other country from supporting the Republicans who then lacked of weapons and troops to fight against the Nationalists. Therefore, as Lee argues “Britain’s role was therefore vital” because it prevented the Republicans from getting any artillery or men although they had the money to pay for them; they had all the gold reserves. In addition, the United States role ...

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