Margot Marston
IB History SL
Analysis of the causes of the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War began on the 17th of July 1936. It was a civil war which became known as the dress rehearsal for World War Two and affected the further development of conflict in Europe in the twentieth century. It primarily pitted the Left against the Right, and consequently was seen as a battle of democracy against fascism. During the course of this three year war Spain suffered approximately 500,000 casualtie, making it one of the deadliest wars in Spanish history. The direct causes of the Spanish civil war have been discussed and debated for decades, some believing it was inevitable, others arguing it could have easily been avoided. In retrospect, one can see the web strung between the underlying and immediate causes of the war and three fundamental strands emerge: the society, the economy, and the political systems. Firstly, the political instability presented many problems and ideological differences within the nation continued the polarization of its population. Secondly, the economic conditions of Spain where a forlorn state was crumbling under corruption, archaic tradition of socio-economic separation existed, and lack of modernization and industrialization in the society in general. Lastly, the social condition, one in which the church and the army expressed great influence over the people, hindering change and presenting difficulties for the new republic. These three issues which can be categorized in both the long-term and the short-term were quintessential for causing the onset of the Spanish Civil War.
Before major political polarization had begun, Spain’s government had already been experiencing governmental, economic and societal weaknesses. Since 1871, Spain had been a constitutional monarchy lead under a King, his appointed Prime Minister and the Cortes (parliament). This system however became tainted by corruption and elections became ineffective, with only a small proportion of the electorate having the right to vote. The true power was held by the oligarchs and only the two main parties were recognized: the Conservatives and the Liberals. The army, which had a great influence over the government, was also extremely inefficient. It was a brutal, conservative, expensive and an ineffective burden that required reform and reduction and consequently wadely abhorred by the public. Similarly the prominent role of the church in politics and society promoted conservatism contaminating the educational and economic systems. Spain, as a largely agrarian economy was rife with endemic poverty hindering growth and industrialization. The socio-economic divide between the rich and the poor continued to expand and the poor’s hunger for land continued. Abysmal working conditions, led to the increase of trade unionism as a means to bring about change. Further social and political tension was caused by Catalonian and Basque Provinces struggling against the centralist state with the aim to achieve independence and the growth of opposition through parties such as the anarchists and the communists as well as the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) who longed for revolution. In 1923, the government experienced a bloodless coup led by General Primo de Rivera who attempted the establishment of authoritarian rule to improve Spain’s troublesome situation. He introduced public works schemes building roads and irrigating the land. Industrial production increased threefold from 1923 to 1930 and in 1925 the rebellion in Morocco was ended. However, the great depression of the 1930’s greatly affected Spain’s economy and large debt and further unsolved problems led to De Rivera’s resignation. These events compromise the long-term causes of the war and were the unstable foundation which Spain continued to build from in the following decade.
