Why did civil war break out in Spain in 1936?

To this day the Spanish Civil War is still remembered as the single most pivotal moment in the history of Spanish politics. The only way of understanding how 600,000 Spaniards were killed between 1936 and 1939 is to ask ourselves why the civil war broke out in Spain in 1936. There were a number of reasons which led to the civil war in Spain. The main and most significant being the increased political polarization between the left and right wing parties.

This polarization primarily began within Spanish society, which had been characterized by its strong religious beliefs and conservative values, as it remained a strict Roman Catholic country for many centuries. This was evident in the senate where some of the clergy held seats. As a result of this the church also played an important role in the Spanish government and had portrayed its influence through aspects of education and freedom of expression. This was an important factor that contributed to the start of tensions within the Spanish society as many Spaniards felt that the church had too much political authority and wealth.

However, it was only after the Spanish-American War in 1898 that the divisions became apparent. Evidently, Spain’s loss of its colonies lowered the morale of the Spanish people and reflected Spain’s backward and deteriorating nation, especially in respect to the development of other European countries of that period. It was here that the Spanish realised their desperate need for ‘regeneration.’ However, a disagreement on the type of change needed divided the Spanish nation into two factions, causing one of the long-term reasons for the breakout of the civil war. On the one hand, there were the liberal middle classes who wanted to modernize Spain and turn it into a democracy in order for it to prosper into the twentieth century. On the other hand, was the conservative nationalists represented by the Church, the army and many large landowners and industrialists. Most of which wanted Spain to return to the Golden Ages of sixteenth century Catholic Spain and were in favour of the Monarchy in order to remain an authoritarian state. This division was highlighted further by a number of pronunciamientos and uprisings between the two sides adding to the increased political tension.

For the right, ‘they saw the defence of religious interests as their fundamental political task.’ Whereas, the liberals reflected the increasingly anti-Catholic feeling throughout Spain. Therefore, it can be understood why the liberal views on the Church, and its policies within the second republic to reduce the Church’s power, angered the right wing parties enough for them to retaliate through a number of uprisings throughout Spain. Especially during the declaration of the second republic stating that Spain no longer possessed an official religion.

During the constitutional monarchy of Alfonso ΧΙΙΙ, the left was frustrated by the farce ...

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During the constitutional monarchy of Alfonso ΧΙΙΙ, the left was frustrated by the farce of the electoral system, which up until the second republic was formed on the 14th April 1931, remained in favour of local bosses, also given the name, ‘caciques’ who helped get their chosen candidates into power. Therefore the liberals wanted to transform the system to make it politically equal by taking the army and the church out of politics and redistribute land from latifundos to peasant farmers, which is exactly what they achieved with the second republic between 1931 to 1933.

The Second Republic made important changes to General Primo De Rivera’s reforms in1931. The socialists and middle-class radicals attempted to resolve outstanding problems such as the removal of unnecessary privileges of the Roman Catholic Church. For example, the salaries of priests were no longer paid for by the state, the church was made a separate entity to the government, Jesuits were expelled from Spain, divorce was legalised and religious education in schools was stopped. Landowners were also targeted as large estates were nationalised and land was redistributed to the peasantry. Also, the wages of people working in industry were increased and paid by their employers instead of the state. In order to reduce the power of the army many officers were forced to retire early. Furthermore, these modifications angered the right, who had the support of many Spaniards that saw Spain as a fundamentally Catholic country. Consequently, leading the Nationalists to attempt to de-stabilize the republic through means of violence and conspiracy.

It was only through the right’s fear of communism and the left’s fear of fascism that both groups found it impossible to consider the other’s existence within Spanish politics. Either side’s fear of extremism led to the intervention of other countries. Spain’s neutrality during First World War due to its division over the two sides led to an economic boom. In return for its help during the First World War, Hitler and Mussolini supported the right’s fascist movement. Furthermore, the fears of other European countries of communism caused the republic’s lack of international support, except the Russian support due to the extreme communist parties such as the PCE and coalition of the left to form POUM. The emergence of these extremist parties led to great political unrest. As well as CEDA, the extreme fascist groups such as the Carlists, Alfonsine monarchists, JONS and the Falange participated in a number of conspiracies and street fighting against the left, especially in retaliation for the mass burning of churches around Spain, leaving the situation on the verge of a greater eruption.

Although there were many other revolutions by the left throughout Spain in response to Alcala Zamora’s and Lerroux’s tolerance of three CEDA ministers into the cabinet, Asturias was by far the worst. However, the incident in Casas Viejas in January 1933 led to the massacre of many Andalusian villagers by government troops while attempting to suppress an anarchist uprising. The uprising was carried out by peasant farmers who joined the anarchist CNT (national Confederation of Labour) or FNTT (national Land workers Federation) in order to protest against the Agrarian Reform Act of 1931 as the workers were getting impatient and the reform measures did nothing to help agricultural unemployment which was on the increase.

Through the Radical Party’s and the right’s campaign against Azana this incident was turned into a national scandal, forcing Azana to resign in 1933. However, the Agrarian Reform Act remained a heated topic in the Cortes. The right’s continual delaying of the legislation made by Azana led to a deterioration in their relationship with the president, Alcala Zamora. Subsequently, these quarrels were reflected in a great increase in social disorder within the whole nation and yet again augmented the division between the two sides.

The strike of the coal miners in Asturias in October 1934 was considered, ‘the immediate origin of the Civil War.’ This was because it united the left resulting in the formation of the Popular Front. The full-scale revolution caused 2,000 people to be killed or wounded. Over 30,000 workers had been put together to form the ‘red army’ who were supported by the anarchist CNT and the UGT (Socialist Trade Union Organization) of which many executives were imprisoned. The sheer brutality of the killings by Generals Franco and Godeds’ troops during the so-called ‘Bienio Negro’ was disguised through a bombardment of tales surrounding the supposed atrocities of the rebels.

The revolution was key to the regeneration of the left in order to form the Popular Front led by Azana. The main aim of this new republican alliance being to avenge Austurian repression and to fight against ‘fascism’ in the elections of 1936. This was a big threat to the right as it symbolized the determination of the left, leading them to go on and win a narrow majority in the elections, helped by the disappearance of the Radical Party, which left the political centre unrepresented. Therefore, the campaign for power was solely between the Popular Front and CEDA and it was inevitable that the increased polarization would in the short term eventually lead to war.

Another important factor as to why the Civil War broke out was the problem of regionalism in Spain. The strong diversities in economics, education, culture and living standards within particular regions made it very difficult for the government to carry out its policies and reforms across the whole of Spain. Inevitably problems occurred, in particular with regions such as Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country who had their own cultural identities and wanted regional autonomy. This was a larger problem for the Nationalists because they considered it as the dismembering of the Spanish ‘Fatherland.’ However, Catalonia and the Basque Country also held great importance to the Spanish economy, as they were the only regions in Spain that had been modernized through the great boom of industrialisation in the nineteenth century and consisted of thriving economies. The main Catalan organization was the Esquerra, which was formed by an alliance between democratic and republican groups led by Francesc Macia and also formed strong relations with the CNT. The republic was able to legitimise Catalans Statute of autonomy in the Cortes in September 1932 under its regional government, the Generalitat. However, the situation in the Basque country was far more complicated as the Basque attitudes towards the Spanish were full of disgust as they regarded them as foreigners. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), being devotedly Catholic and conservative caused fear for the republic who thought that with autonomy the Basque’s would help the right-wing parties. Although they did ally with the extreme right Carlists, they eventually realised that their only hope of achieving autonomy was if they supported the Republic. Therefore, meaning that

Bibliography

Blinkhorn, Martin, Democracy and Civil War in Spain 1931-1939, London 1988

Mitchell, David, The Spanish Civil War, London 1982

Thomas, Hugh, Spanish Civil War, London 1961

Carr, Raymond, The Republic and the Civil War in Spain, London 1971

Jackson, Gabriel, The Spanish Civil War: Domestic Crisis or International Conspiracy? 1967

A division of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes.

See Hugh Thomas, ‘The Spanish Civil War’ pp.34-35.

The United States won control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Cuba, which held great importance through its sugar and tobacco industry, also gained its independence from Spain.

It was through aspects of its late development in comparison to European countries that had benefited from industrialization at an earlier stage than Spain.

Many Spaniards admired the democracies of fellow European countries such as Britain and France and hoped that Spain would follow by their example.

A common method used in order to overthrow the government during the nineteenth century.

Quoted by Richard Robinson in Raymond Carr, ‘The Republic and the Civil War in Spain’ p.47.

Called the ‘Turno Pacifico.’

See David Mitchell, ‘The Spanish Civil War’ pp.6-7.

Large private estates in Southern Spain worked by landless peasant labourers. See Martin Blinkhorn, ‘Democracy and Civil War in Spain.’ P.4.

The founders of Roman Catholicism. Religious clauses stated on p.46, Hugh Thomas, ‘The Spanish Civil War.’

The Spanish Communist Party

Revolutionary, Anti-Stalinist Communist Party.

See Raymond Carr, ‘The Republic and the Civil War In Spain.’ Editor’s introduction, p.10.

Name given to the period between the November 1933 election and the end of 1935, meaning the ‘two black years.’

See David Mitchell, ‘The Spanish Civil War,’ p.4.

Why did civil war break out in Spain in 1936?