Higher Appeasement Spanish Civil War

Began in July 1936 and ended in April 1939.

A left-wing Republican government known as the Popular Front; no Communists were included.

• Monarchy: until 1931
• Republican: left wing (1931-34) then more right-wing (1934-36)

• Rich landowners
• Army officer class
• Catholic Church leaders
• Falange Español (political party)
• Industry owners
• Some peasants and workers
• Some Intl. Brigades

• Republicans (anti-monarchist)
• Socialists
• Anti-clerical groups
• Many peasants and workers
• Regional separatists (Catalonia and the Basque Country)
• Anarchists
• Communists
• Most International Brigades

They thought Spain was about to have a Communist revolution like Russia in 1917.

General Francisco Franco led a military rebellion with help from German and Italian aircraft which took his troops from Africa to the mainland.

Why did some countries get involved in the civil war? • Seen by some as an international struggle between democracy and fascism, or Communism and Capitalism.
• Others viewed it as an opportunity for their advantage.

• Access to Spain’s iron ore for his rearmament programme.
• Testing and training for his army and air force.

• To gain naval bases from Spain to increase Italian domination in the Mediterranean.
• To support a fellow fascist group
• To show Hitler that Italy was a useful ally.

• Condor Legion (100 planes, 14,000 men -300 died; bombed Guernica)
• expert advice on weaponry
• 200 tanks
• 600 aircraft

• 75,000 troops (5,000 died)
• aircraft
• submarines

General Salazar’s right-wing government
• sent 20,000 ‘volunteers’ (actually soldiers)
• allowed arms into Spain
Did not want a democratic or communist Spain next to Portugal

Stalin did not want a communist government in Spain (to avoid angering the British)
But… Stalin wanted Hitler to get bogged down in Spain for a long time

• 500 Soviet advisers to train the Popular Army
• Some heavy tanks and fighter aircraft

In return they took almost the whole of Spain’s gold reserves.

‘The war was actually won for Franco by the Germans and Italians. … The motives of France and Britain are less easy to understand. … In the most mean, cowardly, hypocritical way the British ruling class did all they could to hand Spain over to Franco and the Nazis. Why?’

‘It is true that non-intervention has not worked as well as we could have wished. … but that is no reason for abandoning the principle. Those who advocate its abandonment must face the alternative, and it in immeasurably grave.’

• 40,000 fought (20,000 at most at any one time)
• Most were French, German, Italian
• 500 Scots, 2300 British altogether (540 died)
• Idealists who opposed Fascism

• Felt their democratic countries had not done enough against Franco.
• Assisted in the defence of Madrid (Nov. 1936): mostly helped Republican propaganda.
• Disbanded in autumn 1938 after Soviet aid ended.

• Intellectuals and trade unionists supported the Republic.
• Most of the business community and Conservative Party supported the Nationalists.
• Reports of anti-clerical violence turned Catholics against the Republic.

• Popular Front government also elected in France in 1936.
• Its PM Leon Blum worried about dividing France along the same lines as Spain
• Blum argued for non-intervention as a way to support the Republic

• British investors feared they would lose money if the Republic won.
• They supported Franco’s anti-trade union ideas.
o (Franco got British bank loans easily while the Republic was refused.)

Britain ‘consistently’ aimed to keep ‘the peace in Europe by confining the war to Spain.’ He thought that no country wanted to have a European war.

‘Most people displayed little concern. They wanted peace. They disliked communism. Baldwin (and Chamberlain after him) gave them what they wanted.’

16 countries, including Germany, Italy and the USSR.

Within a month it was known that Germany, Italy and Portugal were still helping the Nationalists. The USSR pulled out (Oct. 1936) and openly assisted the Republic.

• Christmas Eve 1936: both appealed to G, I, P, and USSR to stop supplies.
• 2 Jan. 1937: ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ between Britain and Italy to keep status quo in western Mediterranean.

Aimed to stop supplies for both sides but German and Italian ships only stopped those for the Republicans. After several conflicts Germany and Italy withdrew from the NIC and openly supplied Franco.

• Guernica was attacked by the Condor Legion (April 1937)
• Italy continued submarine attacks on shipping until the Royal Navy ordered counter-attacks.
• Italy drew closer to Germany via the Anti-Comintern Pact (Nov. 1937) and left the League (Dec.)

• Nationalist unity
• Republican disunity
• Foreign intervention
• Non-intervention

• More co-operation between Italy and Germany.
• Made many people distrustful of British and French non-intervention and appeasement policies.

Most foreigners saw it as a fight between fascism and democracy
They were encouraged by political writers, socialist parties and the Comintern (Communist International which the Soviets controlled)