Spanish Civil War
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, 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. According to Claude Bowers, U.S. ambassador to Spain during the war,
it was the "dress rehearsal" for World War II. The Nationalists won the war, which ended in early 1939, and ruled Spain until Franco's death in November 1975.

The war began after a "pronunciamiento" (a declaration of military opposition, of revolt) against the Republican government by a group of generals of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, with General Emilio Mola as the primary planner and leader and having General José Sanjurjo as a figurehead. The government at the time was a coalition of Republicans, supported in the Cortes by communist and socialist parties, under the leadership of centre-left President Manuel Azaña. The Nationalist group was supported by a number of conservative groups, including CEDA, monarchists, including both the opposing Alfonsists and the religious conservative Carlists, and the Falange Española de las JONS, a fascist political party. After the deaths of Sanjurjo, Emilio Mola and Manuel Goded Llopis, Franco emerged as the remaining leader of the Nationalist side.

The coup was supported by military units in Morocco, Pamplona, Burgos, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Cádiz, Córdoba, and Seville. However, rebelling units in some important cities—such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and Málaga—did not gain control, and those cities remained under the control of the government. This left Spain militarily and politically divided. The Nationalists and the Republican government fought for control of the country. The Nationalist forces received munitions, soldiers, and air support from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, while the Republican side received support from the Soviet Union and Mexico. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, and the United States, continued to recognise the Republican government, but followed an official policy of non-intervention. Despite this policy, tens of thousands of citizens from non-interventionist countries directly participated in the conflict. They fought mostly in the pro-Republican International Brigades, which also included several thousand exiles from pro-Nationalist regimes.

The Nationalists advanced from their strongholds in the south and west, capturing most of Spain's northern coastline in 1937. They also besieged Madrid and the area to its south and west for much of the war. After much of Catalonia was captured in 1938 and 1939, and Madrid cut off from Barcelona, the Republican military position became hopeless. Following the fall without resistance of Barcelona in January 1939, the Francoist regime was recognised by France and the United Kingdom in February 1939. On March 5, 1939, Colonel Segismundo Casado led a military coup against the Republican government. Following internal conflict between Republican factions in Madrid in the same month, Franco entered the capital and declared victory on 1 April 1939. Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards fled to refugee camps in southern France. Those associated with the losing Republicans who stayed were persecuted by the victorious Nationalists. Franco established a dictatorship in which all right-wing parties were fused into the structure of the Franco regime.

The war became notable for the passion and political division it inspired and for the many atrocities that occurred, on both sides. Organised purges occurred in territory captured by Franco's forces so they could consolidate their future regime. Mass executions on a lesser scale also took place in areas controlled by the Republicans, with the participation of local authorities varying from location to location.
Q8465
civil war
Concept
Q29
Spain
LOC
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Republicans
Concept
Q164597
left
Concept
Q246708
Popular Front
ORG
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Second Spanish Republic
LOC
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anarchists
ORG
Q188670
communist
Concept
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syndicalist
Concept
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Nationalists
Concept
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Falangists
ORG
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monarchists
Concept
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conservatives
Concept
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traditionalists
MEDIA
Q29179
Francisco Franco
PER
None
political climate
UNK
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class struggle
Concept
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religious struggle
Concept
Q317
dictatorship
Concept
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republican democracy
Concept
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revolution
Concept
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counterrevolution
Concept
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fascism
Concept
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communism
Concept
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Claude Bowers
PER
Q1751775
dress rehearsal
Concept
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World War II
EVE
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pronunciamiento
Concept
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Spanish Republican Armed Forces
ORG
Q352918
Emilio Mola
PER
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José Sanjurjo
PER
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Cortes
MEDIA
Q6186
communist
Concept
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socialist
Concept
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centre-left
Concept
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Manuel Azaña
PER
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CEDA
ORG
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Alfonsists
MEDIA
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Carlists
ORG
Q207308
Falange Española de las JONS
Concept
Q6223
fascist
Concept
Q352918
Emilio Mola
PER
Q2604672
Manuel Goded Llopis
PER
Q457242
Morocco
Concept
Q10282
Pamplona
LOC
Q9580
Burgos
LOC
Q10305
Zaragoza
LOC
Q8356
Valladolid
LOC
Q15682
Cádiz
LOC
Q5818
Córdoba
LOC
Q8717
Seville
LOC
Q2807
Madrid
LOC
Q1492
Barcelona
LOC
Q8818
Valencia
LOC
Q8692
Bilbao
LOC
Q8851
Málaga
LOC
None
Fascist Italy
UNK
Q7318
Nazi Germany
Concept
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Soviet Union
LOC
Q96
Mexico
LOC
Q145
United Kingdom
LOC
Q70802
French Third Republic
LOC
Q30
United States
LOC
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non-intervention
UNK
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International Brigades
ORG
Q5705
Catalonia
LOC
Q983925
Segismundo Casado
PER
Q1237299
southern France
LOC
Q1262732
purge
Concept
Q10859
Spanish Civil War
EVE
1936-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1936
DATE
1939-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1939
DATE
1939-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1939
DATE
1975-11-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
November 1975
DATE
1937-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1937
DATE
1938-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1938
DATE
1939-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1939
DATE
1939-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
January 1939
DATE
1939-02-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
February 1939
DATE
1939-03-05T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
March 5, 1939
DATE
1939-04-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1 April 1939
DATE
instance of
country
participant
participant
end time
opposite of
political alignment
country
opposite of
political ideology