Download - Spanish civil war (Causes) IB
Spanish Civil WarA war between brothers
Spanish Civil War. A fascinating conflict It was considered the prelude of the II WW One of the most bloodiest European civil wars High repercussion in the Spanish history
Prelude of WWII
Same ideologies, and same alliances:
DEMOCRACY + COMMUNISM VS FASCISM/NATIONALISM
A war between brothers
Families were completely broken by the war Example: Franco´s family, my family, etc.
Why?
Complex ideological divide No ethnic, territorial or economic divide
The “last” romantic war
SCW is probably one of the few wars where both sides were really fighting for what they considered a better world
There were two sides with a strong ideological base
Also, it is one of the most recorded (photos, videos) wars
Spanish Civil War
In the Spanish Civil War, it is possible to find a Great Divide (the idea of 2 Spains)
The Conservative Spain The Progressive Spain
Although the country was divided in several questions:
Spanish Civil War
Socio-economic question
Religious question
Ideological question
Regional question
Long-term causes
Ideological divide
The country was divided into two camps: the Conservatives and the Progressives
Minifundia and Latifundia
Long-term causes
What is the traditional ideology of the peasants? Socio-economic question:
North: Peasants have their own lands (Minifundia) --- Conservative
South: The land was controlled by few families (Latifundia) as De Alba --- Peasants with anarchist and socialist ideas (curious case in Europe) with important unions as CNT or FAI
Long-term causes
Religious question What is the main religion in Spain? Typical phenomena in Southern European
countries (Anticlericalism vs. Catholics)
Why? The Church played an important role in the education and politics. The XIXth Century was a century of separation of powers, creating important tension in countries such as Spain or Italy
Long-term causes. Semana Trágica
The “Semana Tragica” was a week in 1909
This week, churches were attacked and burnt in Barcelona after the requirement for new troops in Africa (wave of anticlericalism)
The cemeteries' were also profaned
Long-term causes
Regionalism
The process of Nationalization was incomplete in Spain (The State was unable to create a common national identity)
Strong regional identities in Catalonia and Basque Country (less in Galicia)
The national feeling raised at the beginning of the XXth Century with the failure of the national Spanish project (loss of colonial possessions, political instability)
Long-term causes. Territorialism
Different causes:
Incomplete nationalization because of: Education: Controlled by the Church Military: Spanish Disaster in Cuba Bourgeoisie: Weak bourgeoisie, focused in
Catalonia
Long-term causes. Regionalism
Successful alternatives:
Basque Nationalism: Ultraconservative and rural (Political party: PNV) based on the protection of “Fueros” (old taxation system abolished in 1876)
Catalan Nationalism: Liberal, modern and based on the bourgeoisie (Political party: Lliga)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
16 Cartoons
Long-term causes. Militarism
Military played an important role in Spanish politics during XIXth Century
They participated in different coups and they interfered in politics as a major actor
The role of the military was criticized after the Disaster of 98 and the colonial defeats in Africa
The Disaster of 98.
The War of Cuba (Spanish-American War)
The USA was interested in Spanish colonial possessions so it was pushing Spain to obtain the island
Spain refused, so they used the explosion of a warship (Maine) to declare war on Spain
21 Press campaign
22
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
23
The Disaster of 98
The media believed in a quick victory against the USA
The reality was completely different: in less than one day, the Spanish Navy was defeated
Spain lost:- Cuba- Puerto Rico- Philippines- The honor (Cuba was considered part of Spain)
The military. Colonial expeditions
The military was involved in African campaigns in the Rif region (Conference of Algeciras) as a manner to improve the prestige
High cost in human lives : War increasingly unpopular in Spain among popular classes (Spain was unable to support a colonial Empire)
One example: the Disaster of Annual (1921, more than 300 Spaniards lost their lives)
Long-term causes. Politics
1876 – 1923: Monarchy based on the system of “turnismo” and “caciquismo” (similar case as Portugal, Italy or Greece)
Manipulated elections and two main parties (liberals and conservatives)
Certain political stability and generalized corruption
Long-term cases. Political system
The problems (separatism, strikes, popular unrest) affected the country, so in 1923, the general Miguel Primo de Rivera decided to take over the power
Dictatorship (1923 – 1930)
He tried to be the iron surgeon. His model was Mussollini
although he will work with the socialists
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
29 The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
Origin Why Initial goals Stages Main measures Order Repression of peripheral nationalism
Public works Organization of labor Opposition The end of the system
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
30 Origins
In 1923, the general Miguel Primo de Rivera made a coup against the government
The coup was accepted by the King, the conservative groups, the middle class and even the socialists (PSOE)
Why?
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
31 It seemed liberal democracies were an old-fashioned system (disorder and corruption)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
32 Why? What are the main aims?
Military --- Stop the Picasso Report (A report which tried to look for responsibilities in the Army)
Conservatives--- Stop the strikes+ Stop peripheral nationalisms
Socialist--- Improve the quality of life of the workers with a strong government
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
33 Initial idea
Primo wanted to be the “iron surgeon” who will solve the problems of the country
Temporary situation, to reestablish the order
Military government and strong censorship to “fix” the country
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
34 Stages
Directorio Militar (1923 – 1925)- Idea of provisory government
Institutionalization of the regime(1925-1930)- He tried to create a party (Patriotic Union) and include civilian members in the government to maintain the regime
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
35 Initial measures. Harsh repression of peripherical nationalism Catalan, Galician and Basque
were forbidden Imprisonment and persecution
of the nationalist leaders
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
36 Order and repression
Use of the police and the army to repress the public demonstrations
Strategic Alliance with the Socialist to calm the workers
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
37 End of the War in Morocco
Spectacular victory in the Battle of Alhucemas (anphibious assault) where F.Franco will get the degree of general
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
38 1925-1930.
In 1925, the Military Directory was converted in a Civil Directory
The King seemed enthusiastic with the Project of Primo de Rivera
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
39 Working conditions
Ambitious plan to stop the social tension:
National Plan of Infrastructure: Creation of roads, rails, etc.
National Council of Work: Laws about salaries, contracts, insurances to avoid the abuses
Try to imitate the Italian model
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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41 The opposition to Primo de Rivera
- Anarchist and Socialist (they will abandon Primo at the end of the Dictatorship)
- Military: They were not satisfied with the system of “amiguismos”
- Students: Against an authoritarian regime
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
42 The opposition to the Dictatorship
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
43 The end of the Dictatorship. Wall Street Crash 1929 --- world crisis The ambitious plan of Public
Works was affected by the Crash The tension was back ---- Strikes
and social unrest ---`Primo resigned in 1930
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
44 The Dictablanda of Berenguer
The King decided to appoint a general as the new president: Berenguer
Berenguer was unable to control the situation so the situation got worse and worse (this period will receive the name of Dictablanda” (Soft Dictatorship)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
45 The San Sebastian Agreement
The republican opposition was united in the San Sebastian Agreement
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
46 The San Sebastian Agreement
The left-wing parties organized demonstration's against the regime and in favor of the Republic
Berenguer resigned and called for new elections
The new president (Aznar) released the political prisoners, who participated in the electoral campaign.
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
47 The Elections of 1931
The results are quite curious: The Monarchists won (2,000 more representatives, but in the cities, the Republicans obtained better results)
The King saw this as a defeat and he went to the exile. Why?
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
48 The elections of 1931
The Monarchists won in the countryside because of the “caciquismo”
The beginning of a new system: the Spanish Republic
The elections of 1931
The failure of the II Republic (1931 – 1936) The II Republic was the second democratic
experience of Spain It was characterized by a high tension and
division between the different political poles
Traditional problem in Europe : Democratic system with a population who did not really believe in democracy
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
50 II Republic
Period of important changes in Europe Period of disorder
Truly democratic experience, in a complicated world
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
51 The context. Europe in the 30s
Rise of authoritarian States 1919: Majority of democratic
States 1939: Majority of dictatorships Democracy was not working for
the majority of social classes, so there were two more sucessful alternatives:
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
53 Europe in the 30s
Workers- Goal: Improve the quality of life They believed the Socialist
Revolution was possible, so they were going to fight for that
They did not believe the Liberal State could improve their quality of life, because most of them were living in poverty.
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
54 The context. Europe in the 30s
Burgueosie. Aim: Free market In theory, they were in favor of
the Liberal State, but they were reluctant because they saw it was unable to establish order (terrorism)
That is why, they were looking for new ideologies as fascism
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
55 The context. Europe in the 1930s
Peasants- Aim: Keep the traditional way of living It is important to consider that
peasants were the most numerous social class
They had the perception that the State wanted certain things (money, special rules) so they did not trust a lot in this State
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
56 In this situation of crisis of the idea of democracy, a new democracy was born: the II Republic
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
58 Celebrations
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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The II Republic
There were three governments during the II Republic: Progressive government (1931 – 1933) Conservative government (1934 – 1936) Popular Front government (1936)
It is relevant the fact there was a coup attempt with every government by the political opposition
The II Republic
1931 – 1933: Progressive government (ruled by Azaña) tried to develop an ambitious program of reforms to modernize the country, with the firm opposition of the Right-Wing supporters
1932: Sanjurjo Coup (Spanish general tried to seize the power, a kind of Kapp Putsch)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
62 Reforms in the Progressive Years (1931 – 1933) Church and educational reform Military reform Agrarian reform Territorial reform
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
63 Educational reform
Ambitious plan of public schools, with the improvement of the teacher´s salary
The State guaranteed a secular school, and the subject Religion was out of the syllabus.
Strong opposition of the clergy
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Religious reform
Teaching of religious orders was banned (attempt to finish with the monopoly of education by the Church)
Prohibition of religious symbols in public (i.e crucifixes in schools)
No financial support of the Church by the State after two years
Legalization of divorce and civil marriage
Many people felt threatened by this reforms
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
66 Military reform
Reduction of the military Budget Reduction of officials The top positions were guaranteed to
military with Republican convictions Those with “right wing” sympathies
were moved to peripheral regions(Canary Islands, Africa, Galicia)
Attempt of selective modernization
Opposition of the military
67 Agrarian reform
Extremely important: Most of the population are peasants
Ley de Bases para la Reforma Agraria: Forced expropriation of lands of “manos
muertas” or with excessive prices of rent Obligation to farm the land Relevant to the South (most of the
Latifundia) but the peasants of the North were also scared
The government created the Institute of Agrarian Reform to study the different cases.
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
68 Agrarian Reform
Anyone was happy with this reform:
For the anarchist (CNT) and communist (PCE) the law was insufficient, because they wanted better lands
For the landowners, it was unfair, because the lands were taken away against their will
Territorial reform
Establishment of a limited autonomy for Catalonia (Parliament, constitution and control over 1/3 of the budget)
Promises of autonomy to other peripheral regions: Galicia and Basque Country
Reaction from the right-wing
For the right wing, the reforms were a direct attack to the traditional Spanish values
Also, they considered the possibility of a Communist revolution in the country
At the beginning of the II Republic, they were really disorganized
Right-wing was organized through the CEDA, led by Gil Robles
Reaction to the reforms
Left-wing was divided: The most important left-wing party (PSOE) was divided about the
reforms, with two trends: Radical trend (led by Caballero): They considered the reforms were not
enough Moderate trend: In favor of the reforms
- Also, many left-wing supporters were Catholics (i.e, the president of the Republic Alcala Zamora) so they did not like the Anti-Clericalism
Reaction to the reforms
The Anarchist (CNT) and the Communist (PCE) were firmly opposed to the government, considering insufficient the reforms
Permanent strikes and public demonstrations
Actually, an Anarchist revolution (Casas Viejas) will end up with the Progressive Period
The Dark Years
1934 – 1936: The Dark Years The government basically
withdrew the previous reforms
1934: The Asturias Revolution (miners tried to start a Socialist Revolution in the North of Spain)
They were responded by the Army (Franco)
The government imprisoned many left-wing politicians
The Asturias Uprising(1934)
Socialist attempt to control the power
The revolt just succeeded in the region of Asturias (mining region)
The miners were able to control 1/3 of the Asturias region during some days
The reaction of the government (directed by Franco) was brutal (1,500 deaths and a strong repression of the left-wing supporters and politicians in all the country)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
75 Asturias Revolution
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
77 1936 Elections
The political radicalization was very high, without centrist options
There are two main blocks: the Popular Front (left-wing) and the National Front (right wing)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
79 1936 Elections. The Popular Front
Different and diverse groups: Liberal left-wing: Azaña (IR) Socialists: PSOE, divided between
moderates(Prieto) and radicals(Caballero)
Communist: stalinist(PCE) and non stalinist(POUM)
Catalan nacionalist(ERC) and Basque nationalists(PNV)
EVEN THE ANARCHIST WILL BE PART OF THE POPULAR FRONT
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
80 Elections 1936. Aims of the Popular Front
Aim: Amnesty of political prisoners Go back to the Constitution of
1931 Recover the autonomy of the
regions (Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
81 1936 Elections. The National Front
The right wing was divided into three political groups, but it was clear they belonged to the same group:
CEDA, Gil Robles: Very conservative and catholic
Bloque Nacional, Calvo Sotelo: Ultraconservative and Nationalist
Falange Española, J.A Primo de Rivera: Fascist
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
82 1936 Elections. The National Front
Goal: Authoritarian Republic and repression of the left
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
83 Posters
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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89 1936 Elections. Results
Extremely high participation, in a divided country: Two Spains
Finally, the Popular Front won with a small difference, and Azaña was proclaimed President
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
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II Republic (1936)
The Popular Front won the elections with a small margin
But, this time the rebellion is going to create a civil war (Spanish Civil War)
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
93 However, after the elections, the tension raised and raised
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
94
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
95 Anticlericalism
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
96 Political radicalization. Rise of the Falange
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
97 Political radicalization
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
98
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
99Political radicalization. Union of Socialist and Communist Youth
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
100 Assassination of the Tennent Castillo by the right wing extremist
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
101 Assassination of Calvo Sotelo
There were rumors of rebellion (both, left-wing and right wing)
In this situation, there was a key event: the assassination of Calvo Sotelo, leader of one of the main right-wing parties
A group of generals was convinced it was the right moment to start a coup against the government.
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
102
Prof. Samuel Perrino Martínez. Liceo XXII José Martí de Varsovia
103 The tension was really high