...Nazi Germany and the Spanish Civil War Continuity in Hitler’s Foreign Policy Tom Goldstein Professor Herf HIST441 May 15, 2001 The Spanish Civil War (1936-9) was a very important event during the tense1930s in Europe. Although it did not make World War II inevitable, it increased the likelihood of a general war a great deal. The war had a tremendous impact on Spain itself, leaving much of the state’s economic and social infrastructure in ruins and leaving thousands dead. But the war also saw involvement from other European states as both sides of the conflict – the Right-wing Nationalists and the Left-wing Republicans (a.k.a. Loyalists) – requested and received foreign aid not only in terms of financial assets, but also in terms of war material and troops. Adolf Hitler’s Germany was one of the foreign countries most involved in the conflict, contributing economic loans as well as several thousand troops to the Nationalist cause. Hitler’s involvement in the Spanish war was consistent with a larger Nazi foreign policy aimed at diverting British and French attention from Central and Eastern Europe so that he would be unhindered in his plans for eastern expansion. However, the ramifications of the Spanish war for the rest of Europe were great in other ways. The Spanish Civil War was a major contributor to the hardening of the division between the democracies (Britain and France) and the dictatorships (Italy and Germany). Germany also...
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...Webquest – The Spanish Civil War • When did the Spanish Civil War take place and why and how did it start? - 1936 to 1939 between the republicans supported by democrats and communists, and Francisco Franco who was supported by conservative and the catholic church to a certain extent. - Economically, the country had been deeply hit by the Great Depression after the wall street crash, in 1929 the military dictatorship that had ruled Spain since 1923 collapsed and in 1931 the republicans came to power. Which followed a period where the two political rivals both had periods where they had the power as the elected government. So the country was divided and unstable that in 1936 the army rebelled and forcibly removed the Republicans from power. so the civil war ensued. - The war began after a declaration of opposition by a group of generals of the Spanish R.A.F. (Republican Armed Forces) • How did the war end? What was the result? - The better organized and better equipped Nationalist forces won the war after Madrid was captured in March 1939. Hitler's position in Europe was now more powerful, since had another potential ally in the right-wing dictator of Spain, General Franco. - The participation and co-operation in the civil war strengthened the bond between Italy and Germany, as a result the Rome-Berlin Axis was formed. Italy and Germany were then firm allies. • What/whom was the POUM? - What/whom was the POUM? - The Workers' Party of Marxist aunification, was...
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...The Spanish Civil War rose up out of heavy unrest that can be traced back centuries. After the conclusion of the First World War and a slowing of global immigration, workers all over Spain became increasingly militant because of deteriorating conditions. Strikes and uprisings could be found everywhere, and the Spanish government was having a hard time keeping the violence under control. In 1923, Miguel Primo de Rivera assumed power by means of overthrowing the state; he is considered the first modern dictator of Spain. As the unrest and violence continued, Primo de Rivera was forced to declare a state of war in an attempt to “halt any unrest or protests” (Beevor 136). Industrialists and the liberal middle class welcomed Primo de Rivera’s assumption to power because he had a conservative stance, a concern with improving Spain, and he came at a tense time for Spain (Beevor 137). However, the peace and welcoming did not last long. It began in Catalonia when the Catalans began to develop a dislike toward Primo de Rivera’s rule because he did not deal with union leaders to their liking. He, also, enjoyed attacking all aspects of Catalan nationalism (Beevor 140). But, the unrest did not stop there. It grew as Primo de Rivera stretched his influence...
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...Ben Hayward Propaganda Poster Analysis 11/05/13 Propaganda, by definition is an illustrated idea, fact, or allegation that is deliberately spread to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause. Throughout the Spanish Civil War the Republican, and Fascist parties created and distributed a plethora of propaganda. Spanish homes, institutions and buildings were covered in various parties’ propaganda that depicted both the heroes and villains of the Civil War. The emergence of these propaganda posters was a direct result of the fascist takeover the government. The posters served as a visual representation of party affiliation and their goals pertaining to the war. This poster that I present above on the first page represents the Anarchist’s party and their revolution in Spain. More specifically, the column de hierra, or otherwise known as the “Iron Column” was a militia column of the Anarchist ideology. This column was a subset of Militias Confederal and represented the Spanish Republicans. In my analysis of the poster, I will point out the symbolism of the color scheme and the figures represented in the poster as well as the text presented in the poster. The color scheme in any propaganda poster is vital in evoking the direction and intent of the artist’s poster. Also, colors can show viewers of the poster what party is affiliated with them. The red coloring in this poster exhibits the Anarchist party’s colors and distinguishes itself from the dark coloring of the...
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...Nationalist forces as being evenly balanced at the outbreak of Civil War in 1936? The outbreak of Civil War, in July 1936, was due to the murder of Sotelo by a PSOE supporter on the 13th of July. Sotelo was murdered in retribution of the armed action taken against the Asturias rising in which 3,000 miners were killed and another 35,000 were taken prisoner. At the outbreak of war both the Republicans and the Nationalists were fairly evenly balanced, however taking into consideration: Territory and population; industry; armed forces and organization I am going to evaluate which side was stronger in July 1936. The territory in Spain was split at about two-thirds to the Republicans against one-third to the Nationalist. The population was also split in favor of the Republicans with a difference of two million; the nationalist had a population of eleven million and the republicans had a population of thirteen million. However in spite of having control of the majority of the population and land the government could not simply overlook the fact that, in only a few days, they had lost one third of Spain to the rebels. Part of the reason for the Nationalist gain in the country was that a large portion population was in favor of the rebels. The Republicans had control of Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao. By having the capital and also two other major cities put the Republicans in good stead as they occupied the heart of the Spanish economy. Where as the rebel Nationalists had Seville, Majorca...
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...When it comes to the Spanish civil war, republican forces “battled fascists and some Basques sided against the fascists” (White, 2014 p.147). They used the civil war as an excuse to fight for autonomy. The leader of fascists forces Francisco Franco, achieved victory in 1939, in which he forcibly campaigned against the Basque national identity. Francisco incorporated completely the Basque region into Spain, and even banned its language and their expression of national culture. Not only that but parents were actually forced to give their children Spanish names, and priests could not refer to the Basque region. These rules were applied to the entire Basque religion. The Spanish civil war was one of the bloodiest civil wars. Propaganda was...
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...“Analyze the causes of either the Spanish Civil War or the Korean War.” The Spanish Civil War is a classical example of a country changing from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy to a republic. This process was done through many different phases and most importantly through corruption and appealing speeches. I will throughout this essay closely examine some of the most important causes of the Spanish Civil War. Write about the weaknesses of the government and the unstructured Spanish army: • Explain why the why the elections in Spain were corrupt o The rich had the power o The party leaders were easily manipulated by the wealthy. • The government was also weak because the king was allowed to interfere in the progress of electing a new prime minister o Builds on the corruption part above o King had a lot of power • No difference between the Conservatives and the Liberals o No difference means it was only a matter of the party leader to convince other to support them o Weakness is that Spain could only go in one direction with two parties with the same goals and ideology. • Explain how the army had lost support o Army known to be violent o Too many officers and people with power o They changed the system in Spain from a absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy The powerful Catholic Church linked to the weaknesses of the government • Explain the how the Catholic Church influenced the education o They were against modernization and...
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...The British public received quite the introduction to the Spanish Civil War through its coverage in leading newspapers, such as the Spector, Manchester Guardian, and the Times. These newspapers offered various alternative perspectives based on their political affiliation and stances towards the war. For example, The Manchester Guardian tended to take an anti-Franco approach towards their coverage, but they provided accurate news about the events in Spain. Despite various opinions among leading newspapers, Britain's Conservative led government favored Franco's Nationalist to that of the Spanish Republic because of their economic in the mining regions of Spain; yet, England also wanted to avoid a full-scale war with Germany and Italy. Thus,...
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...In Spain In Our Hearts, Americans In The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939, author Adam Hochschild describes the escapades of Americans during the Spanish Civil War. For three years during the 1930's the Spanish Civil War dominated headlines in America and around the world. Volunteers flooded into Spain to help its democratic government fight off a right-wing coup led by Francisco Franco and aided by Hitler and Mussolini. It was a shockingly brutal war, but it was soon overshadowed by the world war that it helped introduce. Today it is remembered through just a few classic accounts: Ernest Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, George Orwell's memoirs, Robert Capa's photographs. But in Spain...
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...Assessed Essay In what ways can the representation of the family in Nada be read as a microcosm of Spanish society in the immediate post-Civil War era? Carmén Laforet's first novel, “Nada” is set in the war torn city of 1940's Barcelona, and depicts the aspiration of a young woman arriving to the city. This protagonist, Andrea, has her dreams quickly shattered as she witnesses, from the shadows, the chaos and mental and physical torment within the house. The novel is loosely based on Laforet's own experiences, her circumstances are very similar to that of Andrea; in the novel Andrea expects to find joy and love within her grandparents house in Barcelona, as she lived there as a child, however her hopes of this are quickly shattered,“cuando yo era la única nieta pasé alli las temporadas más excitantes de mi vida infantíl...¿todo esto podíá estar tan lejano?” (p22) Even though, taken literally, the narrator is reminiscing over earlier, happier times spent in the house, it echoes memories of Spain in general before the Civil War. Laforet herself was born in Barcelona and both Andrea and Laforet moved away as children and returned during the early 1940's in their late teens to study at the University of Barcelona. From this, Laforet experienced the struggles of post-war Spanish society first hand and evidence of this pervades the novel, drawing a picture of the times, which are not only represented in the city, but almost metaphorically in the household in which the majority...
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...“Surrealist artists, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso were clearly influenced by their experiences of the Spanish Civil War” To what extent is this statement accurate? The rise of a revolution in 1930 Spain provoked artistic nightmarish visions in many European artists. Individual Surrealist artists responded differently, some abandoned peaceful propaganda for weapons and violence, while others, like Joan Miró, involved their artistic innovation directly in the service of the war efforts. However, artistic expressionism was the main forum by which Surrealist artists such as Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso expressed their opinions and depictions regarding the Spanish Civil War. The artists explored diverse views of fascism, death, despair, desire and hope through intricately detailed paintings heavily influenced by the war. 1930s Spain was deeply politically divided between the Nationalist and the Republicans. Generals Franco and Sanjujo led the Nationalists, right wing, with the support of the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia. Whereas the Republican parties, left wing, led by Azana were supported by the cities of Cadiz, Saragossa, Seville and Burgos. Nationalists embodied monarchists, landowners, employers, the Roman Catholic Church and the army, whereas Republicans consisted of the workers, trade union, socialists and the peasantry. The Great Depression took a heavy economic toll on Spain causing the collapse of the military dictatorship...
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...SPANISH CIVIL WAR – WEAKNESS & COLLAPSE Introduction: The second republic was formed after the dictatorship under Primo de Rivera (1923) and the abdication of the King. The republican leftist government was established in 1931. It inherited the poor economy courtesy of the Great Depression, so naturally unemployment rates were high and wages were low. Ideological differences between various political groups were in existence due to the radicalized time, however not to the extent as in most other European nations at the time as Spain was not as heavily involved in or impacted by WWI. On top of this, Spain had been rife with regional, economic, and social conflict for decades. These factors, although minor in the context of the causes of the Spanish civil war, were important secondary factors that worked in tandem to exacerbate the internal political conflict that preceded civil war. The primary cause for the weakness of the Second Republic was its divisive constitution (Decemeber 1931). The constitution played a large role in weakening the government because it exacerbated the existing divisions within the nation and appealed only to a minority. It was perceived as elitist and angered multiple political and social factions, polarizing Spanish politics. This polarization of factions brought on the collapse of the Republic. Argument #1: The leftist government failed to mature due to the lack of popular and political support for the constitution of 1931 and its constituencies...
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...In this article, Robert Gilman discusses a phenomenon that emerged in the Basque region of Spain in the years following the Spanish Civil War. Specifically, he refers to the innovation of the Mondragón Industrial Cooperatives. In this region, there has been significant social innovation which, according to Gilman, renders “Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, and all the squabbles between these ‘isms’, crude, irrelevant and obsolete” (Gilman, 1983). He compares the rest of the world (in the context of 1983) to Mondragón as if Mondragón had discovered a life-changing technology and the rest of the world is still years behind. The roots of this social innovation trace back to 1941, when Father Jose Maria Arizmendi moved to Mondragón, having been...
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...FHP Draft When American schoolchildren are educated about Europe between the years 1936 through 1975, they are taught about the aftereffects of World War I and about World War II. Europe, in high school history classes, ceases to exist after 1945 and the close of World War II unless, of course, one is learning about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall may be mentioned. They do not learn, however, that World War II era Spain—because Spain was neither an ally or a foe during the war—went through enormous conflict of its own. The three-year Spanish Civil War and the fascist dictatorship that followed are largely kept out of the American history books. Yet, the world is privy to much of its legacy through literature, art, film, and personal memory. Spain certainly remembers three hellish years of war and thirty six years of repression under Generalisimo Fransisco Franco, but how is General Franco remembered by the rest of the world? What legacy did he leave internationally? 2 It is a confused and varied one: to those closest to him he was a husband, father, and statesman; to Hitler, he was an obstacle on the road to world domination; to the Jews who fled from Hitler he was a hero; but to the many Spanish minorities and to his opponents in the Spanish Civil War he was a monster. The answers to the questions posed are addressed in a variety of sources. One of these sources is the book Hitler Stopped by Franco, by...
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...------------------------------------------------- Spanish Civil War (incidents) – Izquierda Republicana (1937) Izquierda Republicana 2013/1/12 Editorial Denny Kim The ‘Spanish Civil War’ was an outcome of a polarization of Spanish life and politics that had developed over previous decades. Which perhaps was predictable, the “pendulum of Spanish electoral politics swung back to the left” [1] in 1936. Spanish Left-Wing party adopted and practiced electoral strategy called ‘Popular Front’ (strategy of electoral cooperation of unification of vote; thus defeating right-wing parties) supported by ‘Comintern / Communist International’ in France [3]. The practice of ‘Popular Front’ was an effort to prohibit extreme-right from taking power. On the other hand, the Right -Wing formed a ‘National Front’ coalition in response, which caused more polarization. As a result, the socialist withdrew their support for the ‘Popular Front’ as protest of its moderation. Hence, public disturbance occurred sooner soon started spiraling the country out of control. Nevertheless in 1936, February, the first general election of the ‘Second Republic’ was “called to restore order” [1]. The Left-Wing Popular Front coalition won and gave a majority to a coalition of the Republican Left IR (Izquierda Republicana). Out of 13.5 million Spanish populations, over 9,870,000 participated in the election. There were 4,654,116 votes for the ‘Popular Front’, whereas there were 4,503,505 for National Front...
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