Descent into war Flashcards
Left Reforms
Regional: Granted Catalan Autonomy
Social-Economic: Attempted land reform of Latifundia. But disillusionment over slow reforms. Plus economic difficulties.
Religion: Anti-religious policies. Churches and convents attacked.
Military: Army reforms. Crushed Army revolt led by General Sanjuro.
Decline of the left in 1933
ANARCHISTS: January 1933: Massacre of Anarchists at Casa Viejas. Means support for Left Republic declines.
November 1933. Azana resigns and election called for November
The Right Republic
CEDA (Popular Action)
1934-36
Right wing parties cooperate with each other and win large majority of seats.
CEDA set up coalition with Radical Republican Party led by Lerroux in charge.
Bienio Negro – the two black years where socialist reforms are reversed.
Stirkes Oct 1934
Socialists, who regarded CEDA as Fascists, called for a General Strike.
Asturias coalfield in Northern Spain: Socialists, Anarchist CNT and Communists united a formed a commune.
Crushed with great harshness by Army led by Franco and Moroccan troops. 2,000 killed. Many thousands more imprisoned.
Growing hostility between Left and Right!
Popular Front
36 elections
POPULAR FRONT
Republicans, Socialists, Catalan Left and the Communists: formed Popular Front (alliance of anti-Fascist parties) under Azana.
Popular Front win Feb 16th 1936 elections
But far left Socialist Caballero refuses to join Azana’s government.
National front/popular action
36 elections
NATIONAL FRONT
Led by Calvo Sotelo
Also on the right: Carlists - supported a monarchy
Gil Robles - CEDA - Catholic
Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera - Falange. A Fascist organisation.
Plus right-wing support of Army. General Franco (sent to Canary Islands)
General Mola (in Pamplona)
Right wing victory
Strikes and peasant disorder – seizing of land. Spain becoming increasingly lawless. Undoing the last two years of conservative rule. Caballero (Spain’s ‘Lenin’ seen as leading this).
Fear among Right of Communist revolution. Gil Robles ‘Peace is not possible.’
Right wing whip up anti-communist hysteria.
Assistance from nazi and italy ocupying madrid in april 1939
Spark of war
Army generals Mola and Franco begin plotting coup.
Murder of right wing opposition leader Calvo Sotelo. Provides the spark.
Conflict
July 1936 The Army and Nationalists led by Francisco Franco rebel against the Republican government.
Starts in Morocco.
