Spanish Civil War Flashcards
What did the loss of Empire mean for the officer corps?
They lost any meaningful external defensive role and were turned into a powerful internal political lobby
Who seized power in September 1923?
General Miguel Primo de Rivera
Why did Primo de Rivera lose support?
His economic policies did not work
When was the Second Republic proclaimed?
1931
What was expected from the Second Republic?
Land reform, particularly from peasants in the South
How did the Republic want to change the education system?
They wanted to secularise it
Who made up the old regime?
The monarchy, the army and the hierarchical Church
What did economic development in the North lead to?
The creation of new social constituencies such as the urban professional sector and industrial workers
What were the majority of Spain’s population?
Smallholders or landless peasants
What was the South dominated by?
Mass land estates owned by absentee aristocrats
What did the absence of any public welfare mean for peasants in the South?
They were virtually slaves at the disposal of landlords and estate bailiffs
Who supported the Second Republic?
Landless workers, poor urban workers, the urban middle class and poor peasants
Why was North-West Spain anti-Republican?
It was a rural area but not dominated by vast estates so did not have the same goals as the Republicans for land reform
How did World War One affect Spain?
Positively - they were not involved in the fighting but experienced a mass exports boom that stimulated the economy
Why was the World War One export boom not a good thing for everyone in Spain?
Because it triggered steep inflation, which made the poor much worse off
What were the urban middle classes demanding in terms of political reform?
Reform of land ownership, education, state-church relations and the army
When was there a failed coup against the Republic
August 1932
When was the right wing government formed?
November 1933
When was the general strike?
5-19th October 1934
When did the Popular Front win the elections?
February 1936
Why were conservatives so concerned at the formation of the Popular Front government?
They felt it was the first step in a Communist take over
When was the coup that caused the war?
17-18th July 1936
Why did the military not step in sooner?
There was a chance for a conservative government but they failed to stop reform by legal means
What nearly stopped the coup?
The Spanish navy mutinied against the army commanders and refused to transport the colonial army to the mainland
