Art, obsession, and identity
The Spanish Civil War, which took place from 1936 to 1939, was in the first instance a military revolt perpetrated by right-wing Nationalists against the country's left-leaning Republican government. More broadly, the conflict was seen as the opening salvo of the Second World War. The bloodiest episode Western Europe had experienced since 1918, the civil war quickly drew in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Far more than a clash between left and right, the civil war divided a nation and led to a dictatorship that was to last for nearly 40 years. And even today, over 80 years since hostilities ended, the political and emotional consequences of the conflict still reverberate. So, why does the Spanish Civil War represent such a dreadful time and place?
Click through and revisit one of the most violent and desperate conflicts of the 20th century.
The election of February 16, 1936, brought to power in Spain a leftist Popular Front government. Republicans, supported by the Soviet Union, backed the victorious coalition. Republican supporters are pictured in Madrid celebrating the new government.
Fascist and extreme-right forces—supported by Nationalists—responded in July 1936 with an army mutiny and coup attempt. The Nationalists were backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
The most prominent leader of the Republican cause was Manuel Azaña. He served as Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), and organizer of the Popular Front in 1935. Azaña was also the last President of the Republic (1936–1939).
Heading the military uprising was General Francisco Franco. He led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic.
The army mutiny and coup attempt quickly escalated into a civil war. Spain was left militarily and politically divided. Pictured are Republican militia fighters at the beginning of the conflict.
Civil war broke out in Spain on July 17, 1936. Pro-Nationalist forces were mobilized across the country. Here, troops march through San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque region of northern Spain after seizing it from the Republicans in September.
The Nationalists took control of a number of cities, including Pamplona, Burgos, Zaragoza, Valladolid, Cádiz, Córdoba, and Seville. In this image, volunteers are recruited into the Nationalist army in Salamanca.
However, Republican forces held Spain's most important cities, places like Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Málaga, and, crucially, the capital Madrid. These remained under government control. Pictured are anti-fascist troops parading through Barcelona.
Polarization of Spanish life and politics had developed over previous decades. But the divisions created by the civil war turned neighbor against neighbor. The Republicans were supported by various communists and socialist parties and militant anarchists, broadly represented by urban workers, most agricultural laborers, and many of the educated middle class. Pictured are Republican civilians raising a barricade in Barcelona.
The Nationalist group was supported by a number of Catholic conservative and religious groups, monarchists, and the fascist-oriented Falange political party. Pictured in the same city, Barcelona, are pro-Franco supporters.
The Soviet Union contributed equipment, supplies, and troops to the Republicans, who also received help from the Mexican government.
Franco, meanwhile, turned to Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sent troops, tanks, and, notably, planes, to aid the Nationalists. Franco is pictured meeting Hitler in Berlin in late 1936.
Political ideology pitted the left against the right. More precisely perhaps, the war was seen by many in Spain as a struggle between state centralism and regional independence, and authoritarianism against the freedom of the individual. Here, communist demonstrators carry placards with images of Stalin and Lenin.
The Spanish Civil War is sometimes described as a prelude to the Second World War. As it progressed, many foreign powers supported different sides of the conflict. Pictured are two Republican anarchist militia fighters on the streets of Barcelona.
Around 40,000 foreigners fought on the Republican side in the International Brigades. Volunteers came from countries as diverse as France, Ireland, Poland, Canada, and the United States. The group from America were known as the "Lincoln Brigade," seen here departing from New York City bound for Europe.
The civil war was widely reported on. Among the foreign correspondents covering the Republican cause was American novelist Ernest Hemingway, seen here in 1937 low in the trench in the center of the image. Hemingway would later write a fictionalized account of his time in Spain, published in 1940 as the novel 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.'
Another celebrated writer covering the conflict was British author George Orwell. He is the tall figure standing at the left of this photograph, part of a POUM militia guard group (Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) in Barcelona in 1936. Orwell would later find fame as the author of 'Animal Farm' (1945) and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' (1949), among other novels.
Besides those from Germany and Italy, international volunteers from Portugal, Morocco, and also from France fought on the side of the Nationalists. Notable figures who supported Franco, albeit discreetly, included British novelist J.R.R. Tolkien and American writer Gertrude Stein.
Nazi Germany's military aid for Franco extended to the establishment of the Condor Legion. Comprised of elements from the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht, the unit was responsible for one of the most infamous atrocities in the entire conflict. Pictured is Herman Goring reviewing the Condor Legion.
The bombing of Guernica was part of Operation Rügen. The suppression of Republican resistance opened the way to Franco's capture of Bilbao (pictured) and his victory in northern Spain.
After securing northern Spain, the Nationalists turned southeastwards to the Republican-held city of Teruel. The subsequent Battle of Teruel, fought between December 1937 and February 1938 during the worst Spanish winter in 20 years, was one of the bloodiest engagements of the entire conflict, with both factions together suffering 110,000 casualties. Teruel eventually fell to Franco's forces, the battle becoming the military turning point of the war.
After Teruel, the Nationalists deployed their forces further south, reaching the Mediterranean in April 1938. Franco's sights were firmly set on Barcelona.
By September 1938, all international volunteers had been withdrawn from Spain. The following month, remaining members of the International Brigades were given a farewell parade in Barcelona. Saluting them was Republican politician Isidora Ibárruri Gómez, better known as la Pasionaria ("the Passionflower"). Her famous send-off speech included the words: "You can go proudly. You are history. You are legend. You are the heroic example of democracy’s solidarity and universality."
Franco's troops conquered Catalonia in a whirlwind campaign during the first two months of 1939. First to fall was Tarragona, on January 15. On January 26, Barcelona surrendered. Girona was captured on February 2. On February 27, the United Kingdom and France recognized the Franco regime.
By the end of February 1939, 250,000 Republican soldiers, together with an equal number of civilians, had fled across the border into France.
One prize remained: Madrid. Besieged by Nationalist forces since 1936, and with the Republican government already in exile in France, the Spanish capital finally fell on March 28, 1939.
With Madrid in ruins, and with all of the Republican armies either disbanded or having surrendered, the Spanish Civil War was over.
The Nationalists' victory over the Republicans ushered in a dictatorship headed by Franco that would last nearly 40 years. Six months later, the Second World War broke out. Spain remained neutral throughout that conflict, but supplied economic and military assistance to the Axis powers.
The number of persons killed in the Spanish Civil War remains unclear. The figures vary from one million to 250,000 combat-related deaths. They do not include all those who died from malnutrition, starvation, and war-engendered disease. Numerous atrocities were committed by both sides during the conflict, including summary executions. Killings continued under Franco's rule long after hostilities were supposed to have ended. Mass graves of those murdered are being uncovered today, with the political and emotional consequences of the war still reverberating throughout the country.
The tragedy that was the Spanish Civil War
The atrocities committed took an estimated 500,000 lives
LIFESTYLE History
The Spanish Civil War, which took place from 1936 to 1939, was in the first instance a military revolt perpetrated by right-wing Nationalists against the country's left-leaning Republican government. More broadly, the conflict was seen as the opening salvo of the Second World War. The bloodiest episode Western Europe had experienced since 1918, the civil war quickly drew in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Far more than a clash between left and right, the civil war divided a nation and led to a dictatorship that was to last for nearly 40 years. And even today, over 80 years since hostilities ended, the political and emotional consequences of the conflict still reverberate. So, why does the Spanish Civil War represent such a dreadful time and place?
Click through and revisit one of the most violent and desperate conflicts of the 20th century.