There have been many discussions and opinions on what caused the Spanish Republican loss in 1939. Some put it down to the lack of professional soldiers, others have argued they had no great tactical mind. The most interesting argument, though is the one in which the Republicans were defeated from the inside, by those thought to be their own.
What problems did the Spanish Republic face during the Civil War?
Another huge issue was the fact that the Republic, at first at least, had to fight a civil war without an army. The majority of the Spanish army and security forces had sided with the military coup that came to be led by General Franco, and so the Republican government lacked a fighting force to stop the Rebel advance.
Why didn't the Spanish republican government have a fighting force?
The majority of the Spanish army and security forces had sided with the military coup that came to be led by General Franco, and so the Republican government lacked a fighting force to stop the Rebel advance. Initially, they had armed worker and peasant militias that were formed spontaneously at the outbreak of the conflict.
What was the last great cause of Spain?
The Last Great Cause – that was how contemporary intellectuals and writers described the cause of Republican Spain as Europe was engulfed by fascism and war in the 1930s.
What was the Republicans’ greatest achievement in the Spanish Civil War?
Despite it all, the improved People’s Army, hampered by countless fatal flaws, held out against Franco’s Rebels for over two years and managed to ruin the Generalissimo’s plans on more than one occasion. The Republicans’ greatest achievement was that they actually managed to resist for so long against a superior foe.
What happened to the Republicans after the Spanish Civil War?
When the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, with Franco's victory, some 500,000 Spanish Republicans escaped to France, where many were placed in internment camps in the south, such as Gurs, St. Cyprien, and Les Milles.
What side were the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War?
left sideThe left side, known as the Republicans, was formed by the Spanish government together with unions, communists, anarchists, workers, and peasants. On the other side were the Nationalists, the rebel part of the army, the bourgeoisie, the landlords, and, generally, the upper classes.
Who lost the Spanish Civil War?
On March 28, 1939, the Republicans finally surrendered Madrid, bringing the Spanish Civil War to an end. Up to a million lives were lost in the conflict, the most devastating in Spanish history. Franco subsequently served as dictator of Spain until his death in 1975.
Why the Nationalists won the Spanish Civil War?
Political cost of Foreign Intervention The Nationalists received far better military equipment from Italy and Germany than the Republicans did from the Soviet Union but the political impact of foreign intervention was also important.
What advantages did Nationalists have over Republicans in the Spanish Civil War?
Terms in this set (10) What advantages did Nationalists have over Republicans in the Spanish Civil War? Nationalists were led by the military and had a well-trained professional army.
Who did US support in Spanish Civil War?
Although the U.S. government stayed neutral in the Spanish Civil War, about 2,800 Americans—many of whom had never before fired a gun—volunteered for the Republican cause.
Why did the US support Franco?
By the end of 1947, important members of Truman's administration sought a new policy of military cooperation with Franco to counter the alleged Soviet threat to western Europe, and by early 1950 the Senate had voted to extend economic aid to Spain.
What were the 2 sides of the Spanish Civil War?
Who fought in the Spanish Civil War? The main antagonists were the Nationalists under Gen. Francisco Franco and the Republicans under Francisco Largo Caballero and, later, Juan Negrín. The Nationalists were supported by Mussolini's Italy and Nazi Germany.
Which side won the Spanish Civil War?
The NationalistsThe Nationalists won the war, which ended in early 1939, and ruled Spain until Franco's death in November 1975.
What determined the outcome of the Spanish Civil War?
In Spain, the Republican defenders of Madrid raise the white flag over the city, bringing to an end the bloody three-year Spanish Civil War. In 1931, Spanish King Alfonso XIII approved elections to decide the government of Spain, and voters overwhelmingly chose to abolish the monarchy in favor of a liberal republic.
Who did the Republicans support in Spanish Civil War?
The Nationalists were supported by Mussolini's Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union as well as from the International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and North America.
What were the 2 sides of the Spanish Civil War?
The Nationalists and the Republican government fought for control of the country. The Nationalist forces received munitions, soldiers, and air support from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, while the Republican side received support from the Soviet Union and Mexico.
Who led the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War?
FrancoFranco. … general and leader of the Nationalist forces that overthrew the Spanish democratic republic in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39); thereafter he was the head of the government of Spain until 1973 and head of state until his death in 1975.
What was the Popular Front in the Spanish Civil War?
The Popular Front (Spanish: Frente Popular) in Spain's Second Republic was an electoral alliance and pact signed in January 1936 by various left-wing political organizations, instigated by Manuel Azaña for the purpose of contesting that year's election.
How did foreign intervention affect the Spanish Civil War?
It shifted the initial balance of forces in favour of the rebels, as well as providing an ongoing military advantage throughout the conflict . Moreover, it redrew the economic balance of power, rendering Republican industrial advantages moot. That said, the international context of the Spanish Civil War was hardly static, and the eventual imbalance of foreign intervention in favour of Franco owed a great deal to the Republic’s own failures.
Did Stalin intervene in the war?
The other signatory, the Soviet Union, felt less bound to stand by. Stalin decided to intervene directly in the conflict in September 1936. The USSR sent a variety of armaments to the Republic – some obsolete surplus material, but also some of their newest weaponry, including the latest I-16 fighter, which gave the Republicans a distinct advantage in the air in 1937, before Germany introduced their latest modern fighters. Yet Soviet aid was more constrained than that provided to the Nationalists in two respects. Firstly, Stalin was unwilling to let large numbers of Soviet personnel go to Spain, sending only about 1,500 advisors and instructors. For another, the Soviet Union was not yet a true world power, and lacked the ability to project itself as far as Spain. With the loss of several shipments of arms and supplies, it became clear that Stalin was not in a position to counterbalance Germany and Italy in Western Europe, even had he wanted to.
