The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarWith reference to any civil war in the 20th century examine
the social, economic and political background to the divisions in
the society involved. To what extent were the problems which
caused the war resolved in the post-war period?
The state of Spain during the early years of the 20th century
can be said to have been a state of great “unease”. Spain was one
of the first powers to loose her imperial influence, the state was
politically unstable, industrially weak and had suffered some
humiliating defeats. It can be said that these were the main
causes that lead to the great instability of Spain during the Civil
war and post civil war periods.
Left-winged radicalism and nationalistic movements, such as
the Catalan movement frequently came into conflict with the central
government, which lead the government to use corruption more and
more frequently as a form of control. The result was a military
coup in 1923 lead by Miguel Primo de Rivera. Rivera preferred a
more direct way of governing, with a strong Christian base and a
very anti-communist attitude. He did not like party politics,
preferring to govern pragmatically, at first with a military
cabinet, but later on (1926) he decided a systematic government
would be more efficient. So he introduced the `National Assembly’
intended to represent different classes and groups, probably to
soften the opposition; as well as the Union Patriotica, created to
mobilize popular support for his regime.
Rivera also managed to strengthen the Spanish infra-structure,
but the funding had to come from loans from other nations, because
the upper classes would not accept a overhaul in the taxation
system. He also managed to encourage industrial growth, which did
work to a certain extent because of many internal problems, and the
big depression.
These financial and political, as well as social difficulties
led his regime to end in 1930 because it was unable to stop the
attacks from the left, as well as attacks from the reluctant
military (who did not like his ideas of officer minimalisation).
The next elections were won by the republicans, led by Azana,
without too much difficulty. The Republic lasted 8 years before
another military coup, led by general Franco, took over the
government.
The Republic tried to set out major reforms, intending to
restructure the whole of Spain. The eight-hour working day was set
up, as well as a reduction of officers in the armed forces (by the
form of early retirement). Voting rights were given to people at
the age of 23, the nobility was abolished and, severe measures were
taken against the Church, especially religious education
(considered, in a way, a form of propaganda). The...
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