Lecture Notes: Popular Front and Spanish Civil War

Popular Front in France

• Objective: Confront and defeat fascism in France.
• Outcome:
  • Failed to establish due to the inability to adopt a revolutionary social program.
  • Middle-class resistance to property threats.
  • Socialists cautious not to lose support.
  • Compromise among ideologically incompatible partners, fragile and unsustainable.
  • Strained relations between Socialists and Communists, influenced by events in the Soviet Union.

Spanish Civil War: Overview

• Background:
  • Spanish Left had popular backing and resources of the state.
  • Deep divisions within the left and societal polarization.
• Political Context:
  • Second Republic (1931) brought by the Left, rejected by extreme Right.
  • Society divided by Catholic values vs. socialism.
  • Traditional power-elites opposed republicanism.

Build-up to Civil War

• 1931 Elections: Left's short-lived triumph.
• 1933 Elections: Right regains strength.
• 1934 Asturias Strike: Suppressed by Franco, foreshadowed brutal civil conflict.
• 1936 Elections: Popular Front wins narrow victory, but internal division weakens government.

Spanish Civil War

• Start: Military uprising begins July 1936 in Morocco, spreads to mainland Spain.
• Divisions:
  • Spain split between republicans and rebels.
  • External support for Nationalists: Germany, Italy, Portugal.
  • Lack of aid from Western democracies.
• International Brigades: Volunteers fight for the Republic but limited impact.

Course of the War

• Attritional Conflict:
  • Nationalists' slow advances.
  • Significant battles, like the siege of Madrid.
  • Nationalists gain strategic regions by 1937.
• Franco’s Leadership:
  • Gradual and ruthless, aimed at eradicating republican resistance.
  • By 1939, Franco declares victory.

Aftermath

• Impact on Spain:
  • Over 200,000 dead, widespread execution and repression.
  • Dictatorship under Franco until 1975.
• European Implications:
  • Limited effect on broader European politics.
  • Influenced leftist acknowledgment of military necessity to combat fascism.
  • Western democracies avoided deeper involvement.

The Arms Race

• Context:
  • Meeting in Berlin on 5 November 1937 involving Germany's military commanders.
  • Strategic allocation of steel for military purposes, indicating rearmament priorities.

Conclusion

• Spanish Civil War: Demonstrates deep ideological divides and external influences in pre-WWII Europe.
• Popular Fronts: Highlight the challenges of coalition governments in polarized political climates.
• Arms Race: Prelude to the militarization that would escalate into global conflict.