The Republican Faction

The Republican Rearguard

• The first days were chaotic, unions requested arms to defend the Republic, which was denied by Casares Quiroga
• The Republic lacked sufficient forces, with much of the police, Civil Guard, and army commanders joining the rebel side
• A new government under Giral distributed arms to workers
• The military uprising immediately dismantled the Republican State, leading to a loss of control

The Republican Zone

• The coup led to a collapse of governance, exacerbated by a social revolution
• Two conflicting positions emerged, to pursue revolution during the war, or focus on winning the war
• The State had to manage uncontrolled initiatives, mainly anarchist, causing internal conflicts and reducing the efficiency to win the war
• Worker organizations assumed power through committees or councils, except in the Basque Country where the Basque Nationalist Party took control
• Even in Madrid, the government could not prevent the situation

Reorganization of the State

• The protraction of the war and defeats highlighted the need to reorganize and strengthen the state
• A new government was formed, led by the socialist Largo Caballero and composed of republicans, socialists, communists, Basque nationalists, and anarchists
  • First in Spanish history led by a socialist
  • First with communist ministers
  • First with participation of anarchists
  • First where a woman, the anarchist Federica Montseny, was appointed as minister
• This administration aimed to create a unified army and restore state power, requiring the dissolution of local revolutionary powers
• The government moved to Valencia

Largo Caballero's Work

• It consisted of an attempt to reconstruct the State through a series of initiatives
• Army Construction: Popular militias were replaced by the People's Army of the Republic
  • Meant to face the well-trained Frankish troops
  • This process caused permanent tension with anarchists and Trotskyists, who were reluctant to accept unified command
• Public Order Control: The Carabineros corps was created to guarantee citizen security
• Implementation of a War Economy: A decree was enacted to expropriate land from owners who supported the insurrection, which was handed over to farmers for collective exploitation Industrial Level: The anarchists had power, that got controlled by workers' committees
  • In areas under communist and socialist control, the State intervened in companies

Political Support and Alliances

• The Statute of Autonomy for the Basque Country was approved, confirming Basque support
  • José Antonio Aguirre was elected the first lendakari
• The next measure was to bring the revolutionary power bodies remaining in Catalonia and Aragon under State control
• Catalonia: The Generalitat, led by Companys, of Esquerra Republicana, and the Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias, controlled by the CNT and FAI, coexisted since the beginning of the war
  • The CNT and FAI controlled factories, services, and armed militias
  • This led to the insurrection of anarchist groups and the POUM
• 1937: The May events confronted socialism and communism against the CNT, the FAI, and the POUM
• President Azaña appointed the socialist Negrín to form a new government
  • It prioritized war
• Negrín relied heavily on the communists because of Soviet aid and because the communists were the most disciplined group to fight to the end
• Once the POUM was outlawed, the Council of Aragon was the only revolutionary power outside State control; it was forcibly dissolved

War Strategies and Outcomes

• Two possible strategies were proposed in 1938:
  • Continue resistance waiting for a foreseeable war in Europe (Negrín with the support of Communists)
  • Negotiate an acceptable peace (sectors of republicans, and even some socialists)
• The theses of Negrín and the communists prevailed
• Military: The Battle of the Ebro
• International Field: France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy had met at the Munich conference accepting Germany's choice of the Sudeten region
  • Western powers yielded to German expansionism, dashing the Republic's hopes of integrating the Spanish war into an international conflict
• Colonel Casado intended to revolt to negotiate peace with Franco, but Franco only accepted unconditional surrender Franco's troops entered Madrid after taking Valencia and Alicante, declaring the end of the war on April 1

Demographic Consequences of the War

• Material Costs: high cost in material destructions like roads, railways, bridges, buildings and all kinds of goods
• Human Costs: Difficult to estimate for which numbers varying from authors

Fatalities

• The number of fatalities during could have exceeded 500.000, between war front victims and repression in rear guards
• Civil wars tend to be more cruel due to hatred and old rivalries, added to armed conflicts
• Cruelty was a common standard on both sides

Repression

• Military insurgents, when conquered, systematically killed members and sympathizers of left-wing parties and unions The victims: included teachers, intellectuals, Federico García Lorca, highly appreciated by the Republic
• Almost 100.000 people died due to this terror policy, from the zone controlled by the rebels
• The republican zone had executions applied to alleged suspects of helping the rebels of sympathizing with It was enough to have conservatives opinions or being a priest/religious
• Around 50000 people were killed (priests and religious less than the other band, mostly initiative of organization outside State control)
• Massacres: Jarama´s Paracuellos (republican) > executed a number of prisoners suspecting sympathizing alzamiento militar
• Badajoz (military) > nearly 4000 people / Malaga (military): attacked those who fled towards Air with 3000/5000 victims and in
• Guernica´s German and Italian bombed the civilian, causing nearly 2000 deaths
• Franco´s repressed killed and arrested many