The Spanish Civil War

What was the course and nature of the war?

The first map shows the immediate success achieved by General Francisco Franco's invasion from Spanish Morocco, which was co-

ordinated with a military uprising in the North. Franco and a group of generals launched their attack after a coalition of Socialists and Catalonian

and Basque Separatists had gained control of the Spanish Republican government

The second map shows Franco's rapid advance against the ill-trained Republican army, but despite the professionalism of its

military staff, the rebels were unable to capture Madrid and after six months of heavy fighting had failed to defeat the Basques.

Eighteen months into the bloody Spanish Civil War still saw little change. Utilizing air support provided by Adolf Hitler, and ground

troops offered by Mussolni, the Nationalists had finally captured the Basque country, but remained stuck outside the major population

centres of Barcelona and the capital city of Madrid.

Despite aide from abroad, the Nationalist Rebels were unable to advance much at all in the third year of the war. Twenty-four

months of tremendous fighting had produced 200,000 deaths but little gain. After laying siege to Valencia, in May 1938 the

Nationalist forces fought their way through to the coast thus cutting the Republican forces in half.

With world attention concentrating almost exclusively upon menacing events in Central Europe (the Munich Conference was held in September

1938, followed by Hitler's invasion of Rump Czechoslovakia in March 1939), Franco finally achieved his breakthrough. In February 1939, as this

final map shows, Nationalist forces captured Barcelona and all of Catalonia. On 28 March 1939 Franco entered Madrid and the rest of the

country surrendered in the following days. The Civil War was over.

Nature of the War?

• Brutality / atrocities• Bombing of Guernica• Treatment of prisoners• Lack of mercy - propaganda• Statistics?

• Reasons for Nationalist victory?