The Spanish Civil War: Revolt (1936)

Spanish Civil War
Figure 1.--This press photo was taken by the Wide World News Service in Irun, Spain. (Irun is in the Basque Country.) It ws dated Noember 20, 1936. The heading read, "Planting the first seeds of Fascism in Rebel Spain." The caption read, "Irun boys, wearing black Fascist shirts, shown during one of the daily drillsthat are held in the cities that have been conquered by the rebels during the Civil War. They are using dummy rifles . In the rebel territory the black shirts are worn by young men and women and even little school children."

Right-wing forces in the Spanish army for some time had been planning a coup d'etat against the reform-minded democratically elected Republican Government in Madrid. . Many Spanish officers had been awaiting Franco's decession. The death of Calvo Sotelo accelerated their plans and the first garrisons revolted. Fighting became widespread throughout Spain (July 18, 1936). This forced Franco's hand and he took command of the army in Morocco (July 19). The military staged well planned military uprisings in garrison towns throught Spain. This was the beginning ofthe Spanish Civil War.Franco appealed for help. Hitler immeduately ordered Luftwaffe transport plans to transport Franco's loyalist troops in Morroco to participate in the fighting in Spain. The military seized control of large sareas of Spain: Seville (General Queipo de Llano), the Balearic Islands (General Goded), the Canary Islands and Morocco (Franco), Navarra (Mola), Burgos and Saragossa. General Yague rapidly moved through Extremadura and Mola took Irun. Franco's Loyalist (Nationalist) forces by the end of 1936 had seized most of southern and central Spain (Andalucia, Extremadura, Toledo, Avila, Segovia, Valladolid, Burgos, Leon, Galicia, a part of Asturias, Vitoria, San Sebastian, Navarra and Aragon) in addition to the Canary and Balearic Islands with the exception of Menorca. The Republic held Madrid and much of northerm and northwestern Spain (Castilla la Nueva, Catalunya, Valencia, Murcia, Almeria, Gijon and Bilbao).







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Created: 2:50 AM 3/11/2008
Last updated: 2:50 AM 3/11/2008