SPAIN BEFORE WORLD WAR 1 2

IMPACT OF WW1 ON SPAIN 5

DEVELOPMENTS IN SPAIN 1923-1930 7

FOREGEIN INTERVENTION IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR 9

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SPAIN BEFORE WORLD WAR 1

- Spain very divided country

The Spanish ‘establishment’

- Spain based on alliance between monarchy, landowning aristocracy, army + Catholic

Church
- Opposed any change/ modernisation that undermined privileges

- Absolute monarchy until 3 civil wars over accession in 1800’s

- Liberal democrats against conservative traditionalists
- Brutal fighting highlighted political divisions
- Army intervened frequently in politics
- Elections manipulated by both liberals + conservatives

- Landownership mostly by small group of aristocratic families

- Owners of large estates (latifundia) kept labourer wages low to maximise profits
- Poverty caused periodic outbursts of violence against landowners
- Protected by Civil Guard (paramilitary police) + army
- Prevented unionisation of workforce

- Spanish economy underdeveloped by European standards

- Modern industries in north/ northeast only, from late 1800’s onwards
- Centred around natural deposits/ resources
- Wages + working conditions poor
- No welfare system for sick/ injured workers
- Strikes + unrest harshly suppressed by Civil Guard + army

- Military occupied privileged position for centuries

- Successfully resisted reform attempts in 1880’s
- Excessively bureaucratic + outdated
- Top heavy with massive officer corps
- 60% of national military budget used to pay officer salaries
- Promotion based on seniority, not merit
- Decisions made by military committees (juntas)
- Govt attempts in early 1900’s to reduce officer numbers unsuccessful

- Army frequently used to crush agricultural/ industrial worker unrest

- Officers from wealthy families brutally suppressed any disorder
- Created even deeper hatred amongst urban + rural working class

- Catholic Church also maintained power + privileged position in Spain

- Strong supporter of monarchy
- Resisted attempts to create more liberal, secular society with separation of
Church + state
- Closely identified with privileged, wealthy class, military + monarchy
- Acted as defender of Spain against ‘new’ political ideas seen as anti – Church,
anti – traditionalist
- Liberalism, atheism, socialism, anarchism

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 - Most Spanish schools run by Church
- Ignored teaching literacy to poor
- Limited secondary education opportunities

- These factors caused inc discontent among masses

- In south, landless peasants abandoned Church for atheism + anarchism
- In cities + north, industrial workers moved towards socialism + communism

Emergence of Revolutionary Groups

- The traditionalist nature of spain and its resulting inequalities resulted in the emergence
of many revolutionary groups
- Increasing number of violent civil struggles and conflicts

Socialism
- Unlike the european trend of revolutionary movements linked to marxism, socialism was
slow to become established in Spain
- Party due to spain's agricultural predominance and the domination of
conservative ideology by the elites and catholic church in rural areas
- Partly due to the fact that the capitalist development was not as extensive as it
was in other european countries
- In the late 1800s organised labour movements against the elites and old order began to
arise
- 1879, Spanish Socialit Party (PSOE) was formed
- Wanted to replace monarchy with republic
- 1888 General Workers Union (UGT) formed
- Had 100,000 members by 1913

Anarchism
- More serious threat to the old order
- First reached spain 1868 and quickly became widespread
- After a strike in 1873 the police opened fire on strikers
- This drove the anarchist movement underground
- Largely based in rural areas
- Often limited to individual terrorist acts

- During the early 20th century a particularly revolutionary style of anarchism,

anarcho-syndicalism rapidly spread
- Believed that workers strikes not individual acts was the way to achieve
revolution
- Supported the sepatist and nationalist demands of different regions of Spain
- Opposed to religion and the Catholic Church
- 1900 they formed the Workers Societies of the Spanish Region
- Organised striked suppressed

Separatism
- Spain was, and still is, greatly divided geographically, culturally and and linguistically
- The formation of the county in the 15th century was achieved via a diplomatic marriage
- Many regional languages, laws and customs still remained despite the formation
of the county

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 - These natinalist tendencies carried into the 20th century where more serious
sepratasit movement began to occur
- The two most notable are Basque and Catalonia, with popular sepratist movements
remaining today
- Basque nationalism rose in the 20th century, largely suppressed until 1931
- Catalonia resisted serious integration with a notable strike in the 17th century
- France often helped foster Catalan separatism to weaken spain
- 19th century there was a serious movement to revilaise the Catalan
language
- During the Carlists wars Catalan nationalism threatened to support
conservative Carlists to gain concessions from the liberals
- Early 20th Century demands for autonomy were increasing insistent and by 1913
some measure of self government had been achieved

The ‘Tragic Week’

- July 1909 the factors above on what was a taste of the conflicts to arise post 1918
- Textile industrialists in Barcelona closed factories and sacked workers
- Waged cust were implemented for those still employed

- The colonial war in Morocco which had begun in 1906 was another factor
- To provide extra troops and to rid itself from rebellious workers the government
called on reserve troops
- The rich were able to avoid conscription but the working class men
weren't
- Anti-war protests broke out with workers refusing to fight in a colonial war
in the interests of wealthy capitalists

- July 1909 these developments provoked a general strike among workers spanning
various industries
- Involved the UGT, anarchists and members of the Radical Republican Party
- Spread from Barcelona to other Catalan cities
- Trains carrying conriped troops were blocked
- Churches and convents were attacked
- When troops fired barriers were erected
- Authorities declared martial law but when local troops refused to fire on strikers troops
from other parts of spain were sent in
- 150 strikers killed
- 2000 arrested
- 5 leaders executed
- 59 sent to life imprisonment

- The the repression unions were banned and newspapers shut down
- This repression convince many racists that a stranger organization was needed
- 1910 artists set up their own national trade union, CNT
- Became a powerful rival the the socialist dominated UGT
- Although a nationalist organization many local section shad relative
autonomy
- They called another general strike which was crushed by the army and the CNT
was banned

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IMPACT OF WW1 ON SPAIN

Economic Developments
- Neutral in WW1, so Spain able to trade with both sides
- Export lead to an econ boon
- Strong in shipping,steel and mining
- Profits also rising in agriculture
- New weath not reinvested in modernisation but spent on luxuries

- For Spaniards, war = rising prices

- Govt attempts to control priced priced failed, caused shortages
- Little protection for workers and middle class from rising prices
- Unionised workers on strike regularly
- Other successful as manufacturers had wartime orders to fill

- Wartime prosperity ended with the end of war in 1918

- Basque shipping industry collapses
- Mining, factories closed, jobs lost, other part time
- Catalonia alone, 140 textile factories closed, 20,000 lost jobs
- Employers moved aggressively against unions
- In countryside landowners also lost markers for additional food
- Stopped farming land
- Low wages, unemployment or underemployment common

1917 The Year of Unrest

- War also caused rise in expectations of working class and agricultural workers
- Inspired by Feb Revolution in Russia
- Growth in socialism after 1917
- Spanish communist Party (PCE) founded in 1920
- Concern with growing radicalism within officer ranks of army

1. Army Unrest
- Colonia war in Morocco ongoing
- Ambitions officers in Spanish African Army (Africanistas) fighting to earn
promotion
- Promotion by ability undermining tradition of promotion by seniority
- Jun 1917 junior officers revolt in Barcelona
- Protect promotion by seniority
- Higher wages to cope with inflation

- Formed their own groups called juntas militares

- Known as junteros
- Excluded all senior officers
- Received support from many politicians
- Depicted as ‘national savoirs’ of Spain
- Aimed to reform political establishment which army blamed for
loss in Spanish-American war of 1898
- Had lost colonies of Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico to US

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 - Liberal govt forced out of office after it refused to recognise Juntas
- Parliament (Cortas) suspended
- Replaced by coalition of republicans parties and Catalonian natinalst
party
- Political regimes weakened as military action could not change
govt

2. General Strike
- PSOE supporting new location
- UGT supportive but believed general strike would bring more change to
political system
- Also call for wage increases
- Anarchist CNT joined strike
- Juntos supported coalition
- Strike crushed by police and army
- 170 deaths

Political Problems 1918-23

- New govt led by Liberal, Conservatives only lasted 6 months
- Replaces by short-lived coalition of nationalist, liberals and conservatives
- 10 govts 1918-23
- Violent conflicts between employers and workers continued
- Moroccan war continues
- Both required army to solve
- Further shift of power away from civilian govt, towards military

Containing Industrial Unrest

- 1918-23 saw worst social conflicts in post - war Europe
- Anarchist CNt inc. membership, influenced at expense of Socialists
- 700,000 by 1919 3x Socalist UGT

- Barcelona and Andalucia main areas of conflict

- Strong history of anarcho-synalsisim
- Belief in revolutionary militant unions influence/controlling broader society
- CNT believed unions fro direct action against ruthless employers
- Series of successful strikes would lead to a general strike which
would destroy capitalism
- Others believed Boshevik style revolution

Barcelona
- Unrest continuing after suppression of 1917 general strike
- Reaction to post-war depression, Russian revolution
- Pay cuts to workers lead to another general strike, 1919
- 100,000 workers across numerous industries
- Employers unable to organise repressive response as done in the past
- Some concession won
- Union now legal
- 8 hr working days
- Employers hired gunmen to assassinate union leaders militants
- Afraid of communist revolution
- Pm killed

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Andalucia
- Unrest also in rural areas following end of ww1
- Demand for agricultural products declined
- Wages fell as landowners took advantage of surplus labour workers
- Workers also facing rising prices
- Landowners, police, army used violent repression against protests
- Anarchist/socalsit ideas rapidly
- Increasing calls for land reforms
- Migrating workers spread these ideals around country

The Army
- Decrees grinding promotion by seniority as well as wage increases announced by govt
- Aimed at reducing influence of juntas
- Africanistas gaining influence within whole army
- Sought promotion by merit

- July 1921 army suffered humiliating defeat in Morocco

- African army officers blamed civilian govt
- Accused them of not properly equipping troops
- Adopted increasing brutal tactics against Moroccan insurgents
- Saw themselves as new elite, increasingly hostile to civilian govt

- King committed to Africanistas

- Public opinion turning against junteros
- Govt finally dissolved junteros Nov 1922

DEVELOPMENTS IN SPAIN 1923-1930

- Sept 13 1923 a military coup, lead by Miguel Primo de Rivera overthrew the Spanish
parliamentary government and established himself as a dictator
- Unlike previous intervention the mary had no intention of passing power to
civilian politicians
- Planned to construct a military regime

- Sept 14 Rivera declared a state of national emergency lasting until May 15 1925

The Elites and the Coup

- The elites (army, employers and catholic church) supported Riveras coup
- Believed a strong leader needed to suppress the working class and restore order
- Wanted to crush the emerging revolution

- King Alfonso XIII never approved of a constitutional monarchy and frequently came into
conflict with the parliamentary government
- His decision to not respond to the coup until he had met with advisories lead to
the PM resigning
- A XIII voluntarily handed power to Rivera
- Riviera stated that he would not have a civilian govt or respect the constitution
- In Nov when the senate called the king to follow the constitution he refused and
dismissed them

- Army, dominated by conservative and aristocratic elites supported the king's decision

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 - After the coup the army ruthlessly suppressed any uprisings/protests
- Similar to the church became hated by the lower classes
- Elites flourished under Rivera's dictatorship

- Nov 1923 A XIII and Rivera visited Italy to meet the Pope and Mussolini
- A XIII offered Spain's services to the pope should there be another crusade to
‘save’ the Catjolic church from its enemies
- Rivera praised Mussolini, which in turn he advised Rivera

Military Doctrine
- Initially Rivera only had the support if the military governor of Zaragoza and generals
close to the King in Madrid
- The rest of the military not prepared to resist fellow officers

- Rivera formed a Military Doctorate made of eight generals and one rear admiral
- Real power still maintained by Rivera
- Military courts were established to ‘try crimes against the unity of the fatherland’
- Constitution and its guaranteed rights were suspended
- Press severely censored
- Ban on criticising govt and church reporting social conflicts or on Morocco

Suppression
- Surprising lack of immediate opposition to RIviera from many left wing parties despite his
desire to ‘crush public disorder’ regional nationalism and caciquismo
- Republican parties waited to see what Rivers intentions were or even gove support for
the coup
- Socialists and the UGT urged their members to remain calm and not to join protest
organised by the CNT and Communists
- This continited even when suppression against anarchists and communists
became severe
- Rivera banned all anarchist organizations
- CNT leaders arrested
- Some went into exile
- The repression of Communists resulted in the OCE having less than 500
active militants

- Rivera determined to crush regional sepratsit movements

- Sepratsits groups in Basque and Catalonia were harshly repressed
- In response the organizations went underground
- 18th Sept 1923 A XIII signed a decree which forbade any other flag other than
the spanish flag to be flown
- Only the Castilian language to be used

Political Centralization
- Rivera wanted to centralise control over Spain's regions and establish military control
over

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 - Decrees issued to achieve this;
- All civil governors to be replaced by army officers
- Elected city and town councils abolished
- Members of the highest-tax payers were chosen to lead
- Enforced spanish nationalism and patriotism
- Appointed administrators to control provincial governments
- Municipal courts abolished

- From 1924 Conservative economist Stoelo oversaw steps to reform the entire local and
provincial administration
- City councils and provincial governments granted some financial independence
and powers to improve infrastructure and city planning
- Real power remained within the hands of military governors
- April 1924 Rivera announced there would be a gradual separation of the posts of civil
and military posts
- By then opposition had virtually been eradicated and dictatorship established

The Union Patriotica and somaten

- To provide the administrators the new system they needed Riverset up the the Union
Patriotica
- Natinalist party to support the regime and church
- Membership was slow at first but the new town and city councils
- By mid 1924 Rivera claimed they had around 2 mil members
- Able to defend law and order, private ownership and political authority

- Rivera also encouraged the establishment of of local somaten

- Set up in Catalonia in the early 1920s by the wealthy as a local armed militia
- Occasionally helped police and military suppress left-wing groups and
actions
- By 1928 there were 200,000 members

- On the surface Rivera's dictatorship was securely established

- Crushed seprastit movements
- Class conflict and social unrest had been reduced
- Various institutes set up were consolidating his power

FOREGEIN INTERVENTION IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR

- 2 main reasons why Nationalism under Franco won war

- Disunity of republican forces
- Impact of forgein intervention

Republican Disunity
- Republican forces had different goals for war
- Middle class and liberals defending republican democracy
- Communists also supported this goal
- Stalin aimining ti keep UK and France happy, ally against Nazi
Germay
- Anarchists/PSOE wanted full workers revolution

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 - Workers Unified Marxist party (POUM) largest left-wing group, also supporting rev
- Foremed rev people's militias to address lack of weapons and soldiers
- Run on anarchist principles
- Encouraged land seizures collective farming, factory takeovers in republican
controlled areas
- Govt recognised need for militias, distributed weapons to them
- Defence on Republic now in hands of labourers and workers committees

- Republican Govt concerned about ‘dual power’ with POUM militias

- Might alienate middle class
- Undermine effective military resistance
- Prevent UK/FR from coming to republics aid
- Send 1936 broke up milpitas, incorporated into regular army units
- Began repressin rev organisations, claiming they supported franco
- May 1937 troops in Barcelo attacked and defeated anarchist and POUM
forces

- Divisions in Republic forces demoralised many Spaniards

- Further reduced effective of military forces

Foreign Intervention

- Key reason for Natinalist victory

- Neither side expected nor equipped for ling conflict in 1936
- Both sought external assistance
- Natinalists provided with weapons and advisosrs from Nazi Germany and
Fascist Italy
- Republican received aid from USSR
- Volunteers in International Brigade also assisting govt

Support for Nationalists

- Molas rebel army initially ineffective

- Most cities, towns and navy under Republican control
- Aig and Sept 36, bought in Francos 35,000 experiences Africanistas from
Morocco
- Hitler prov air cover for trip to Spanish mainland
- Some troops from portugal far-right dictator Salazar
- Majority of assistance from HItler and Mussolini
- 40,000 Italian troops sent to Spain 12,000 Germans
- Hitler prov Condor Legion
- Mixed tank and air unit =, developed new method of coordinated attacks
- Precursor to Blitzkrieg
- In return France joined Anti-Comintern Pact 1939
- Refused to join WW2

Support for Republicans

- Hoped to receive aid from socalist govt in France

- Able to purchase some French aircraft and artillery

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 - UK refused to aid Spain
- Trying to avoid wor breaking out across Europe
- Pressured France to halt aid
- UK And Fr proposed non-intervention pact
- UK,FR, USSR, Germany, Italy, US all signed

- Became obvious pact was not working

- UK and FR blocking all military suppliers to Republicans
- Germany and Italy continued assisting Nationalists
- Stalin started prov humanitarian and military assistance to republican govt
from Oct 1936

International Brigades

- Made up of volunteer men and women from around the world who wanted to oppose
fascisim
- Mostly organised by Comintern, but mix of communists, socialists, democrats
- 35,000 volunteers over whole war including 3,000 from Germany and Italy
- Most had littler/no military experience
- Became disillusioned with strict discipline of communist commanders

Aftermass

- After victory, Franco built dictatorship which lasted till death in 1975
- Refused to restore monarchy
- Police and Falange militia under military control
- Brutal repression of all opposition
- Censorship and propaganda used to maintain personal rule
- Outlawed all non christan religions, restricted rights of Protestants
- Gave Cathloic Church control over primary school
- Church in return endorsed Franco's regimed oppression of Marxists and
Socialists
- Stayed silent about atrocities

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