Causes of the Spanish Civil War
Long Term Causes
The fundamental long term cause of the Spanish Civil War was political instability. It had several reasons and expressions.
1. Weakness of government
a. During the 19th and up until 1923 Spain’s monarchs repeatedly intervened in the political system to halt reform and liberalization
b. Since the 19th century Spain had possessed a constitution that was frequently ignored and circumvented by the ruling elites
c. Since the 19th century Spain had possessed a legislature (Cortes) but elections to it were usually rigged and it had no real power anyway
d. Before 1931 voting rights were restricted the very wealth (oligarchs) resulting in domination by conservative factions opposed to political or social reform
e. Consequently à The Spanish people were accustomed to a political system that they perceived as reactionary, unresponsive, powerless, conservative and corrupt
2. Role of the army
a. The army saw itself as the protector of tradition and of the integrity of the Spanish nation. Thus, it had frequently intervened in political crises since the 19th century. 1936 was not an aberration.
b. The army leadership and much of the rank and file was conservative. They were strongly nationalistic and traditionalist in outlook. This was especially so of the Africanistas, the portion of the Spanish Army stationed in Spain’s African colonies.
c. The army was viewed negatively by most Spanish citizens. It was seen as costly, incompetent, antiquated, and violent. The middle and upper classes tended to defend military interests while the lower classes tended to attack them.
d. Consequently à The army had few qualms about intervening in 1936 and the lower classes were pre-disposed to resist such intervention.
3. Role of the Church
a. The Catholic Church had been wealthy and powerful for many centuries as a result of its close association with Spanish elites and the court.
b. The Church received most of its funding from Spain’s aristocracy and reciprocated with political support for aristocratic causes.
c. The Church unerringly used its influence to promote political, economic and social conservatism and was seen by the lower classes as primarily a political rather than a spiritual institution.
d. Consequently à The Church became a source of political disunity rather than of spiritual or cultural unity during the political upheavals of the 1930s.
4. Economic problems
a. Most Spaniards were landless rural peasants working on large farming estates (latifundia) were very low wages and needing to frequently migrate in search of employment.
b. Land owners usually adopted the attitude that those they employed possessed few, if any, economic or political rights (feudalism)
c. Spain possessed a rapidly increasing urban working class that experienced low wages, long hours, and poor working conditions.
d. Workers formed labor unions but unions possessed few legal rights to impact the plight of workers and industrialist almost always won disputes.
e. The living standards of rural peasants and urban workers declined during the 1920s as the European economy recovered from WWI and declined further during the Great Depression.
f. Relations between peasants and landowners and between workers and industrialists were already highly confrontational and strikes, sabotage and violence were on the rise.
g. Consequently à Spanish society was deeply polarized by economic equality and this produced an unwillingness or inability to reach any political compromise.
5. Regional problems
a. The regions of Catalonia and Basque possessed distinct cultures and experienced increasing demands for political autonomy or independence.
b. The Spanish left was prepared to grant more autonomy but the Spanish right saw this as anathema à Government policy lurched back and forth on this issue throughout the 1930s creating distrust and resentment in these regions.
c. Consequently à The right-wing saw left-wing victory as a mortal threat to the unity of Spain while the separatist regions saw the right-wing as a mortal threat to their own aspirations.
Short-term Causes
The fundamental short-term cause was political polarization resulting from the long-term causes outlined above. The Spanish right and left found themselves willing to use political power as a weapon against the opposition throughout the 1930s, thus undermining hopes for compromise and unity.
1. The left wing government of Azana (1931-33)
a. Reduced the Church’s role in the state, especially education
i. The Church denounced the left as godless communists
b. Reduced the size of the army by offering early retirement benefits
i. However, the remaining officer class was more strongly nationalistic
c. Tried to reduce unemployment by purchasing latifundia and redistributing land to the unemployed
i. The right denounced this as Soviet-style collectivization
d. The regions were given more autonomy (Catalonia was allowed its own parliament)
i. The right feared the immanent disintegration of Spain
2. The right wing government of CEDA (1933-36)
a. The right reversed all the reforms of Azana’s government
i. Education was restored to the Church
ii. Land redistribution was stopped
iii. Regional autonomy was cancelled
b. The lower class responded with frequent general strikes and industrial violence
i. The government used the police and army to brutally suppress all unrest
3. The Popular Front of Azana (1936-)
a. A coalition of socialists, communists and anarchists won the elections of March 1936 (Popular Front)
b. Azana began to reinstitute all the policies cancelled by the right-wing CEDA
c. Anarchists encouraged peasants to seize land in the countryside and Azana was reluctant to call a halt to this for fearing of alienating his coalition partners
d. The right wing concluded that a left-wing revolution was underway and the left wing government would do nothing to protect property or law and order.
4. The coup plot
a. The Popular Front’s actions had the effect radicalizing the right and many supports of CEDA transferred their support to the Falange (Spanish fascist party) in the first half of 1936
b. CEDA leader Gil Robles used CEDA funds to help finance a coup plot within the army
c. Junior army officers, including Mola and Franco, plotted a coup attempt against the Popular Front
d. In July CEDA politician Jose Calvo Sotelo was assassinated by policemen with left wing sympathies
e. The army took this as their cue to launch the coup attempt on July 27, 1936
i. Right wing factions of the army initially seized controlled of southern and northwestern Spain (more rural)
ii. Central and eastern Spain (more industrialized) largely remained under the control of the Republic
iii. Both sides were quickly deadlocked, leading to a 3 year civil war