Short-term causes of Spanish Civil War Flashcards
(42 cards)
Diagram of links between long-term causes (just one link)
What problems did the Second Spanish Republic face and how did this affect successive governments?
- The Second Spanish Republic faced serious social, economic and political problems from its inception.
- Successive governments were unable to find effective solutions to these problems to appease large enough sections of the Spanish people, and the result was that civil war began in July 1936.
- There were three major elections in these years, resulting in drastic swings between left- and right-wing coalition governments.
- These drastic swings demonstrated the divided nature of society, and contributed to further instability.
Timeline of changes in government during the Second Spanish Republic
- 1931 to 1933: Left-wing coalition government
- 1933 to 1936: Right-wing coalition government
- 1936 to 1936: Left-wing government, also called the Popular Front
- 1936 End of the Second Spanish Republic, and start of the Spanish Civil War
When was the first time the left-wing coalition government was in power?
1931-33
Describe the outcome of the election of 1931
- The election of 1931 was a profound victory for the left, but not one political party gained enough seats to pass legislation, so a left-wing coalition was formed.
- Out of the 470 seats, the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) won the most, with 116. The right-wing parties only won 41 seats.
Give an overview of the purpose and response to the left wing coalition government’ (of 1931-33) reforms
The new government passed a radical set of left-wing reforms, which aimed to solve Spain’s problems, but faced intense opposition from both ends of the political spectrum, and led to the defeat of the government in the November 1933 election.
What different reforms were implemented by the left wing coalition government (1931-33)?
- Urban worker reforms
- Agrarian reforms
- Anti-clerical reforms
- Military reforms
- Separatist reforms
Example of urban worker reforms
Urban workers were granted the right to strike without the fear of being dismissed.
Example of agrarian reforms
The Agrarian Reform Law of 1932 tried to break up latifundia estates exceeding 300 hectares, and redistribute the land and resettle peasants.
Example of anti-clerical reforms
The display of religious images in public and teaching by religious orders were prohibited, to break the Catholic Church’s control of education.
Example of military reforms
Army officer numbers were reduced and some with right-wing leanings were demoted to low-ranking positions.
Example of separatist reforms
A Catalan parliament, the Generalitat, was given legislative authority over agriculture, transport, public health and poor relief in Catalonia.
When was the left wing coalition government defeated?
November 1933
Why was the left-wing government defeated in the November 1933 election?
This was largely a result of the extreme left withdrawing its support for the coalition, as it felt that the reforms did not go far enough to deal with Spain’s socioeconomic problems.
Give examples of the socio-economic problems in Spain that led to the defeat of the left-wing government in 1933
- The Agrarian Reform Law only succeeded in resettling ten per cent of the 60,000 families it had aimed to help due to inadequate funding.
- Unemployment remained a huge issue in rural areas.
- Protests and strikes proliferated.
- They were organized by the trade unions of the far left, such as the Federacíon Anarquista Ibérica and the anarcho-syndicalist union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo. These became increasingly violent.
- In 1933, in the village of Casas Viejas in Cadiz, nineteen peasants were killed by government assault guards.
How did the conservative right feel about the left wing’s reforms (1931-33)?
- The reforms provoked great hostility from the conservative right, who saw them as a misguided attack on the traditional political, military, social and religious order.
- It disliked greater state intervention in the economy and feared that this was the beginning of more extreme socialist reform.
What was the CEDA and what were its aims?
It was a union of right-wing opposition groups, which aimed to protect law, order, property and Catholicism, was founded in February 1933.
Give examples of conservative right wing opposition to left wing reforms in 1931-33
- CEDA grew in popularity and in the November 1933 election became the biggest single party with 115 seats.
- Military reforms upset the landowning officer class as it feared a purge of the entire traditional military hierarchy, leading to a failed military coup in August 1932 by General José Sanjurjo.
How did CEDA come to power
CEDA, after becoming the largest party, worked closely with the Radicals, the second largest party, and established a right-wing government.
When was the right-wing republican government in power?
1933-36
What did the right-wing republic begin to do once in power?
It set about undoing most of the reforms of the previous left-wing government
Give examples of the actions the right-wing republic government took to undo the reforms of the previous left-wing government
- It refused to uphold the majority of the left-wing agrarian and industrial reforms.
- It allowed police searches of trade union premises and gave authorization for the authorities to break up strikes.
- It did not enforce the legislation that separated the Catholic Church from the State, and allowed the Church to play a significant role in education again.
How did the left wing feel about the right’s undoing of their reforms and what actions did they take?
- The extreme left became more active as left-wing protests proliferated.
- This pushed CEDA even further to the right, which lost it the support of the Radical Party, resulting in the collapse of the government.
- Asturias
What was the Asturias uprising?
- The most serious uprising took place in the Asturias mining region in October 1934.
- With high unemployment and poor working conditions, workers revolted and set up an independent workers’ republic comprising over one-third of the province and 80 per cent of its population.
- The revolutionaries burned down 58 churches and killed 31 people.
