Why did the USSR get involved in the Spanish Civil War? Spanish Civil War Spanish War 1937

Causes, main stages and results of the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939)

History and LED

in Spain, the left forces win the general elections, the Popular Front party, the Republican Communists, who resumed agrarian reform, amnesty political prisoners, encourage the demands of strikers to reduce taxes, etc. Spanish troops in Morocco, a colony of Spain under the command of General Franco, are against the Popular Front Republic. The rebellion from the colony spreads to Spanish territory. Franco is supported by ground forces.

Causes, main stages and results of the Spanish Civil War (1936 1939).

In February 1936, in Spain, the left forces won the general elections Popular Front party (Republicans, Communists), which resumed agrarian reform, amnestied political prisoners, encouraged the demands of strikers, tax cuts, etc.

Opposing forces unite around the pro-fascist nationalist organization Spanish Phalanx (created in 1933 by reactionary forces), it was supported by the military, financiers, landowners, the church and began a rebellion in July 36, Spanish troops in Morocco (a colony of Spain) under the command of General Franco, against the republic Popular Front. Supported by Hitler, Mussolini and others.

The Civil War had 3 stages:

1. from the summer of 1936 to the spring of 1937, the rebellion from the colony spreads to the territory of Spain, Franco is supported by ground forces. He declares himself the leader of the rebels with unlimited possibilities.

The Popular Front government first managed to suppress the revolts in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​etc., but most of the territories of the country ended up in the hands of the Francoists, who were helped by Italy and Germany.

The Popular Front was helped by the Soviet Union, France, the USA and the International Brigades.

1. spring 1937 - autumn 1938 there is a war in the North of Spain (the most developed industrial areas). The inhabitants of the Basque country fought heroically, German aircraft wiped them off the face of the earth.

In the spring of 1938, the rebels broke through to the Mediterranean Sea and cut off Catalonia from the Republic, and in the fall of 1938 a turning point came in favor of the Francoists.

The Popular Front addressed the Sov. The Union requested military assistance, but the Spaniards detained the weapons at the border. The Northern Campaign ended with an unconditional victory for the Nationalists, who controlled more than half the population and territory of Spain.

1. autumn 1938 spring 1939 Republicans announced the continuation of the war until victory, but many no longer believed in the collapse of the Franco regime. In 1939, all of Catalonia was captured by the Francoists.

On April 1, 39, Franco occupied the entire territory of Spain and established an authoritarian fascist dictatorship, and Great Britain and France officially recognized Franco’s government with its fascist regime back in February.

It was a long, bloody war with heavy casualties and destroyed cities.

The reasons for the defeat of the republic in the civil war: contradictions between communists, socialists, Trotskyists, anarchists and left-wing republicans who were part of the Popular Front. Support for Franco by the Catholic Church. Help for Germany and Italy with weapons and people. Neutral position taken by England and France. Cowardice and betrayal in the Republican troops. Poor organization of the people's army, lack of discipline and sole command. There was no unity of action between different fronts. (in 1931 there was a bourgeois-democratic revolution in Spain and Spain declared itself a republic).

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Spain did not take part in First World War 1914 - 1918, but, like many European countries, at its end it suffered from a leapfrog of weak government cabinets. In 1923 General Miguel Primo de Rivera overthrew another government and declared himself a dictator. He was in power for seven years, and his reign came to an end when the great economic crisis at the turn of the 1920s and 30s affected Spain. The sharp decline in the living standards of the Spaniards led to their final loss of authority among the people. Democracy was restored in Spain, and a left-wing government came to power. The monarchy was abolished, King Alfonso XIII of Spain emigrated, and the country became a republic. Left and right-wing cabinets began to take turns replacing each other, and the country experienced a polarization of political forces. At the general election in February 1936, the left - from moderate socialists to anarchists and communists - created a coalition: Popular Front. They managed to defeat the right bloc, which consisted of parties of Catholic orientation and radical Phalanx, founded by the son of Miguel Primo de Rivera, Jose Antonio. The advantage of the Popular Front in the elections was very small, but when it came to power, it almost immediately banned the Phalangists. This led to street clashes between left and right. The outbreak of strikes and land seizures alerted the right, fearing the establishment of a communist dictatorship.

The activities of the left caused particular concern among the Spanish military. It seemed to them that only an armed uprising could prevent the emergence of Red Spain. Therefore, on July 17, 1936, the Spanish units located in Morocco, under the command of General Francisco Franco seized power in the part of this colony that belonged to Spain and declared non-recognition of the Madrid government. Within a week, the rebellious garrisons in Spain itself captured Oviedo, Seville, Zaragoza and a number of other cities. However, the uprisings in Madrid and Barcelona were quickly suppressed. As a result, the north-west of the country remained under nationalist control, with the exception of part of the coast near Bilbao and the area around Seville. The Republicans controlled the eastern half of Spain, including the capital, Madrid. The country found itself in the midst of a civil war, replete with horrors and atrocities.

To get his troops across Gibraltar, Franco turned to Hitler for help. Even before the end of July, Junkers 52 transport aircraft began arriving in Morocco, creating an air bridge. Mussolini, who ruled Italy, also sent his planes. Germany and Italy began to intensively supply the nationalists with weapons. The Moscow Comintern, for its part, decided to send volunteers to Spain and provide financial assistance to the Republicans.

Great Britain and France were very afraid that a new European war could break out from this internal conflict. They proclaimed a policy of non-intervention, although the then left-wing French government was extremely reluctant to do so. They made contact with Italy, Germany and Portugal and obtained a promise from them not to interfere in the conflict. An international Committee on Non-Intervention was founded and its first meeting took place in London in early September. However, Hitler and Mussolini, despite their assurances of non-participation, continued to supply the nationalists with weapons and people, and in ever increasing quantities. The Soviet Union then stated that it would implement non-intervention agreements only to the extent that Germany and Italy did.

The Spanish right opened two fronts. General Mola began to clear the north of the country of Republicans, and General Franco moved towards Madrid from the south. By the end of the year, with the help of Mola, he managed to surround Madrid on three sides. The Republican government left the besieged capital, moving to Valencia, and Italy officially recognized Franco's government.

The motives of the powers that provided active support to the warring parties in Spain were very different. Hitler saw the conflict as something of a testing ground where he could test new weapons, primarily tanks and airplanes. Germany sent no more than 15,000 people to Spain during the entire conflict, but its main contribution was associated with the participation of aviation - the Condor Legion. It was in the skies of Spain that the Messerschmitt-109 fighter and the Junkers-87 dive bomber received their baptism of fire. German bombers inflicted the greatest damage on the enemy. The world remembered their raids on Madrid, and most importantly, on a small town Guernica near Bilbao on April 26, 1937, when 6,000 civilians died.

Gradually, the position of the Republicans began to deteriorate. One of the reasons for the failures was internal squabbles in their camp - between socialists, pro-Stalinist communists, Trotskyists and anarcho-syndicalists. Although incendiary speeches Dolores Ibarruri, nicknamed Passionaria (“Fiery”) excited the defenders of Madrid, the contradictions between members of the coalition became so great that in May 1937, clashes took place in Barcelona between communists and anarchists.

The second reason for the Nationalists' advantage was that they were better armed than the Republicans. The Non-Intervention Committee decided to blockade the coast of Spain. Germany and Italy were assigned to control the eastern coast, Great Britain - the southern, and together with France - the northern. The blockade, however, had little effect. The nationalists managed to get everything they needed through friendly Portugal, and no one controlled the airspace. By November 1937, Franco had strengthened his position so much that he could organize the blockade himself. Therefore, by the end of 1938, the Republicans held only one small enclave in the extreme northeast and a second on the east coast opposite Madrid. By that time, foreign volunteers, including members of the International Brigade, were forced to leave Spain according to the plan put forward by the Committee on Non-Intervention. More and more states recognized the Franco regime, and finally in February 1939 the republican government emigrated through the Pyrenees to France. At the end of March, Madrid also fell, and a month later Franco announced a cessation of hostilities.

Spanish Civil War(Spanish Civil War) (1936-39), fierce war. confrontation between left and right forces in Spain. After the fall of Primo de Rivera (1930) and the overthrow of the monarchy (1931), Spain found itself split into two camps. On one side were privileged and politically influential groups such as the monarchists and the Spanish phalanx, on the other were the republicans, Catalan and Basque separatists, socialists, communists and anarchists. In the elections of 1936, the left-wing government of the Popular Front came to power, after which a wave of strikes, riots and wars swept across the country. conspiracies. In July 1936, generals José Sanjurjo and Francisco Franco led the Spanish army. Morocco failed rebellion against the republic, civil war began. a war marked by atrocities on both sides. In 1937, nationalists led by Franco, including Falangists, Carlists and Moroccan troops, took over the Basque Country, which supported the Republicans in the hope of gaining full independence. The nationalists also managed to hold the important city of Teruel, repelling the attacks of the republic. troops. This allowed Franco, with the help of him. and Italian troops to separate the Republican forces, capturing the territory. between Barcelona and Valencia (1938). Republicans, weakened internally. intrigues between rival factions and the end of Soviet aid, they launched a desperate counter-offensive, but failed. Barcelona fell into the hands of Franco (Jan. 1939); Madrid soon followed. Franco became the head of the state, and the Phalanx became a unity, a legal party. In G.v. Both sides received support from abroad: the Soviet Union sent advisers and weapons to the Republicans, and approx. 50 thousand soldiers from Italy and 10 thousand from Germany, mostly. pilots and tank crews. Bombing of civilians German objects pilots and the destruction of the Basque city of Guernica (1937) became a symbol of fascist cruelty and inspired Picasso to create one of his most famous paintings. In the ranks of the international brigades, many volunteers fought for the Republican cause. countries of the world - mainly people of the left and com. beliefs. The war cost Spain approx. 700 thousand died in battles, 30 thousand were executed or killed without trial and 15 thousand died from air. raids.

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CIVIL WAR IN SPAIN (1936-1939)

It took place between the left-wing socialist republican government of the country, supported by the communists, and the right-wing monarchist forces that launched an armed rebellion, on the side of which most of the Spanish army led by General F. Franco took the side.

The rebels were supported by Germany and Italy, and the Republicans were supported by the Soviet Union. The rebellion began on June 17, 1936 in Spanish Morocco. On July 18, most of the garrisons on the peninsula rebelled. Initially, the leader of the monarchist forces was General José Sanjurjo, but soon after the start of the rebellion he died in a plane crash. After this, the rebels were led by the commander of the troops in Morocco, General F. Franco. In total, out of 145 thousand soldiers and officers, more than 100 thousand supported him. Despite this, the government, with the help of the army units remaining on its side and hastily formed units of the people's militia, managed to suppress the riots in most of the country's major cities. Only Spanish Morocco, the Balearic Islands (with the exception of the island of Menorca) and a number of provinces in the north and southwest of Spain were under the control of the Francoists.

From the very first days, the rebels received support from Italy and Germany, who began supplying Franco with weapons and ammunition. This helped the Francoists capture the city of Badajoz in August 1936 and establish a land connection between their northern and southern armies. After this, the rebel troops managed to establish control over the cities of Irun and San Sebastian and thereby complicate the connection of the Republican North with France, but Franco directed his main blow against the capital of the country, Madrid.

At the end of October 1936, the German Condor aviation legion and the Italian motorized corps arrived in the country. The Soviet Union, in turn, sent significant quantities of weapons and military equipment, including tanks and aircraft, to the republican government, and also sent military advisers and volunteers. At the call of the communist parties of European countries, volunteer international brigades began to be formed and went to Spain to help the Republicans. The total number of foreign volunteers who fought on the side of the Spanish Republic exceeded 42 thousand people. With their help, the Republican army managed to repel the Francoist attack on Madrid in the fall of 1936.

The war became protracted. In February 1937, Franco's troops, with the support of Italian expeditionary forces, captured the city of Malaga in the south of the country. At the same time, the Francoists launched an offensive on the Jarama River south of Madrid. On the eastern bank of the Harama they managed to capture

The fighters of the International Brigade established a bridgehead, but after fierce fighting the Republicans pushed the enemy back to their original position. In March 1937, a rebel army attacked the Spanish capital from the north. The Italian expeditionary force played the main role in this offensive. In the Guadalajara area it was defeated. Soviet pilots and tank crews played a big role in this Republican victory.

After the defeat at Guadalajara, Franco shifted his main efforts to the north of the country. The Republicans, in turn, carried out offensive operations in the Brunete region and near Zaragoza in July - September 1937, which ended in vain. These attacks did not prevent the Francoists from completing the destruction of the enemy in the north, where the last Republican stronghold, the city of Gijon, fell on October 22.

Soon the Republicans managed to achieve serious success in December

In 1937, they launched an attack on the city of Teruel and captured it in January 1938. However, then the Republicans transferred a significant part of their forces and resources from here to the south. The Frankists took advantage of this, launched a counter-offensive and in March 1938 recaptured Teruel from the enemy. In mid-April they reached the Mediterranean coast at Vinaris, cutting the territory under Republican control in two. The defeats prompted a reorganization of the Republican armed forces. From mid-April they were united into six main armies, subordinate to the commander-in-chief, General Miaha. One of these armies, the Eastern, was cut off in Catalonia from the rest of Republican Spain and acted in isolation. On May 29, 1938, another army was separated from its composition, called the Army of the Ebro. On July 11, the reserve army corps joined both armies. They were also assigned 2 tank divisions, 2 anti-aircraft artillery brigades and 4 cavalry brigades! The Republican command was preparing a major offensive to restore Catalonia's land connection with the rest of the country.

After the reorganization, the People's Army of the Spanish Republic consisted of 22 corps, 66 divisions and 202 brigades with a total number of 1,250 thousand people. The Army of the Ebro, commanded by General H.M. Guillotte," accounted for about 100 thousand people. The Chief of the Republican General Staff, General V. Rojo, developed an operation plan that included crossing the Ebro and developing an offensive against the cities of Gandes, Vadderrobres and Morella. Having secretly concentrated, the Ebro army began crossing the river on June 25, 1938. Since The width of the Ebro River ranged from 80 to 150 m; the Francoists considered it an insurmountable obstacle. They had only one infantry division in the offensive sector of the Republican army.

On June 25 and 26, six Republican divisions under the command of Colonel Modesto occupied a bridgehead on the right bank of the Ebro, 40 km wide along one front and 20 km deep. The 35th International Division under the command of General K. Swierczewski (in Spain he was known under the pseudonym "Walter"), part of the XV Army Corps, captured the heights of Fatarella and the Sierra de Cabals. The Battle of the Ebro River was the last battle of the Civil War in which the International Brigades took part. In the fall of 1938, at the request of the Republican government, they, together with Soviet advisers and volunteers, left Spain. The Republicans hoped that thanks to this they would be able to obtain permission from the French authorities to allow weapons and equipment purchased by the socialist government of Juan Negrin to enter Spain.

The X and XV Republican army corps, commanded by generals M. Tatueña and E. Lister, were supposed to surround the group of Francoist troops in the Ebro region. However, their advance was stopped by reinforcements that Franco brought from other fronts. Due to the Republican attack on the Ebro, the Nationalists had to stop their attack on Valencia.

The Frankists managed to stop the advance of the enemy's V Corps at Gandesa. Franco's aircraft seized air supremacy and constantly bombed and shelled crossings across the Ebro. During 8 days of fighting, the Republican troops lost 12 thousand killed, wounded and missing. A long battle of attrition began in the area of ​​the Republican bridgehead. Until the end of October 1938, the Francoists launched unsuccessful attacks, trying to throw the Republicans into the Ebro. Only at the beginning of November did the seventh offensive of Franco’s troops end with a breakthrough of the defense on the right bank of the Ebro.

The Republicans had to leave the bridgehead. Their defeat was predetermined by the fact that the French government closed the Franco-Spanish border and did not allow weapons for the Republican army. Nevertheless, the Battle of the Ebro delayed the fall of the Spanish Republic for several months. Franco's army lost about 80 thousand people killed, wounded and missing in this battle.

During the Spanish Civil War, the Republican army lost more than 100 thousand people killed and died from wounds. The irretrievable losses of Franco's army exceeded 70 thousand people. The same number of National Army soldiers died from disease. It can be assumed that in the Republican army the losses from disease were somewhat less, since it was inferior in number to the Franco army. In addition, the losses of the international brigades exceeded 6.5 thousand people, and the losses of Soviet advisers and volunteers reached 158 people killed, died of wounds and missing. There is no reliable data on the losses of the German Condor aviation legion and the Italian expeditionary force who fought on the side of Franco.

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civil war spain

As already noted, at the initial stage of the war, German and Italian assistance played the role of a decisive factor that allowed Franco to get closer to Madrid, which in November 1936 was defended by the courage and heroism of its defenders. And by the end of November 1936, the Franco offensive ran out of steam.

In July 1936, General Franco turns to Hitler and Mussolini for military assistance. 27 European countries, including the USSR, sign the “Non-Intervention Agreement”, which has become purely formal. Endless violations of the Agreement by European powers forced the USSR to refuse to fulfill the terms of the agreement and provide military-technical assistance to Republican Spain. The international movement in defense of the republic is gaining enormous momentum.

Foreign assistance allowed each of the warring parties to delay defeat, but at the same time it was clearly insufficient to guarantee victory. The war began to take on a protracted character. In March 1937, a rebel army attacked the Spanish capital from the north. The Italian expeditionary force played the main role in this offensive. In the Guadalajara area it was defeated. Soviet pilots and tank crews played a big role in this Republican victory.

After the defeat at Guadalajara, Franco shifted his main efforts to the north of the country. The Republicans, in turn, in July - September 1937 carried out offensive operations in the Brunete region and near Zaragoza, which ended in vain. These attacks did not prevent the Francoists from completing the destruction of the enemy in the north, where on October 22 the last stronghold of the Republicans, the city of Gijon, fell.

Soon the Republicans managed to achieve serious success. In December 1937, they launched an attack on the city of Teruel and captured it in January 1938. However, then the Republicans transferred a significant part of their forces and resources from here to the south. The Frankists took advantage of this, launched a counter-offensive and in March 1938 recaptured Teruel from the enemy. In mid-April they reached the Mediterranean coast at Vinaris, cutting the territory under Republican control in two. The defeats prompted a reorganization of the Republican armed forces. From mid-April they were united into six main armies, subordinate to the commander-in-chief, General Miaha. One of these armies, the Eastern, was cut off in Catalonia from the rest of Republican Spain and acted in isolation. On May 29, 1938, another army was separated from its composition, called the Army of the Ebro. On July 11, the reserve army corps joined both armies. They were also given 2 tank divisions, 2 anti-aircraft artillery brigades and 4 cavalry brigades. The Republican command was preparing a major offensive to restore Catalonia's land connection with the rest of the country.

After the reorganization, the People's Army of the Spanish Republic consisted of 22 corps, 66 divisions and 202 brigades with a total strength of 1,250 thousand people. The Army of the Ebro, commanded by General H.M. Guillotte accounted for about 100 thousand people. The Chief of the Republican General Staff, General V. Rojo, developed an operation plan that included crossing the Ebro and developing an offensive against the cities of Gandes, Vadderrobres and Morella. Secretly concentrating, the Ebro army began crossing the river on June 25, 1938. Since the width of the Ebro River ranged from 80 to 150 m, the Francoists considered it an insurmountable obstacle. On the offensive sector of the Republican army, they had only one infantry division.

• On June 25 and 26, six Republican divisions under the command of Colonel Modesto occupied a bridgehead on the right bank of the Ebro, 40 km wide along one front and 20 km deep. The 35th International Division under the command of General K. Swierczewski (in Spain he was known under the pseudonym “Walter”), part of the 15th Army Corps, captured the heights of Fatarella and the Sierra de Cabals. The Battle of the Ebro River was the last battle of the Civil War in which the International Brigades participated. In the fall of 1938, at the request of the Republican government, they, together with Soviet advisers and volunteers, left Spain. The Republicans hoped that thanks to this they would be able to obtain permission from the French authorities to allow weapons and equipment purchased by the socialist government of Juan Negrin to enter Spain.
• The 10th and 15th Republican Army Corps, commanded by Generals M. Tatuena and E. Lister, were supposed to surround the group of Franco troops in the Ebro region. However, their advance was stopped by reinforcements that Franco brought from other fronts. Due to the Republican attack on the Ebro, the Nationalists had to stop their attack on Valencia.

The Frankists managed to stop the advance of the enemy's 5th Corps at Gandesa. Franco's aircraft seized air supremacy and constantly bombed and shelled crossings across the Ebro. During 8 days of fighting, the Republican troops lost 12 thousand killed, wounded and missing. A long battle of attrition began in the area of ​​the Republican bridgehead. Until the end of October 1938, the Francoists launched unsuccessful attacks, trying to throw the Republicans into the Ebro. Only at the beginning of November did the seventh offensive of Franco’s troops end with a breakthrough of the defense on the right bank of the Ebro.

The Republicans had to abandon their bridgehead. Their defeat was predetermined by the fact that the French government closed the Franco-Spanish border and did not allow weapons for the Republican army to pass through. However, the Battle of the Ebro delayed the fall of the Spanish Republic for several months. Franco's army lost about 80 thousand people killed, wounded and missing in this battle.

Meanwhile, German and Italian assistance to the Francoists continued, ensuring a preponderance of forces over the Republicans. Barcelona fell in January 1931. After heavy fighting in early February 1931, all of Catalonia came under Franco rule. Among the members of the Popular Front, capitulatory sentiments emerged. However, Negrin still appealed to his supporters to resist to the end. The existence of the republic ended in an atmosphere of general chaos; an uprising broke out in certain parts of its armed forces. At the end of March 1939, Madrid capitulated to Franco's troops.

The Spanish Civil War, which killed almost 1 million Spaniards, is over. A stream of refugees poured across the Pyrenees heading to France. In the half-destroyed country, noisy celebrations and church services were held to mark the end of the war. Franco's undivided and unchallenged power lasted for thirty-nine years, until his death in 1975.

Spanish Civil War 1936 - 1939, began as a result of a rebellion raised by generals E. Mola and F. Franco. Although the origins of the conflict were rooted in a century-old dispute between traditionalists and supporters of modernization, in Europe in the 1930s. It took the form of a clash between fascism and the anti-fascist bloc of the Popular Front. This was facilitated by the internationalization of the conflict and the involvement of other countries in it.

Prime Minister H. Giral asked the French government for help, Franco appealed to A. Hitler and B. Mussolini. Berlin and Rome were the first to respond to the call for help, sending 20 transport aircraft, 12 bombers and the Usamo transport ship to Morocco (where Franco was then stationed).

By early August, the African rebel army was transferred to the Iberian Peninsula. On August 6, the southwestern group under the command of Franco began a march on Madrid. At the same time, the northern group under the command of Mola moved towards Caceres.

Started Civil War, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and left behind ruins.

The decision to provide assistance from the USSR in response to a request from the head of the government of the Popular Front, F. Largo Caballero, was made by the Soviet leadership in September 1936. But back in August, military advisers arrived along with the Soviet embassy. In 1936-39 there were about 600 military advisers in Spain; the number of Soviet citizens who took part in the Spanish events did not exceed 3.5 thousand people.

On the other hand, Germany and Italy sent Franco a large contingent of military instructors, the German Condor Legion and a 125,000-strong Italian expeditionary force. In October 1936, the Comintern initiated the creation international brigades , who gathered anti-fascists from many countries under their banners. On September 9, 1936, work began in London Committee on Non-Intervention", the purpose of which was to prevent the Spanish conflict from escalating into a general European war.

The Soviet Union was represented by Ambassador in London I.M. May. On August 7, 1936, the US government ordered all its diplomatic missions to be guided in the Spanish situation by the Neutrality Act of 1935, which prohibited the supply of weapons to warring countries. The military conflict was aggravated by the creation of two different types of statehood: a republic, where from September 1936 to March 1939 a popular front government led by socialists F. Largo Caballero and J. Negrin was in power, and an authoritarian regime in the so-called. national zone, where Franco concentrated all legislative, executive and judicial powers in his hands.

In the national zone, traditional institutions prevailed. In the republican zone, land was nationalized, and large industrial enterprises and banks were confiscated and transferred to trade unions. In the national zone, all parties supporting the regime were merged into “ Spanish traditionalist phalanx y", led by Franco. In the Republican zone, rivalry between socialists, communists, and anarchists resulted in open clashes, right up to an armed putsch in May 1937 in Catalonia.

The fate of Spain was decided on the battlefields. Franco was unable to capture Madrid until the end of the war; the Italian corps was defeated in the battles of Jarama and Guadalajara. Unfavorable outcome 113-day " Battle of the Ebro"in November 1938 predetermined the outcome of the civil war.