Question 5

Why did the Nationalists win the Spanish Civil War?

Paragraph One: Non-military factors

• Nationalists held better land and better fed than Republicans
• 1937 Church leaders declared Nationalists to be the right cause (important in a religious country)
• Nationalists used wireless propaganda (encouraged their side/depressed Republicans)
• Franco’s will to win never wavered
• Many of his followers had different aims but he forcibly united them preventing separatist moves

Paragraph Two: Difficulties of the Republic

• Main aim of many Republicans – carry out proletarian revolution rather than defeat the Nationalists
• This aim meant different things to different groups
• Problems in republic’s forces:
  • no single army or general
  • lack of discipline
  • their few army officers were despised because they were members of the old army (their advice was ignored)
  • resistance to formal training methods as unnecessary
  • it’s why they were usually beaten in open fighting (Nationalist troops well trained)
  • many types of gun – inefficient

Dissension on Republican side

• 1937 Anarchists rose in revolt in Barcelona – crushed by Communists
• Frequent murders and shootings
• Led to slowing down of volunteers and supplies from abroad
• As Communist influence increased:
  • non-Communist commanders were replaced
  • Government orders ignored
• 1939 non-Communists in Madrid rose against the Communists
• This, plus the news that the government had fled to France, led to collapse of morale among Madrid’s defenders

Paragraph Three: The activities of the Great Powers

Help for the Nationalists:

• By 1937 60,000 Italian troops in Spain – sent ships and planes too
• 1936 Hitler sent Condor Legion made up of tanks, bombers, fighters, artillery
• 1938 Hitler sent money and oil for final offensive

Help for the Republicans:

• USSR sent only enough aid to keep resistance going
• Great Britain and USA failed to aid democracy – Communist influence grew
• It increased determination of opposition to win
• Near end of 1938 Stalin stopped sending help to Republic
• Many members of International Brigades withdrawn

Paragraph Four: Military Factors

Nationalist military advantages:

• Most of the old officers in their army
• Republicans had few who had been through military school
• Disciplined units
• Complete command of the air in early stages

Republican tactical mistakes:

• Failed to stop Franco’s army crossing from Morocco
• Had many ships in area but couldn’t operate them properly (officers had been killed)
• Republican units kept to roads in early stages – targets for planes
• 1938 Battle of the Ebro last major Republican offensive – failed – waste of scarce resources

Significant moments:

• Defence of Alcazar fortress at Toledo – inspiration and propaganda value to Nationalists
• 1937 defeat of Basques – coal and iron to Nationalists
• Allowed Nationalist navy to concentrate in Mediterranean
• Their army now concentrated on one front
• Nationalist victory at Tervel (1938) – exhausted Republicans
• Franco able to advance through Aragon and sever land link between Madrid and Barcelona