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  • Many members of International Brigades withdrawn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
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