THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR

The MNAC aims to do an open framework on an international scale in which

photographers who worked on the republican as well as the “national” side are
represented.

The Spanish civil war is considered the first major conflict to receive extended coverage
from the world media due to the arrival of new technologies like cameras and film stock
and also due to the political propaganda and the birth of photojournalism. Once the
news of the uprising became widespread, photographers of various nationalities
appeared at the front.

The war started in 1936 but there was a prelude to it. Two years before, a decision made
by the party heading the government, that hadn’t sworn allegiance to the Republic,
sparks off a revolutionary movement on October 1934. Armed socialists, communists
and anarchosyndicalists rise up in order to stop this decision.

There were two places where this movement had an important impact. In Catalonia the
president of the Generalitat proclaims the Catalan State of the Spanish Federal
Republic. It causes the declaration of a state of war and finally, it also causes the arrest
of the members of the Generalitat.

The other focus of revolution was Asturias where miners advance towards Oviedo but
the army put and end to the disturbances.

Two years later in 1936 the political parties were united in two blocks: the leftist parties
on the “Frente Popular” and the others on the “Bloque Nacional”. The elections divided
the country in two. The “Frente Popular” won the elections and Manuel Azaña headed
the government. He dismisses some of the Africanists Generals such as Franco and
Mola from their posts and move them away from Madrid in a way to prevent a military
revolution.

Later on Mola forms a conspiracy to overthrow the Republic. However, he will leave
the leading of the conspiracy to General Sanjurjo but Mola will be the organiser. It is
important to know that it does not contemplate a war; it is supposed to be a rapid
military uprising. This uprising was hastened due to the assassination of the rightwing
leader and it was supported by Falange Española and the JONS.

The operation was launched on 17 July 1936 in Melilla. Few days later Seville was took
in a surprise attack. In the whole country fierce street fights took place in which
working masses participated.

Meanwhile, in Madrid the Government still had doubts about whether arm the people or
not. Finally they decided to give them arms to face the insurrection. When both sides
are armed and the uprising as was planned has failed the Civil war starts.

Once the war has begun, both sides organise themselves in units called columns. The
“nationals” were really organised whether the Republican side were not from the
military point of view.
The war divided the country in two fractions which will ask for the support of
international powers. The Republicans ask France but their response was made by
creating, within other countries, the International Non-Intervention Committee. The
only international support for Republicans was the Russians communists that send to
Spain volunteers that were called International Brigades. The “nationals” had the
support of Italy and Germany.

During the war the territory will be divided and there will be formed fronts, like the
Aragón front, where it took place some of the most violent actions. Some of these
actions of rebel troops are widely covered by the foreign press.

The intention of the “national” forces was to take Madrid but the rebels did not expect
to encounter such fierce resistance so the army decides to bomb the city. Madrid will
resist till the end of the war. This fact made Franco alter his plans taking other parts of
Spain and also to isolate Madrid such as in the Battle of Guadalajara that was the third
major “national” offensive aimed at occupying Madrid.

Two month later on May 1937, Barcelona witnesses its own civil war as a result of the
tensions between leftist groups. The dramatic outcome implied that the Generalitat lost
some of their power.

Meanwhile the “nationals” started the offensive in the north of the country to conquer
the important industrial area of Vizcaya. One of the most important events was the
bombing of the town of Guernica by German planes. This was the first bombing on
such scale in the history of the destruction of civilian targets.

The objective of the rebels was to take Bilbao. Although the Republicans put up a fierce
resistance, the “nationals” finally took the city. This victory gave even more power to
the figure of Franco.

Although it seems the “nationals” are the only ones that attack, the Republicans also do
some offensives like in the Aragón front with the Battle of Brunette which objective
was to drawn national troops away from the north. Another offensive was the Belchite
military operation to retard the advance of the nationals towards Saragossa.

These Republican offensives made Franco sent reinforcement to the Aragón front that
will be collapsed and will permit the conquering of an extensive Republican area by the
“nationals”.

Later on March 1938 the centre of Barcelona suffers continuous bombings that have
very strong impact worldwide. Next month the “nationals” will take the Mediterranean
area dividing the Republican territory in two. This made that the head of the Republican
Government pronounce the “thirteen points” a proposed agreement with the Francoists.

The “thirteen points hadn’t any success so the new goal of the Republicans was to
contain the “nationals” advance. Although the “nationals” were stronger, the
Republicans did not give up fighting. The hardest battle of the war was the Battle of the
Ebro on 1938, a battle were on the Republican side there were not any international
support. The battle ends in a Francoists victory that made the “nationals” prepare for the
conquest of Catalonia. With the collapse of the Catalonian front began the biggest
Spanish political exodus. France receive thousands of Spaniards; such an event that they
were not prepared to. This made them set up concentration camps where life was very
hard.

On 1 April 1939 the war end but peace will be a long time arriving. There will remain
social antagonism between what has been called the “two Spains”.

In the “new order” established by Franco there will be three real powers: the military,
the Falangists and the Catholic Church. Later on, the Franco regime will suffer an
international political isolation as some countries with similar ideologies; this will be
some of the reasons why Spain will declare its neutrality in the European conflict. It is
important to highlight that the postwar period will last another twenty years.

Júlia Almacellas Visa