The Spanish Civil War - Term Paper Example

The Spanish Civil War (la Guerra Civil de España) Thesis: How has the Spanish Civil War become a literal and symbolic instance of the growing worldwide struggle between fascism and democracy? I. Introduction II. Body i. Spain as a Republic for the second time ii. The war has began iii. Revolutionary War against Fascism iv. Symbolism of the Civil War around the world Introduction According to the Imperial War Museum, the Spanish Civil War was a complex conflict that had an impact far beyond the boundaries of Spain. Six and a half decades later, the topic still generates debate. The terror began on July 17, 1936 in Spanish Morocco and on the mainland on July 18 by a military coup. Right-winged officers revolted against the democratically elected government of the Second Republic (formed April 1931) and its social reforms. The article stated that the rebels (Nationalists) were supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and under Franco’s regime faced strong resistance from the Republican working class and peasantry and from anti-fascist volunteers around the world. The Imperial War Museum further stated that the war ended on the 31st of March 1939 with victory going towards Franco. Franco’s victory saw the establishment of a third pro-fascist power on France’s borders and power in favour of Germany’s third Reich. The rebels (Nationalists) consisted of army, navy and civilian militias from the fascist Falange and from dissident monarchists and catholic organizations. These rebels were financially supported by wealthy landowners, industrialists and bankers, whose interest they defended against the reforming plans of the Republic. The largest group consisted of those ordinary Spanish Catholics who supported the Nationalists as the defenders of religion, law and order. …… This paper further defines the Spanish Civil War, however extensive emphasis is placed on the literal and symbolic instance the war has on the growing global struggle of fascism and democracy. The Spanish Civil War (la Guerra Civil de España) Spanish Talk reported that Spain had a Monarchist government in 1923 with General Primo de Rivera as dictator and Alfonso XIII as King. Rivera’s decisive resignation and flight from Spain came when he started to face growing opposition to his government. The Monarchist government was rejected in 1931, in the popular elections which also caused the renunciation of Alfonso XIII. Spain became a republic for the second time, but began to suffer a great deal of political violence as extensive discussions by Splinter groups about the extent and speed of the political unrest took place. A federation was formed by the left-winged parties to bring some amount of social reform. While at the other end of the political continuum, conservative groups threatened this federation and over the years leading up to 1936, Spain experienced some polarized political views. By the time of the 1936 elections, the popular front party had successfully unified various splinter groups in order to elevate their chances of winning at the polls. However, on July 18, 1936, an army revolt started and the Spanish Civil War began. The Spanish Civil War of 1936 could be seen as a literal and symbolic instance of the growing worldwide struggle between fascism and democracy. The Spanish Civil War is the most important fact in the revolutionary march of the Spanish people. It is no longer seen as an old style democratic –bourgeois revolution but instead as belonging to the era of the proletarian revolution initiated by the October revolution in Russia. It aroused the revolutionary conscience of the Spanish people to unimaginable heights and became an example for the whole world. (Ediciones Vanguardia Obrera, 1969, Madrid, paragraph 1). A web article entitled “Lessons from our National Revolutionary War against Fascism 1936-1969” by Communist Party Member Ediciones Vanguardia Obrera and translated in English-stated that the victory of fascism in Spain has temporarily blocked the march to socialism. The article stated that revisionists believe that the Spanish Civil War is an historical fact that Spain should forget. Obrera retaliated by saying that was an incorrect interpretation because it ignores the fact that the war is still going on. Obrera supported his statement by stating that the causes which produced it have not yet disappeared. Obrera also vented his discontent with the foreign invaders that still occupy the land and the continuous fascism that his people are faced with. In 1939, General Francisco Franco sold the country to the Nazis, and now it is the US imperialism which holds the mortgage. He added that in reality, the “liberalization” and the “democratization” of which the revisionists speak is an illusion. He concluded by saying the fact that the relationship of international forces has changed doesn’t mean that Franco and fascism can be forgotten by peaceful means. The task of the Communist Party of Spain today is to unite all popular classes of Spain against Franco and lead to an armed struggle against Franco and his imperialist backers. Obrera believes that Spanish bourgeoisie never completed its revolution. Important sectors of the economic and social life of the country remained under the control of the feudal classes. As a result the progress and development of productive forces were, for the most part, blocked throughout the entire 19th century. But once again the weak and vacillating bourgeoisie failed to take the decisive measures necessary to ensure social progress. The economic and political privileges of the dominant classes were left intact. Key posts in the army were left in the hands of the reaction. He further stated that the agrarian reform instituted in 1932 was timid in the extreme. Unfortunately, during this period the working class was profoundly divided between social democratic and anarchist tendencies. The Communist Party was not strong enough at that time to assert its leadership of the labor movement. With the attack on the republican government, the character of the Spanish Civil War changed from a bourgeois-democratic revolution to that of a proletarian revolution. The Republican Party became the most important party in Spain because it was the only one capable of leading the people to victory argued Obrera. However, despite its capabilities the party failed, but Obrera urged that the reasons for failure must be carefully studied. He later explained that at the beginning of the war, there was great atomization of republican power, but still they had minimal amount of authority to resolve contradictions between the need for a single Front and government and the interests of different groups and classes involved in resisting Franco. The paragraph itself (Lessons from our national revolutionary war against fascism, paragraph 3), was self-explanatory of the fact that the Republican regime out of fear of violating petty-bourgeois, it shackled itself to outworn republican institutions. Works Cited Imperial War Museum, (n.d.), Spanish Civil War Exhibition, from http://www.iwm.org.uk/-upload/package/5/spanish/MainText.pdf Obrera, Vanguardia, Lessons from Our National Revolutionary War against Fascism, (1969, Madrid), from http:// History of the Spanish Civil War.mht Spanish Talk, (n.d.), Spanish Civil War Summary, from http://www.spanish-talk.co.uk/about-spain/spanish-civil-war/ Read More