The Spanish Civil War: Growth of Industrial and Agricultural Sectors - Research Paper Example

Historical Memory The entire of this literature is focused on conflict (The Spanish Civil War). It highlights Spain as a “go-getter state” having fought against super powerful states like America, Germany, Italy and Britain. The revolution that took place in 1931-1939 show bloodshed, deaths, torture, loss of properties, human displacement and diseases among acute suffering. However, this is a celebration of what is seen as a “just cause”. Therefore, was there a primary significance in the process of revolution in Spain and what lessons can we pick? For example, did the America Left learn from the Spanish collectives, agricultural and industrial developments, which are a reflection of a remarkable option of revolutionary modernization? Such and more questions of the Spanish nation continue with no answers. For the explanation of revolution in Spain this paper will use the theme how people all over the world have attempted to make sense of the wars, tragedies and violence they have experienced in the 20th century. The Spanish Civil War that took place in 1936-1939 as rebelling against the Republican government of Spain, having been supported by conservatisms in the state. A bloody civil war followed because the initial military coup could not control the whole country, fighting with immense ferociousness on both sides (Tierney, 2008). The rebels were known as Nationalists and got assistance from the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy while the Republicans from the International Brigades, the United States ,volunteers from European states and the Soviet Union. This war was a result of a division of the Spanish life as well as politics having developed over earlier years. One side was for the Roman Catholics in Spain who were influential businessmen, landowners and elements of the military. The other side comprised of urban workers, many middle educated classes and agricultural laborers (Lannon, 2002). When it came to political differences there was always complete and heated expression in parties for instance the militant left-wing anarchists Fascist-oriented Falange. Some of the extreme groups covered the political spectrum from conservatism and monarchism through liberalism to Socialism. One of them was a small Communist group divided amongst followers of Joseph Stalin who was a Soviet leader and his archrival. Assassinations and other types of bloodshed were not unpopular. For instance in 1934 rebellions were common in Valencia and Zaragoza, fighting in Barcelona and Madrid while miners came up with a bloody rising in Asturias that was later repressed by troops led by Francisco Franco (Linhard, 2005). Governmental succession terminated the crises leading to elections held on 16th Feb 1936 to a Popular Front government favored by most parties of the left and resisted by those of the right and the center. A well organized military opposition started on 17th July 1936, in towns across Spain. By 21st of the same month rebels had captured Spanish Morocco, Balearic Island, Canary Islands and some regions of the Ebro River, Guadarrama Mountains. The Republicans troops had stopped the uprising in other regions apart from Andalusian cities (Bolloten, 1991). The Republicans and Nationalists went on to organize their particular territories and suppress rebellions and anyone suspected to be. Roughly 50,000 persons lost lives which demonstrated that the Civil War had let loose. Each side saw its impossibility in winning quickly sought international assistance. The Nationalists got tanks, troops and planes from Italy and Germans while the Soviet Union supplies equipments to the Republicans although France and Mexico was on their side. Almost 40,000 foreigner supported Republicans while another 20,000 worked in auxiliary units. History can only provide a rough approximation of people who perished in the Spanish War. Nationalist troops estimated the figure to be a million, including the victims of assassination, execution and bombardment (Greeley, 2006). Recent approximates have been closer to half a million or less while not including those who died as result of torture, anger, malnutrition and diseases. The mental and political aftershock of the civil war went far beyond national conflict because majority of other states saw the Spanish War as a contribution of international conflict. This was according to their own opinion, ranging from Communism to civilization, tyranny and democracy and Fascism and democracy. Italy and Germany used Spain as a laboratory to test fresh methods of tank and air warfare (Lannon, 2002). On the other hand, for France and Britain the war was a reflection of new threat to universal equilibrium that they striving to protect, which in 1939 bore World War II. Most of the sources have at least forgotten to mention the Spanish political was powerfully polarized from all sides, and each polarity was badly sectioned. The military rebellion brought barely more than half the army out in revolt although it was helped by rightist militia. The leftist Republicans regime looked down on the constitutional rule and took part in “arming the people” which meant supplying weapons to the revolutionary organizations. Fraser (1983) provides valuable source for Spanish Civil War is a perfect account of six years against Spain. The author, Ronald Fraser analyses what caused the emperor’s defeat against the famous resistance. He further links historical accounts of the powerful political and military statistics of the war by bringing to life unidentified masses such as peasants, artisans and women who took part in the war, suffered and lost their lives . In different turns and twists, he brings back their primary contribution in this barbaric but important war while concurrently overturning the war was a simple military campaign. The intent of book is demonstrate the reality of the disasters brought by war (although war is a disaster in itself): the pain, social mayhem and discontents that followed the Spanish Civil War. Ronald Fraser remembers that prior to the Spanish Civil War, the environment was almost less violent and politically least engaged. There was a powerful Surrealist called Joan Miro who generated several paintings showing Catalan nationalism named Head of a Catalan Peasant. The Head of Catalan Peasant were important in understanding Spain’s atmosphere prior to the war since they contained understated political references although they focused more on pictorial topics (Linhard, 2005). Madrid prohibited the Catalan language and flag, and removed government representatives replacing them with military authorities. This aimed at getting rid of the area’s rebellious environment. The paintings did not have a direct reference to the political state of Miro’s home of Catalonia. The Spanish Civil War (Part Five, "Inside the Revolution”) is one of the unsurpassed visual representations of the Spanish Civil War. It has an immense quantity of the authentic oral account. Inside the revolution shows how the Spanish republic was, how revolution was unleashed and how violence partition created a civil war within the civil war. Additionally, it is translated in many languages. The purpose behind this documentary is to show what took place and how it started. The killings in rebel Spain were executed by vigilantes. In fact, it is termed as massacre of the civilian by one another. Many of those who died were taken from their homes or prisons. In many cases, the assassins had close links with rightists’ political organizations that supported revolution. The author highlights Franco got to power through skill and luck thanks to some unexpected death of a capable rival. The author remembers the Spanish Civil War was a calamity that brought the state into wreckage. He starts by narrating the war broke out after an attempted coup détat when a troop of Spanish Army generals opposed the government of the second Spanish Republic under the leadership of Manuel Azaña. After the military rebellion, working-class uprisings spread throughout Spain showing their support for the Republican government. Unfortunately the army shot them dead bringing the war to an end with nationalists as the winners and founding of the Authoritarian states under the leadership of Gen. Francisco Franco (Lannon, 2002). After the civil war, every right-wing parties were forced to join Franco’s regime. The 1936 elections of Spain had already been widely commemorated as a complete success in many publications in France, United States and Britain. Military rising were perceived as an attack against the working class everywhere. However, the speedy intervention of the Italians and Germans gave what might have continued to be an international dramatic character in any civil war. Almost at the start, the Spanish Civil War became an accurate and representational instance of the escalating universal struggle between democracy and fascism. It’s also seems impossible that the universal historical accounts have continued differently if democracies had a firmer stand against fascism in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War but they failed to. In retrospect, it seems possible that world history might have proceeded differently had the democracies taken a strong stand against fascism in Spain in 1936. But they did not. There were also fears anything may cause to a heated war in Europe, a fear that would ultimately lead to the notorious Munich accession of 1938 and influential businessmen and British Cabinet sympathized with Franco. The Spanish Civil War after Fifty Years There is still something between reality and myth- an uncertain zone of changes that infrequently holds the truth of the other. Spain became a victim of world-historic revolution during the past fifty years ago (Tierney, 2008). This can be remembered as an event or a unique moment when the most openhanded, maybe a mythic dreams of freedom appeared to unexpectedly be true for millions of Spanish peasants, workers and intellectuals. As it were, this moment brought the world to still breathless state. It was a gleaming moment, while the red posters of revolutionary socialism while those of red and black of revolutionary anarchosyndicalism filled every part of Spain’s main capitals in addition to a thousand villages. United as one with the immense, impulsive collection of factories, hotels, restaurants and fields, the subjugated classes of Spain regained history with such unexpected force and passion and this resulted to a stunning realism in several regions across peninsula to the timeless dream of a free society (Payne, 2006). At its beginning, the Spanish Civil War final to the European peasants ‘and workers’ revolutions in Europe and not a short-term uprising or an easy civil wrangle between regions over national supremacy. Just like several other life-forms that emerge for a final time, before vanishing once and for all, this was the most wide spread and challenging war of the enormous revolutionary epoch that included Cromwellian England and the emergence of working class in Asturias and Vienna. Although there were cases of abuse against humanity, the Spanish Civil War was and is still a worthy cause. While some have termed it as a simple prelude to WWII and a supposed struggle between democracy and fascism, even World War II cannot attract such honor. Spain was in the middle of more than a Civil war and a throe of a weighty social revolution. Additionally, this revolution was not a product of Spain’s struggle for modernization (Bolloten, 1991). In any case, Spain was one of the rarest states where matters of modernization steered social revolution. Today, nothing makes much sense as this seemingly third world character brought about by the Spanish Civil War. Most importantly, the unique options it created to authoritarian and capitalism forms of socialism that made it significant to recent movements (Payne, 2012). As the country become modern, the working class and peasantry practically controlled much of its economy and managed it as cooperatives and collectives among others. Decision making involved soldiers and elected commanders which led to military fronts. The revolution that swept over Spain in 1936 has been defined in the most recent BBC-Granada Documentary as one of the most exceptional experiment in workers’ self-management experienced across Western Europe. Current reports of Spain and revolution of 1936 is a different demonstration of the state’s society from how it was portrayed by Communists and liberal allies. Its outward trappings besides, Spain is not the agrarian and “feudal” state it is thought to be (Bolloten, 1991). Spain underwent an immense economic growth with main developments being experienced in the Agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. After 1910, peasantry fell from 66% to 45.5%of the working populace. On the other hand, industrial workers increased from 15.8% to 26.5%. In fact, peasantry formed a small percentage of the population. Much has been said and achieved in Spain, creating a determinant of how they (Spanish) and the outer world would prefer to remember and interpret the past. In fact is the truth out. After Spain achieved so much but is it in a position to maintain or improve? For instance, there seem to be so much ignorance and an almost complete loss of critical insight. For instance, loyalty has been replaced by mindless, politics has been taken by partyness, the banner of unity and coalition has been used as a shroud among others (Payne, 2006). At least the honor of the Spanish left could be protected only if it expressed the deepest customs of the Spain such as a firm sense of community, local autonomy, deep distrust of the state and their customs of confederalism. Even though Americans left shares within Spain, it was the beginning of revolutions and America cannot be blamed (Tierney, 2008). However, the anarchists gave these customs some consistency as well as a radical thrust, changing Spanish into a political and economical culture and not just a contrived schedule. That is why they were able to survive through repression from one generation to another. Much did not seem effective until Socialists found a solution to issues arising between a political group and popular one by starting their popular “house of the people” across Spain that they became a significant group in Spanish politics and life. Conclusion Although the Spanish Civil War caused lengthy suffering among the citizens it was and is still a worthy cause. First the revolution saw an immense growth of industrial and agricultural sectors and collectively managed by the peasants and workers. Additionally, the war was a test for Germany and the USSR as well as fascist Italy for their new aircrafts and tanks. Another line explains the French links with the Soviet broke lose when the arms embargo that was established by non-intervention committee hindered France from delivering weapons for the Civil War while USSR aimed at direction infringement of this embargo. References Top of Form Bottom of Form Bolloten, B. (1991). The Spanish Civil War: Revolution and counterrevolution. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. Greeley, R. A. (2006). Surrealism and the Spanish Civil War. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. Lannon, F. (2002). The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. Oxford: Osprey. Linhard, T. A. (2005). Fearless women in the Mexican Revolution and the Spanish Civil War. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press. Payne, S. G. (2012). The Spanish Civil War. New York: Cambridge University Press. Payne, Stanley G. (2006). The Collapse of the Spanish Republic, 1933–1936. Origins of the Civil War. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Quoted in David Mitchell, The Spanish Civil War (London and New York, 1982) p. 31. This book is based on the BBC-Granada television series, but just as the series does not contain a good deal of material in the book, so the book does not contain a good deal of material in the series. The interested reader is therefore well advised to consult both. Ronald Fraser, "The Popular Experience of War and Revolution" in Revolution and War in Spain, 1931-1939, Paul Preston, ed. (London and New York, 1983), pp. 226-27. This book is another valuable source. The Spanish Civil War (Part Five, "Inside the Revolution"), a six-part documentary produced by BBC-Granada, Ltd. This series is by far the best visual presentation of the Spanish Civil War I have seen and contains an enormous amount of original oral history. It is a primary source for material on the subject. Tierney, D. (2008). FDR and the Spanish Civil War: Neutrality and commitment in the struggle that divided America. Durham: Duke University Press. Read More