Spanish Revolution and Civil War

Spanish Revolution and Civil War, 1936-39

In July 1936, Franco launched an attempted military coup against the Popular Front Government, backed mainly by the aristocracy, large landowners, industrialists, bankers, sections of the army and the Catholic Church. Franco sought to overthrow the Government and establish a Fascist dictatorship.

The coup was met with fierce resistance from organised workers, particularly members of the anarcho-syndicalist trade union: the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and other trade unions and political parties such as the socialist Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) and the Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista (POUM).

Across much of Spain - especially in industrial strongholds like Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, and anarchist-dominated regions such as Aragón, Asturias and Andalusia – the working class and peasants formed armed militias, seized armouries, alongside the Cuerpo de Seguridad y Asalto (Assault Guards), and successfully halted the Fascist uprising.

Factories were seized and placed under worker control and land was confiscated and collectivised. The CNT, which had one and a half million members, played a central role in organising these efforts, helping local people to establish decentralised councils and militias to defend the Revolution.

Propaganda posters became a vital tool in the struggle – in the context of relatively low literacy levels – used by anarchist, socialist, and communist groups to rally support, educate the masses, and inspire resistance. Around 1,750 different posters were designed, printed and distributed during the conflict.

By 1 April 1939, the Republican Government was beaten by the Fascists who had superior equipment and whole armies provided by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and mercenaries from North Africa.

At the end of the war, half a million Republicans escaped to France where many of them were held in concentration camp conditions on beaches and either forced to return to Spain to face possible execution or join forced labour units.

Many of the Spanish veterans managed to rejoin the fight against the Nazis through the French Resistance (some ‘Maquis’ bands in southwest France were made up entirely of Spanish veterans) – and were at the head of the battle to liberate Paris as a group known as La Nueve (9th Company of the French Régiment de Marche du Tchad). The 160 men of La Nueve, who were under French command, included 146 Spaniards. They entered Paris with military vehicles bearing the names of battles of the Spanish Civil War, such as Ebro, Guadalajara, Brunete, Teruel, and Guernica.

Some anti-fascists continued to fight against Franco, underground and living in the mountains in Spain for many years after the war.

The legacy of resistance and the powerful imagery of the Spanish Revolution and Civil War endured as a testament to the power of organised labour and revolutionary ideals.