Comparison Of Nationalism And The Spanish Civil War

From 1936 to 1939, the Spanish Civil War took place. In this said war, General Francisco Franco, strong supporter of nationalism, fought against the Loyalists, in order form a new government system for Spain, a Fascist government. Fascism is an extreme rightist view, more extreme than Monarchism and Nazism. In the Spanish Civil War, Franco was aided by Hitler and the German forces. The nationalists were aided slightly by the newly formed Italian country and their powerful Fascist leader, Mussolini. Although Franco started the Spanish Civil War to rebel against the Second Republic, Franco’s central goal was to destroy the left-wing organizations such as the liberalists, communists, and socialist movements.
Throughout the course of the war, the
“On March 5, 1939, the Republican army, led by the Colonel Segismundo Casado and the politician Julián Besteiro, rose against the prime minister Juan Negrín and formed the National Defense Council to negotiate a peace deal,” (Beevor 391-392). “The Spanish Civil War was between the leftist Republicans, who were in control of the government at the time, and the Nationalists. The right wing Nationalists were led by Franco and his army, who had the support of the Catholic Church,” (Beevor). The Republicans were getting all of their financial and military help from the people of nobility in Spain because the nobles wanted a monarchy so they can keep their position of power. The Loyalists/Republicans were the nobles and people with power in Spain. They were supported by the Soviet Union, Mexico, and France. “The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, received aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union, as well as from International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and the United States” (Encyclopædia Britannica). There were other groups covering the political spectrum from monarchism and conservatism through liberalism and socialism. This includes a small communist group divided between supporters of Joseph Stalin, and his archrival, Leon
Hitler brought in the Blitzkrieg, and helped Franco fight off the Loyalists. Franco wanted to split Spain into two parts; The Catalan and then the remainder of Spain. During the Spanish Civil War, Catalonia was controlled by socialist union trades, militias, and parties. This also included the National Confederation of Labor, Iberian Anarchist Federation, General Worker’s Union, and the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia. Besides the help from Hitler and the German military, minor help from the Portuguese was given to Franco. Francisco Largo Caballero was the current Prime Minister of Spain, and was a strong supporter of the Socialist Party. He called upon Portugal for help to drive out Franco and the Nationalists.
More supporters of Franco came to support the cause such as, The Catholic Church came in aid of the Nationalists. The Pope wanted a change in government because the Catholic Church had to share the attention of the public with the monarch and they were tired of