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Spanish Civil War (incidents) – Izquierda Republicana (1937)
Izquierda Republicana
2013/1/12
Editorial
Denny Kim

The ‘Spanish Civil War’ was an outcome of a polarization of Spanish life and politics that had developed over previous decades.

Which perhaps was predictable, the “pendulum of Spanish electoral politics swung back to the left” [1] in 1936. Spanish Left-Wing party adopted and practiced electoral strategy called ‘Popular Front’ (strategy of electoral cooperation of unification of vote; thus defeating right-wing parties) supported by ‘Comintern / Communist International’ in France [3]. The practice of ‘Popular Front’ was an effort to prohibit extreme-right from taking power. On the other hand, the Right -Wing formed a ‘National Front’ coalition in response, which caused more polarization. As a result, the socialist withdrew their support for the ‘Popular Front’ as protest of its moderation. Hence, public disturbance occurred sooner soon started spiraling the country out of control.
Nevertheless in 1936, February, the first general election of the ‘Second Republic’ was “called to restore order” [1]. The Left-Wing Popular Front coalition won and gave a majority to a coalition of the Republican Left IR (Izquierda Republicana). Out of 13.5 million Spanish populations, over 9,870,000 participated in the election. There were 4,654,116 votes for the ‘Popular Front’, whereas there were 4,503,505 for National Front. “The Popular Front, with 263 seats out of the 473 in the Cortes formed the new government” [2]. Once again, Manuel Azana became prime minister and labor leader of Francisco Largo Caballero’s PSOE (backed by the UGT) [2].
Considering there effort to collaborate in acquisition of their goals, parties had distinct ideological and political differences. Although they agreed upon what they didn’t want, the Parties seldom concurred on policies they desired. Thus, ‘Popular Front’ emerged from lackadaisical faith of members in the democratic system and potential preservation of freedom in Spain [1].

In 1936 July, a leading Right- Wing politician (adversary to Left- Wing political party), José Calvo Sotelo, was murdered. The right wing politicians deplored imminent threat of communist’s takeover. Moreover, they had begun to favor the idea of a military dictatorship, perhaps led by General Emilla Mola. Also, the first bombing on 28th August that lead to outbreak of Madrid War took place under control of the ‘Popular Front’ and desire of General Mola and Francisco Franco [2]. Since 10th of May, when conservative ‘Niceto Alcala Zamora’ replaced by Left- Wing ‘Manuel Azana’, the officers of opposing party (Right-Wing) including “Emilio Mola, Francisco Franco, Gonzalo Queipo de Llanoand José Sanjurjo” [2] started to overthrow the ‘Popular Front’. Hence, it frustrated the Left-Wing including ‘Izquierda Republicana’ and resulted in outbreak of the Spanish War on July 17th, 1936.
On May 29, 1937, after the outbreak of the war, a pair of Tupolev SB Soviet bombers raided Nationalist air base and port of Ibiza (in the Spanish Mediterranean Sea) [3]. Deutschland, a German heavy cruiser (part of the ‘International Non-Intervention Committee patrol’) [3], departed from Ibiza and was “allegedly misidentified by the bombers' crew as the Nationalist heavy cruiser Canarias”[3]. Following day, German naval forces counterattacked ‘Almería’, a Republican held city. As a result, Germany and Italy left the meetings of the ‘Non-Intervention Committee’ [3].

- Reference-

IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME 20th Century World History (Yellow Book) [1] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/SPrepunion.htm [2] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WARspain.htm [3]