The Nationalist faction ( Spanish : Bando nacional ) or Rebel faction ( Spanish : Bando sublevado ) was a major faction in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939 . It was composed of a variety of political groups that supported the Spanish coup of July 1936 against the Second Spanish Republic , including the Falange , the CEDA , and two rival monarchist claimants : the Alfonsists and the Carlists . In 1937 , all the groups were merged into the Falange . One of the main leaders ( Spanish : Caudillo ) of the 1936 coup , General Francisco Franco , would lead this faction throughout the war and later would become the dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 .

Question: who were the nationalist in the spanish civil war
Answer: the Falange