Background of the Spanish Civil War The background of the Spanish Civil War dates back to the end of the 19th century , when the owners of large estates , called " latifundia " , held most of the power in a land - based oligarchy . The landowners ' power was unsuccessfully challenged by the industrial and merchant sectors . In 1868 popular uprisings led to the overthrow of Queen Isabella II of the House of Bourbon . In 1873 Isabella ' s replacement , King Amadeo I of the House of Savoy , abdicated due to increasing political pressure , and the short - lived First Spanish Republic was proclaimed . After the restoration of the Bourbons in December 1874 , Carlists and anarchists emerged in opposition to the monarchy . Alejandro Lerroux helped bring republicanism to the fore in Catalonia , where poverty was particularly acute . Growing resentment of conscription and of the military culminated in the Tragic Week in Barcelona in 1909 . After the First World War , the working class , the industrial class , and the military united in hopes of removing the corrupt central government , but were unsuccessful . Fears of communism grew . A military coup brought Miguel Primo de Rivera to power in 1923 , and he ran Spain as a military dictatorship . Support for his regime gradually faded , and he resigned in January 1930 . There was little support for the monarchy in the major cities , and King Alfonso XIII abdicated ; the Second Spanish Republic was formed , whose power would remain until the culmination of the Spanish Civil War . Monarchists would continue to oppose the Republic . Niceto Alcalá - Zamora became the first prime minister . The Republic had broad support from all segments of society ; elections in June 1931 returned a large majority of Republicans and Socialists . With the onset of the Great Depression , the government attempted to assist rural Spain by instituting an eight - hour day and giving tenure to farm workers . Land reform and working conditions remained important issues throughout the lifetime of the Republic . Fascism remained a reactive threat , helped by controversial reforms to the military . In December a new reformist , liberal , and democratic constitution was declared . It started a theme of anti - clerical actions by the government and committed Catholics opposed its leftist governments . In October 1931 Manuel Azaña became Prime Minister of a minority government whose actions were described as barbaric , unjust , and corrupt by opponents . The Right won the elections of 1933 following an unsuccessful uprising by General José Sanjurjo in August 1932 , who would later lead the coup that started the civil war . Events in the period following November 1933 , called the " black two years " , seemed to make a civil war more likely . Alejandro Lerroux of the Radical Republican Party ( RRP ) formed a government and rolled back changes made under the previous administration . Some monarchists moved to the Fascist Falange Española to help achieve their aims . Open violence occurred in the streets of Spanish cities and militancy continued to increase right up until the start of the civil war , reflecting a movement towards radical upheaval rather than peaceful democratic means as a solution to Spain ' s problems . In the last months of 1934 , two government collapses brought members of the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right ( CEDA ) into the government , making it more right - wing . Farm workers ' wages were halved , and the military was purged of republican members and reformed . A Popular Front alliance was organised , which narrowly won the 1936 elections . Azaña led a weak minority government , but soon replaced Zamora as president in April . Prime Minister Casares failed to heed warnings of a military conspiracy involving several generals , who decided that the government had to be replaced if the dissolution of Spain was to be prevented . They organised a military coup in July , which started the Spanish Civil War . Constitutional monarchy . 19th century . The 19th century was a turbulent time for Spain . Those in favour of reforming Spain ' s government vied for political power with conservatives , who tried to prevent reforms from taking place . Some liberals , in a tradition that had started with the Spanish Constitution of 1812 , sought to limit the power of the monarchy of Spain and to establish a liberal state . The reforms of 1812 did not last after King Ferdinand VII dissolved the Constitution and ended a short - lived liberal government with French royalist military assistance . Twelve successful coups were carried out between 1814 and 1874 . There were several attempts to realign the political system to match social reality . Until the 1850s , the economy of Spain was primarily based on agriculture . There was little development of a bourgeois industrial or commercial class . The land - based oligarchy remained powerful ; a small number of people held large estates ( called " latifundia " ) as well as all the important government positions . The landowners ' power was challenged by the industrial and merchant sectors , largely unsuccessfully . In 1868 popular uprisings led to the overthrow of Queen Isabella II of the House of Bourbon . Two distinct factors led to the uprisings : a series of urban riots , and a liberal movement within the middle classes and the military ( led by General Joan Prim ) , who were concerned about the ultra - conservatism of the monarchy . In 1873 Isabella ' s replacement , King Amadeo I of the House of Savoy , due to increasing political pressure , and the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed . However , the intellectuals behind the Republic were powerless to prevent a descent into chaos . Uprisings were crushed by the military . The old monarchy returned with the restoration of the Bourbons in December 1874 , as reform was deemed less important than peace and stability . Despite the introduction of universal male suffrage in 1890 , elections were controlled by local political bosses ( " caciques " ) . The most traditionalist sectors of the political sphere systematically tried to prevent liberal reforms and to sustain the patrilineal monarchy . The Carlists – supporters of Infante Carlos and his descendants – fought to promote Spanish tradition and Catholicism against the liberalism of successive Spanish governments . The Carlists attempted to restore the historic liberties and broad regional autonomy granted to the Basque Country and Catalonia by their " fuero s " ( regional charters ) . At times they allied with nationalists ( separate from the National Faction during the civil war itself ) , including during the Carlist Wars . Periodically , anarchism became popular among the working class , and was far stronger in Spain than anywhere else in Europe at the time . Anarchists were easily defeated in clashes with government forces . 20th century . In 1897 an Italian anarchist assassinated Prime Minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo , motivated by a growing number of arrests and the use of torture by the government . The loss of Cuba , Spain ' s last valuable colony , in the Spanish – American War of 1898 hit exports from Catalonia hardest ; there were acts of terrorism and actions by " agents provocateurs " in Barcelona . In the first two decades of the 20th century , the industrial working class grew in number . There was a growing discontent in the Basque country and Catalonia , where much of Spain ' s industry was based . They believed that the government favoured agrarianism and therefore failed to represent their interests . The average illiteracy rate was 64 % , with considerable regional variation . Poverty in some areas was great and mass emigration to the New World occurred in the first decade of the century . Spain ' s socialist party , the Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party ( , PSOE ) and its associated trade union , the " Unión General de Trabajadores " ( UGT ) , gained support . The UGT grew from 8 , 000 members in 1908 to 200 , 000 in 1920 . Branch offices ( " Casas del pueblos " ) of the unions were established in major cities . The UGT was constantly fearful of losing ground to the anarchists . It was respected for its discipline during strikes . However , it was centrist and anti - Catalan , with only 10 , 000 members in Barcelona as late as 1936 . The PSOE and the UGT were based on a simple form of Marxism , one that assumed an inevitable revolution , and were isolationist in character . When the UGT moved their headquarters from Barcelona to Madrid in 1899 , many industrial workers in Catalonia were no longer able to access it . Some elements of the PSOE recognised the need for cooperation with republican parties . In 1912 the Reformist Party was founded , which attracted intellectuals . Figures like its leader , Alejandro Lerroux , helped attract wide support from the working class . His advocacy of anti - clericalism made him a successful demagogue in Barcelona . He argued that the Catholic Church was inseparable from the system of oppression the people were under . It was around this time that republicanism came to the fore . The military was keen to avoid the break - up of the state and was increasingly inward - looking following the loss of Cuba . Regional nationalism , perceived as separatism , was frowned upon . In 1905 the army attacked the headquarters of two satirical magazines in Catalonia believed to be undermining the government . To appease the military , the government outlawed negative comments about the military or Spain itself in the Spanish press . Resentment of the military and of conscription grew with the disastrous Rif War of 1909 in Spanish Morocco . Lerroux ' s support of the army ' s aims lost him support . Events culminated in the Tragic Week ( ) in Barcelona in 1909 , when working class groups rioted against the call - up of reservists . 48 churches and similar institutions were burned in anti - clerical attacks . The riot was finally ended by the military ; 1 , 725 members of such groups were put on trial , with five people sentenced to death . These events led to the establishment of the National Confederation of Labour ( , CNT ) , an anarchist - controlled trade union committed to anarcho - syndicalism . It had over a million members by 1923 . Increasing exports during the First World War led to a boom in industry and declining living standards in the industrial areas , particularly Catalonia and the Basque country . There was high inflation . The industrial sector resented its subjugation by the agrarian central government . Along with concerns about antiquated promotion systems and political corruption , the war in Morocco had caused divisions in the military . Regenerationism became popular , and the working class , industrial class , and the military were united in their hope of removing the corrupt central government . However , these hopes were defeated in 1917 and 1918 when the various political parties representing these groups were either appeased or suppressed by the central government , one by one . The industrialists eventually backed the government as a way to restore order . After the formation of the Communist International in 1919 , there was a growing fear of communism within Spain and growing repression on the part of the government through military means . The PSOE split , with the more left - wing members founding the Communist Party in 1921 . The Restoration government failed to cope with an increasing number of strikes amongst the industrial workers in the north and the agricultural workers in the south . Miguel Primo de Rivera came to power in a military coup in 1923 and ran Spain as a military dictatorship . He handed monopolistic control of trade union power to the UGT and introduced a sweeping programme of public works . The UGT was brought into the government , though this move was opposed by some in the group and was seen as opportunism by anarchist leaders . He also attempted to defend the agrarian – industrial monarchist coalition formed during the war . No significant reform to the political system ( and in particular the monarchy ) was instituted . This made forming a new government difficult , as existing problems had not been rectified . Gradually , his support faded because his personal approach to political life ensured he was personally held accountable for the government ' s failings . José Calvo Sotelo , his finance minister , was one person to withdraw support , and de Rivera resigned in January 1930 . There was little support for a return to the pre - 1923 system , and the monarchy had lost credibility by backing the military government . Dámaso Berenguer was ordered by the king to form a replacement government , but his dictablanda dictatorship failed to provide a viable alternative . The choice of Berenguer annoyed another important general , José Sanjurjo , who believed himself to be a better choice . In the municipal elections of 12 April 1931 , little support was shown for pro - monarchy parties in the major cities , and large numbers of people gathered in the streets of Madrid . King Alfonso XIII abdicated to prevent a " fratricidal civil war " . The Second Spanish Republic was formed . Second Republic . The Second Republic was a source of hope to the poorest in Spanish society and a threat to the richest , but had broad support from all segments of society . Niceto Alcalá - Zamora was the first prime minister of the Republic . The wealthier landowners and the middle class accepted the Republic because of the lack of any suitable alternative . Elections to a constituent Cortes in June 1931 returned a large majority of Republicans and Socialists , with the PSOE gaining 116 seats and Lerroux ' s Radical Party 94 . Lerroux became foreign minister . The government was controlled by a Republican – Socialist coalition , whose members had differing objectives . Some more conservative members believed that the removal of the monarchy was enough by itself , but the Socialists and leftist Republicans demanded much wider reforms . The state ' s financial position was poor . Supporters of the dictatorship attempted to block progress on reforming the economy . The redistribution of wealth supported by the new government seemed a threat to the richest , in light of the recent Wall Street Crash and the onset of the Great Depression . The government attempted to tackle the dire poverty in rural areas by instituting an eight - hour day and giving the security of tenure to farm workers . Landlords complained . The effectiveness of the reforms was dependent on the skill of the local governance , which was often badly lacking . Changes to the military were needed and education reform was another problem facing the Republic . The relationship between central government and the Basque and Catalan regions also needed to be decided . Effective opposition was led by three groups . The first group included Catholic movements such as the Asociación Católica de Propagandistas , who had influence over the judiciary and the press . Rural landowners were told to think of the Republic as godless and communist . The second group consisted of organisations that had supported the monarchy , such as the Renovación Española and Carlists , who wished to see the new republic overthrown in a violent uprising . The third group were Fascist organisations , among them supporters of the dictator ' s son , José Antonio Primo de Rivera . Primo de Rivera was the most significant leader of fascism in Spain . The press often editorialised about a foreign Jewish – Masonic – Bolshevik plot . Members of the CNT willing to cooperate with the Republic were forced out , and it continued to oppose the government . The deeply unpopular Civil Guard ( ) , founded in 1844 , was charged with putting down revolts and was perceived as ruthless . Violence , including at Castilblanco in December 1931 , was usual . Parties in opposition to Alcalá - Zamora ' s government gained the support of the church and the military . The head of the church in Spain , Cardinal Pedro Segura , was particularly vocal in his disapproval . Until the 20th century , the Catholic Church had proved an essential part of Spain ' s character , although it had internal problems . Segura was expelled from Spain in June 1931 . This prompted an outcry from the Catholic right , who cited oppression . A series of church - burning incidents occurred in major Spanish cities throughout May 1931 . When the government refused to call out the Guardia Civil , Minister for War Manuel Azaña came under heavy criticism from the rightist press . The military were opposed to reorganisation , including an increase in regional autonomy granted by the central government , and reforms to improve efficiency were seen as a direct attack . Officers were retired and a thousand had their promotions reviewed , including Francisco Franco , who served as director of the General Military Academy in Zaragoza , which was closed by Manuel Azaña . Constitution of 1931 . A new constitution was approved on 9 December 1931 . The first draft , prepared by Ángel Ossorio y Gallardo and others , was rejected , and a much more daring text creating a " democratic republic of workers of every class " was promulgated . It contained much in the way of emotive language and included many controversial articles , some of which were aimed at curbing the Catholic Church . The constitution was reformist , liberal , and democratic in nature , and was welcomed by the Republican – Socialist coalition . It appalled landowners , industrialists , the organised church , and army officers . As the government believed it was necessary to break the control the church had over Spanish affairs , the new constitution removed any special rights held by the Catholic Church . The constitution proclaimed religious freedom and a complete separation of Church and State . Catholic schools continued to operate , but outside the state system ; in 1933 further legislation banned all monks and nuns from teaching . The Republic regulated church use of property and investments , provided for recovery and controls on the use of property the church had obtained during past dictatorships , and banned the Vatican - controlled Society of Jesus . The controversial articles 26 and 27 of the constitution strictly controlled Church property and prohibited religious orders from engaging in education . Supporters of the church and even Jose Ortega y Gasset , a liberal advocate of the separation of church and state , considered the articles overreaching . Other articles legalising divorce and initiating agrarian reforms were equally controversial , and on 13 October 1931 , Gil Robles , the leading spokesman of the parliamentary right , called for a Catholic Spain to make its stand against the Republic . Commentator Stanley Payne has argued that " the Republic as a democratic constitutional regime was doomed from the outset " , because the far left considered any moderation of the anticlerical aspects of the constitution as totally unacceptable . In October 1931 Alcalá Zamora and his interior minister , Miguel Maura , resigned . Manuel Azaña became Prime Minister . Desiring the job for himself , Lerroux became alienated , and his Radical Party switched to the opposition , leaving Azaña dependent on the Socialists for support . The Socialists , who favoured reform , objected to the lack of progress . The reforms that were made alienated the land - holding right . Conditions for labourers remained dreadful ; the reforms had not been enforced . Rural landowners declared war on the government by refusing to plant crops . Meanwhile , several agricultural strikes were harshly put down by the authorities . Reforms , including the unsuccessful attempt to break up large holdings , failed to significantly improve the situation for rural workers . By the end of 1931 , King Alfonso , in exile , stopped attempting to prevent an armed insurrection of monarchists in Spain , and was tried and condemned to life imprisonment " in absentia " . Azaña declared that Spain had " ceased to be Catholic " ; although to an extent his statement was accurate , it was a politically unwise thing to say . Restrictions on Christian iconography in schools and hospitals and the ringing of bells came into force in January 1932 . State control of cemeteries was also imposed . Many ordinary Catholics began to see the government as an enemy because of the educational and religious reforms . Government actions were denounced as barbaric , unjust , and corrupt by the press . In August 1932 there was an unsuccessful uprising by General José Sanjurjo , who had been particularly appalled by events in Castilblanco . The aims of the insurrection were vague , and it quickly turned into a fiasco . Among the generals tried and sent to Spanish colonies were four men who would go on to distinguish themselves fighting against the Republic in the civil war : the Duke of Seville , Martin Alonso , Ricardo Serrador Santés , and Heli Rolando de Tella y Cantos . The political left became fractured , whilst the right united . The Socialist Party continued to support Azaña but headed further to the political left . Gil Robles set up a new party , the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right ( , CEDA ) to contest the 1933 election , and tacitly embraced Fascism . The right won an overwhelming victory , with the CEDA and the Radicals together winning 219 seats . They had spent far more on their election campaign than the Socialists , who campaigned alone . The roughly 3 , 000 members of the Communist Party were at this point not significant . The " two black years " . Following the elections of November 1933 , Spain entered a period called the " two black years " ( ) . Radicals became more aggressive and conservatives turned to paramilitary and vigilante actions . Official statistics state that 330 people were assassinated in addition to 213 failed attempts , and 1 , 511 people wounded in political violence . Those figures also indicate a total of 113 general strikes were called and 160 religious buildings were destroyed , typically by arson . Immediately after the election , the Socialists alleged electoral fraud ; they had , according to the PSOE , needed twice as many votes as their opponents to win each seat . They identified the lack of unity in the left as another reason for their defeat . The Socialist opposition began to propagate a revolutionary ideal . The CEDA had won a plurality of seats , but not enough to form a majority . President Niceto Alcalá - Zamora declined to invite the leader of the CEDA , Gil Robles , to form a government , and instead invited the Radical Republican Party ' s Alejandro Lerroux to do so . The RRP , with the backing of CEDA , set about removing price controls , selling state favours and monopolies , and removing the land reforms — to the landowners ' considerable advantage . This created growing malnourishment in the south of Spain . The agrarian reforms , still in force , went tacitly unenforced . The first anarchist protest came on 8 December 1933 , and was easily crushed by force in most of Spain ; Zaragoza held out for four days before the Spanish Republican Army , employing tanks , stopped the uprising . The Socialists stepped up their rhetoric , hoping to force Zamora to call new elections . Carlists and Alfonsist monarchist s continued to prepare , with Carlists undergoing military drills in Navarre ; they received the backing of Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini . Gil Robles struggled to control the RRP ' s youth wing , which copied Germany and Italy ' s youth movements . Monarchists turned to the Fascist Falange Española , under the leadership of José Antonio Primo de Rivera , as a way to achieve their aims . Open violence occurred in the streets of Spanish cities . Lerroux resigned in April 1934 , after President Zamora hesitated to sign an Amnesty Bill which let off the arrested members of the 1932 plot . He was replaced by Ricardo Samper . The Socialist Party ruptured over the question of whether or not to move towards Bolshevism . The youth wing , the Federation of Young Socialists ( ) , were particularly militant . The anarchists called a four - week strike in Zaragoza . Gil Robles ' CEDA continued to mimic the German Nazi Party , staging a rally in March 1934 , to shouts of " Jefe " ( " Chief " , after the Italian " Duce " used in support of Mussolini ) . Gil Robles used an anti - strike law to successfully provoke and break up unions one at a time , and attempted to undermine the republican government of the Esquerra in Catalonia , who were attempting to continue the republic ' s reforms . Efforts to remove local councils from socialist control prompted a general strike , which was brutally put down by Interior Minister Salazar Alonso , with the arrest of four deputies and other significant breaches of articles 55 and 56 of the constitution . The Socialist Landworkers ' Federation ( , FNTT ) , a trade union founded in 1930 , was effectively prevented from operating until 1936 . On 26 September , the CEDA announced it would no longer support the RRP ' s minority government . It was replaced by an RRP cabinet , again led by Lerroux , that included three members of the CEDA . A UGT general strike was unsuccessful in most of Spain . Catalonia declared itself an independent state inside the federal republic of Spain ; the Esquerra , however , refused to arm the populace , and the head of the military in Catalonia , Domingo Batet , charged with putting down the revolt , showed similar restraint . Lluís Companys , leader of the Catalan government , was arrested . This aggrieved Franco , who was directing the military from Madrid . Franco was put in informal command of the military effort against the revolt in Asturias , the only place where it had succeeded . Around 30 , 000 workers were called to arms in ten days . Atrocities were carried out by both sides . Franco ' s men , some brought in from Spain ' s Army of Africa , killed men , women and children and carried out summary executions after the main cities of Asturias were retaken . About 1 , 000 workers were killed , with about 250 government soldiers left dead . The failed rising in Asturias marked the effective end of the Republic . Months of retaliation and repression followed ; torture was used on political prisoners . Even moderate reformists within the CEDA became sidelined . The two generals in charge of the campaign , Franco and Manuel Goded Llopis , were seen as heroes . Azaña was unsuccessfully made out to be a revolutionary criminal by his right - wing opponents , and Catalan autonomy was revoked . Gil Robles once again prompted a cabinet collapse , and five positions in Lerroux ' s new government were conceded to CEDA , including one awarded to Gil Robles himself . Farm workers ' wages were halved , and the military was purged of republican members and reformed . Those loyal to Robles were promoted , and Franco was made Chief of Staff . In 1935 Azaña and Indalecio Prieto started to unify the left and to combat its extreme elements . They staged large , popular rallies of what would become the Popular Front . Lerroux ' s Radical government collapsed after two major scandals , including the Straperlo affair . However , Zamora did not allow the CEDA to form a government , instead calling elections . The elections of 1936 were narrowly won by the Popular Front , with vastly smaller resources than the political right who followed Nazi propaganda techniques . The right began to plan how to best overthrow the Republic , rather than taking control of it . The government was weak , and the influence of the revolutionary Largo Caballero prevented socialists from being part of the cabinet . The republicans were left to govern alone ; Azaña led a minority government . Pacification and reconciliation would have been a huge task . Caballero accepted support from the Communist Party ( with a membership of around 10 , 000 ) . Acts of violence and reprisals increased . By early 1936 , Azaña found that the left was using its influence to circumvent the Republic and the constitution ; they were adamant about increasingly radical changes . Parliament replaced Zamora with Azaña in April . Zamora ' s removal was made on specious grounds , using a constitutional technicality . Azaña and Prieto hoped that by holding the positions of Prime Minister and President , they could push through enough reforms to pacify the left and deal with right - wing militancy . However , Azaña was increasingly isolated from everyday politics ; his replacement , Casares Quiroga , was weak . Although the right also voted for Zamora ' s removal , this was a watershed event which inspired conservatives to give up on parliamentary politics . Leon Trotsky wrote that Zamora had been Spain ' s " stable pole " , and his removal was another step towards revolution . Caballero held out for a collapse of the republican government , to be replaced with a socialist one . CEDA turned its campaign chest over to army plotter Emilio Mola . Monarchist José Calvo Sotelo replaced CEDA ' s Gil Robles as the right ' s leading spokesman in parliament . The Falange expanded rapidly , and many members of the Juventudes de Acción Popular joined . They successfully created a sense of militancy on the streets to try to justify an authoritarian regime . Prieto did his best to avoid revolution by promoting a series of public works and civil order reforms , including of parts of the military and civil guard . Caballero took a different attitude , continuing to preach of an inevitable overthrow of society by the workers . Caballero also disagreed with Prieto ' s idea of a new Republican – Socialist coalition . With Caballero ' s acquiescence , communists alarmed the middle classes by quickly taking over the ranks of socialist organisations . This alarmed the middle classes . The division of the Popular Front prevented the government from using its power to prevent right - wing militancy . The CEDA came under attack from the Falange , and Prieto ' s attempts at moderate reform were attacked by the Socialist Youth . Sotelo continued to do his best to make conciliation impossible . Casares failed to heed Prieto ' s warnings of a military conspiracy involving several generals who disliked professional politicians and wanted to replace the government to prevent the dissolution of Spain . The military coup of July that started the Spanish Civil War was devised with Mola as director and Sanjurjo as a figurehead leader .