Spanish Civil War

Monarchist Command:

* Francisco Franco

Carlist Command:

* José Enrique Varlea

The Spanish Civil War was a large scale civil war and is the best and most common example of the interwar proxy conflicts in between the German Empire, and the Third Internationale. After the election of the far-right integralist party into power the syndicalists would rebel against the government sparking a series of events leading to the outbreak of the war. Despite setbacks the Anarchists were able to slowly but surely win the war, but in the process they fell to the same issues that struck most if not all syndicalists and anarchist regimes. The Aftermath of the war mostly was the shattering of the notion of German hegemony across europe, but post of the political and economic impacts were localized to Spain. Technically the war never ended as the Kingdom of Spain has a government in exile currently in Portugal.

## Prelude

The Prelude to the Spanish civil war is one of the most poorly understood aspects of the entire conflict as while some draw connections to the Second American Civil War, there were several key differences that made the wars the way they were. Spain was in an interesting position with a failing government underneath Riviera who was beginning to die slowly and his bungled up government had screwed over the Spanish economy especially as its nearest neighbors despised it and didn't want to trade with it. And it was in this climate that Riviera died in office causing a forced snap election that would rock Spain to its core. But one of the most devastating aspects of Riviera's presidency was his split of the Catholic churches support as Catholicism in Spain was of a decidedly anti-capitalist breed. This would cause the Church to split into Socialist and non-socialist wings with the Bishops of Urgell becoming notorious for their support of the Syndicalist cause, most likely due to the risk of death in Catalonia if they didn't. The election of 1936 was quite a big one globally as everyone awaited the fate of Spain as whomever was elected would cause the other main coalitions within the Parliament to cause issues. However then the far right party underneath Francisco Franco would secure a victory in the election sparking widespread protests across the nation. However the calls of the Protesters would fall on deaf ears and after the Anarchists left the parliament the Kingdom of Spain simply operated without them. This would infuriate the syndicalists, anarchists, and other groups within Spain who would plot to finally end the Spanish regime. But the Carlists who were also decidedly catholic plotted to use the instability to secure the throne for their wanted candidate. On the 17th of July 1936 with tensions internally rising and the government increasingly unable to prevent order from breaking down, the Anarchist front would spring there attempted coup. But unlike in Britain and France this would not go to plan and quickly uprisings in Seville, Granada, Toledo, and countless other cities were crushed as the civil war began. However the Carlists not wishing to have their progress destroyed by the new dictates of the Government and its new security measures, would spring their own plan early. However this resulted in only the north joining the Carlists. With different groups and different commanders taking sides it would soon become clear that the situation would only be solved through blood and iron and not pen and paper. Thus began the Spanish Civil War.

## 1936

### July-December

The early months of the Spanish Civil War were spent consolidating territory as like in most political conflicts different areas of the country had different militia and different political views meaning that clean frontlines took a while to form. This was especially true for the syndicalists who were more disorganized due to their more anarchic nature compared to their opponents and thus were scattered all across the country. This was only not true in Catalonia where the ethnic Catalans would support the Anarchist cause hoping to be able to express their culture once the war was over. This would spark sudden organization in the Anarchists as the need for hierarchies in leadership was begrudgingly established for the war, but this was at the chagrin of basically everyone within the Anarchist cause. This however would allow the Anarchists to move their units east and Seize Valencia witch would become the first major battle of the War as kingdom forces laid under siege. The Carlists however did not have as big of an issue due to their smaller size and they simply retreated units caught behind lines and consolidated their power amongst the Basque who decided to support the Carlist cause. The Andalusians meanwhile decide to support the Kingdom of Spain as all of these groups wished to cater their side into giving them rights after the end of the war. All of this would mean that until around September there was little action within Spain witch would allow for all sides to get their plans of actions in for next year. However there was still one major offensive this year. This would be by the Loyalists to the king who would attempt a small amphibious landing onto the Balearic isles witch while a success would turn out to be a much bloodier affair than initially planned. The Syndicalists would also attempt a localized offensive near Valencia, but it is mostly considered to be a part of the wider battle. The Carlists meanwhile dug in for the winter as the fact that this civil war was to be a long one began to set in. Also during this time the economic disruption due to the civil war would begin to effect trade going through the Mediterranean, and down from Europe into Africa, causing these areas to have decreased trade during the Black Monday Crisis. As the year rolls into 1937 the civil war will enter into its infamous stalemate, and global events will begin to cause the worlds attention to shift towards Spain,

## 1937

### January-June

January to June of the Spanish Civil War would begin with the mild winter of 1937 and each side making their own plans to try and force different outcomes of the war. The Kingdom of Spain decided that a defensive stance should be made in the north and that an offensive in the Cartenga-Valencia area should be attempted to shorten the frontline. The Anarchists decided to try and offensive into Madrid to end the Kingdom of Spain early and then turn onto the Carlists in the north. The Carlists decided to be defensive along the entire front aside from Zaragoza where a localized offensive to take the town would be attempted. All sides were cautious in their intended goals as nethier side had truley tested the strength of each other. However the first signs of the proxy war elements would arrive as nations like Russia and the Ottomans began to side with different forces, with Germany being unable to send much to its preferred candidate. The first plan to be activated was that of the Anarchists with their localized offensive into Madrid. While they would reach the outskirts of the city, the king's forces would defend the city desperately and force the Anarchists out of the city. However they weren't able to force the anarchists out of artillery range of the city and thus the battle of Madrid would continue until 1939. This also forced the Kingdom of Spain to withdrawal its forces from its own planned offensive witch would force a change in strategy from the Royalists. Meanwhile the Carlists would make their own offensive and would make a massive success. Zaragoza would not only fall within a few weeks but the Carlists even managed to push into Catalonia. The Anarchists would make a defensive line in Lérida and after a short battle the Carlists were forced to fall back to Zaragoza. All sides were disappointed in the lack of progress made, but the Anarchists would begin to pull an ace from their sleeve. They asked for support from the Syndicalist nations who gave them tanks and aircraft witch they would make great use of later in the war. The Carlists would pull the same trick with the French Republic and Portugal as it became an Entente aligned faction. This would also have the effect of Germany's allies beginning to support the Kingdom of Spain hoping to cater in another ally. Japan remained neutral but slightly supported the Carlists with cutting off trade with the K.O,S. All sides made their plans and the next half of the year would see massive shifts in the front lines.

### July-December

Beginning in August the greatest battle of 1937 would take place as the Anarchists would launch a large scale offensive into the south hoping to advance to Almeria then Granada. Thus began the battle of Almeria witch the Kingdom would defend fiercely. Here the streets of the city would become laden with broken buildings of times long past. Moorish architecture in the region would be leveled by artillery bombardments and they would be used for purposes they were not supposed to be built for. Eventually however after much destruction of culture in the region the city of Almeria would fall to the Anarchists and they would continue their offensive. With Kingdom forces bunching up in the south the Carlists would launch an offensive into Salamanca hoping to prove to the Entente that they could win this war. This offensive would see moderate successes but it would be enough to secure Entente support and suddenly British tanks and designs with the new Cruiser tanks being sent to Spain for testing. Several interwar designs were also sent and this definitively would end the concept of the "Independence" tank with more than one turret. With all of this equipment being sent to each other nations and the Kingdom of Spain receiving Panzer 35(t)s being sent from Austria Hungary, the stage was set for a large tank battle witch would test many interwar designs by their respective nations. This would be the battle of Guadalajara witch would be a rude awakening for all sides of the war. The Kingdom of Spain realized that it needed more than just light tanks and started ordering tanks from Germany. The Anarchists realized that the French communes tank designs were far worse than the Union of Britain's. And the Carlists would end up winning the battle with significant losses proving to the Entente that medium tanks were needed. Soon medium tanks would take the day as the air war would soon produce similar results. However still no decisive victory had arrived to either side and as October changed into November the coldness of winter would strike in. The mountainous terrain of Spain would also make operations difficult at this time of year, and as we enter into 1938 it seemed that the Stalemate may continue for far longer than it actually did...

## 1938

### January-June

The start of 1938 would see the three sides stock up on foreign equipment as new tank designs were made by each sides as foreign nations began to use Spain as simply a testing ground for their equipment. After winter passed the Syndicalists would launch a sudden unexpected offensive in the south once again with the target being the city of Gibraltar. The royalists would attempt to make a stand in the city of Granada however the Syndicalists would end up nearly encircling the city within a week forcing a withdrawal from the city. This would spark panic within Franco's war room and he decided to try and launch an offensive to divert troops for the Syndicalists. So began the Valencia offensive witch would turn out to be a massive success forcing the Syndicalists to stop their offensive outside the city of Marbella, one of the western settlements in the Costa Del Sól. Meanwhile in Tangier a pro-carlist uprising would occur witch would nearly see the African colony fall before Kingdom forces would restore control over the colonial governments. The Battle of Valencia would be brutal as Anarchist forces desperately fought to avoid the encircling of their forces in the south and with a desperate counterattack they were able to drive Royalist forces back to Cuenca and Albacete. However the Royalists had made an error by concentrating their forces in the south and the Carlists would launch a general offensive in the north. The Carlists would end up going around Madrid and would attempt to cut off the cities supply by attacking the city of Toledo. The battle of Toledo, Spain, would be characterized by the rugged defenses that made up the early part of the battle. However with more and more Royalist troops arriving the Carlists were forces to withdrawal from the city, but still massive gains had been made and Madrid would become a 3 way battle and this would become the main focus of the war as the conflict moved into the latter half of 1938.

### July-December

The Latter half of 1938 would begin with the battle of Madrid as it moved onto its second of 4 phases. The Carlists would attempt to take the northern end of the city and soon the Anarchists would launch an offensive into the east of the city. This initial start of the second phase would bring glory to the later politician and chairman of Spain, Julio Álvares del Vayo. However the Kingdom's forces would hold the city with barricades in the streets and massive trench lines criss-crossing the city it became impossible for either side to continue pushing. The King was withdrawn to the city of Mérida in the far west witch would become the location of Franco's war room as the government would relocate to the city. However this would come at the cost of operational efficiency witch would become a much bigger problem in 1939. The syndicalists would eventually decide it wasn't worth to keep trying to take the city and they launched yet another offensive in the south. This offensive would take Cádiz in the south leading to the death of thousands and a similar number of troops being encircled in Gibraltar. This lead to the Battle of Gibraltar witch would end with Anarchists taking control of the straight and by proxy the third internationale, This would cause massive issues in trade in the region with the only routes available for the reichspakt being through its puppets in the east. However the Syndicalists would not stop their as they would cross the straight towards the end of 1939 witch would see Northern Morocco fall to the Anarchists, This would also coincide with uprisings in the Canary Islands, Equatorial Guinea, and Western Sahara in support of the Anarchists as the Kingdom of Spain lost all control of their colonial territory. By the end of 1938 things were looking bad for all sides as the Syndicalists while being the strongest and having made massive gains, were in a precarious tactical position. The Carlists were weak and had only made successes due to the Royalists being distracted. And the Royalists were running low on supplies and were in an equally bad tactical position as the Anarchists. And thus as the war entered into 1939 nobody really knew that this would be the last year of the war...

## 1939

### January-June

The beginnings of 1939 would see a large scale famine within Spain begin to become a general crisis as it was no longer localized to just the rural regions of the nation, but rather became a phenomena that would strike at the cities within the country. This would begin a profound affect on the people of the Kingdom of Spain and the Carlist movement as all of a sudden they were low on food, and their soldiers began to mutiny. This would begin wide spread support for the Syndicalist and Anarchist cause, as their ties to the French allowed for some food to come, alleviating the crisis. However it became clear to the Anarchists that this would only work to a certain extent, and once they united Spain a stable food source would need to be found. However the Syndicalists would capitalize on the mutinies within the Kingdom of Spain, as well as their proximity to Madrid. The Anarchists in March would launch an offensive finally taking the city turning the battle into one just between the Carlists and Anarchists. However this offensive would spread fear throughout the Kingdom of Spains lines, and soon thousands of soldiers would lay down their arms to the Anarchists who would treat these soldiers horrifically, but at least it wasn't death was the sentiment for most. But this sudden mass surrendering would cause rapid collapse within the Kingdom of Spain and the fighting between Falangists and monarchists would soon cause the Kingdom to be unable to establish any sort of organized front. Thus Franco was left with basically nothing to resist the Anarchists with and soon he would conclude that the only course of action for the survival of the government would be to leave Spain. So he, the king, and a collection of loyalists would flee to Portugal hoping to gain political asylum. This however would doom the remaining royalist forces to death and soon the Civil War would become a 2 sided affair. The Anarchists would attempt a similar offensive against the Carlists, and while they successfully took Madrid, it did not cause the cascading collapse that happened in the Kingdom of Spain as formerly supporting nations of the K.O.S would grant support to the Carlists. This would allow them to hold this initial advance but slowly the stalemate progressed into a slow retreat for the Carlists forces. And as the war entered into the final half of 1939 the Carlist lines would soon face a breakthrough, and the end of the war would commence.

### July-October

The final half of 1939 would begin with the recapturing of Zaragoza by the Anarchist forces as slowly but surely the Carlists would be forced to retreat into the highlands of the Basque country. But it would be in this situation that the Anarchists would score a decisive victory that would win them the war. After a successful seizer of the city of Valladolid the Anarchists would begin an offensive to the city of Léon witch would be a massive success as the Carlist lines were shattered completely. This would allow the Anarchists to advance even farther advancing to the bay of Biscay. This would cut the Carlist lines in twain and with little hope to continue resistance against Anarchist forces the Basque would surrender to the Anarchists. However this would not be followed in Galicia where the Carlists had fled and they would continue fighting through August into September. However the Anarchists would slowly make gains with significant casualties until the Carlists had ran out of reinforcements to fight against the Anarchist forces. Thus with their units running out of strength and with equipment running out the Carlist lines would collapse and their government would similarly flee to Portugal. With both of their enemies having fled to Portugal there would be no treaty to end the Spanish Civil War, and technically according to the governments in Exile the war is still going on, but due to recent events they may have to flee Portugal and head to a Reichspakt aligned nation.

## Aftermath

The Aftermath of the Spanish Civil War had political ramifications inside and outside of the country. Internally the Spanish Civil War had left the nation devastated and the economic toll on the nation was larger than the local GDP of several states. Also the issue of the minorities within the nation had to be solved as the Catalans demanded rights and autonomy, but so did the other groups who fought for opposing sides. As part of the plan to placate those who did not support the regime, several compromises were made with the catholic church losing very little authority and an executive being put in power due to general fear of anarchism, especially as other nations could use the governments in exile as a potential justification for invasion. As part of these compromises the minority groups, aside from the Andalusians, got their autonomy and resistance wouldn't completely end but it mostly became a non-issue for the time being. Spain would also need to demilitarize as funding such a large military with a damaged economy would be untenable. All of this meant that Spain was in a bad position and would be barley functional as a country until 1945. However externally this represented a shift in the politics of the world. As one of the first proxy wars it represented a global shift in politics as the Reichspakt, Third Internationale, Japan, and the Entente all began to broker for power across the world as allies would soon become important. Curiously this would be the only proxy war that was won by the Syndicalist nations, leading to a historical paradox as to why certain wars did not go certain ways. In the end the political, economic, and military hit that Spain took was too much for the nation and it would be unable to participate in the Second Weltkrieg due to the damage it took, and some argue that if a different faction had won the Civil War (Or if the Spanish had joined the Internationale), the difficulty of trying to enforce that front would have overextended the faction that Spain joined.