Why Did Franco Win The French Revolution

Between the years of 1936 and 1939, a gruesome civil war broke out in Spain in which the rebels, led by General Francisco Franco, overthrew Manuel Azaña’s Republican government. The Republicans, fighting for a revolution that served to end economic disparity and social inequality between classes, were opposed by Franco’s constantly violent and oppressive forces. When reflecting upon the reasons behind the rebel’s victory, many different factors come to mind. These reasons include the fact that the rebel’s Spanish followers held more powerful positions in Spain than Republican supporters, the political divisions within the Republic, the substantial Nationalist advantage of international interventional from fascist Italy and Germany, and Franco’s

Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas (CEDA), the largest party in Spain at the time of the revolution, wanted to liberate Spain of its Marxist advances and maintain Catholicism in Spain. After having failed to win the election in 1933, CEDA adopted a less legal approach to gaining political power in Spain, as the organisation started to invest time in those who would violently oppose the Republic. The Juventudes de Acción Popular (), CEDA’s youth movement, is a good example of the spread of Nationalist violence. From violent street fights to demonstrations, this youth movement gave a horrible foresight of an oppressive Spain. The CEDA eventually diminished into non-existence after many of its members joined the Falange. The Falange was another Nationalist group renowned for its political violence that was led by Jose Antonio de Primera. The group grew drastically in size in late 1936, and played a large role in the military coup d’état against the Republicans in 1936. The Nationalist Monarchists, comprised of the Carlists and the Alfonsists, also had a significant role in the coup d’état. These monarchist groups were the two contenders for the Spanish throne, as the Alfonsists wanted to restore Alfonso XIII to the throne, whereas the Carlists wanted to end the Bourbon dynasty to the Spain. As will be discussed later, it was Franco’s masterful organisation that

The Popular Front was a coalition of political parties such as the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), the Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification (POUM) and the Republican Union Party (UR), which was supported by influential groups such as the Workers’ General Union (UNT) and the National Confederation of Labour (CNT). The Popular Front comprised of the Communists, Socialists, Anarchists, Liberals and Nationalists. The Communist Party of Spain (PCE) was a party that benefited from the Popular Front electoral win in 1936, as their following grew considerably in size. Their objective of reaching a social revolution that would enforce communism in Spain angered other groups in the Republic such as the Anarchists, as it differed from their desired end result of a revolution. The well-supported Anarchists instead wanted to diminish the social power of the Church, which they saw as being a hindrance for the chance of revolution before the war broke out. The Socialists, whose ideology was ingrained in Marxism, also had a different objective in mind; they envisioned a social revolution that served to care more for the working class, and wanted to reinforce the importance of workers’ rights. The disintegration of the group within the Republic proved that half of its support were