19 June 1937 Nationalists capture Bilbao
6 July 1937 Republicans launch offensive west of Madrid: Battle of Brunete begins
23 August 1937 Republican forces attack Belchite
26 August 1937 Nationalists capture Santander
21 October 1937 Nationalists capture Gijón and the war in the north ends
7 January 1938 Republicans capture Teruel
22 February 1938 Nationalists recapture Teruel
15 April 1938 Nationalists reach the Mediterranean at Vinaroz, splitting Republican territory in two
25 July 1938 Battle of the Ebro, biggest battle of the war, begins
15 November 1938 Nationalists win Battle of the Ebro
26 January 1939 Nationalists capture Barcelona
27 February 1939 Britain recognizes Nationalist government
28 March 1939 Nationalist troops enter Madrid
30 March 1939 Nationalists capture Valencia
1 April 1939 Franco declares the war over
Key Figures from the War
Republican
José-Antonio Aguirre, Basque regional president.
Manuel Azaña, war minister 1931; prime minister 1931–3, 1936; president of the Republic 1936–9.
Santiago Casares Quiroga, prime minister at the start of the Civil War.
Lieutenant José Castillo, police officer. Murdered July 1936.
Luis Companys, president of the Catalan regional government, the Generalitat, 1933–40.
Buenaventura Durruti, anarchist commander. Died November 1936.
Francisco Largo Caballero, socialist leader. Prime minister September 1936–May 1937.
General José Miaja, commander in defence of Madrid.
Dr Juan Negrín, finance minister 1936–7; prime minister May 1937–March 1939.
Andrés Nin, leader of the Marxist POUM party. Murdered 1937.
Indalecio Prieto, socialist leader. Defence minister May 1937–April 1938.
Major (later General) Vicente Rojo, negotiator at Toledo, chief of staff in Madrid.
Nationalist
José Calvo Sotelo, monarchist politician. Assassinated July 1936.
General Francisco Franco, leader of Nationalist movement from September 1936. Head of state until 1975.
José María Gil Robles, leader of the Catholic authoritarian CEDA coalition.
General Manuel Goded, leader of unsuccessful Nationalist rebellion in Barcelona. Executed July 1936.
General José Millán Astray, founder of the Spanish Foreign Legion. Friend and mentor to Franco.
General Emilio Mola, ‘director’ of the Nationalist rebellion. Died in plane crash 1937.
Colonel (later General) José Moscardó, defender of the Alcázar in Toledo.
José-Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder and leader of the Falange, Spanish fascist party. Executed November 1936.
General Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, ‘radio general’. Captured Seville for the Nationalists July 1936.
General José Sanjurjo, anti-Republican conspirator, titular head of Nationalist rebellion until death in plane crash in July 1936.
General Hugo von Sperrle, head of the German Condor Legion.
General José Varela, monarchist military commander under Franco.
Colonel Juan de Yagüe, Falangist military commander under Franco.
Others
Niceto Alcalá Zamora, first president of the Second Republic, December 1931–May 1936.
Alfonso XIII, King of Spain 1902–31.
Federico García Lorca, poet and playwright. Murdered August 1936.
Miguel de Unamuno, philosopher, rector of Salamanca University.
Recommended Reading
There are many thousands of books on the Spanish Civil War. Here are a handful of English-language titles that might be helpful for anyone wanting to find out more about this fascinating period of history.
Anthony Beevor, The Spanish Civil War (Cassell, London, 2001). Good, general account of the war.
Franz Borkenau, The Spanish Cockpit (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London, 2000). Eyewitness account of the war from behind Republican lines.
Raymond Carr, The Spanish Tragedy: the Civil War in Perspective (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London, 2000). Excellent analysis of the social tensions behind the conflict.
Cecil Eby, The Siege of the Alcázar (Bodley Head, London, 1966). Gripping account of the events in Toledo.
Ronald Fraser, Blood of Spain: an Oral History of the Spanish Civil War (Pimlico, London, 1994). Oral testimonies from the period.
Ian Gibson, Federico García Lorca: A Life (Faber & Faber, London, 1989). Authoritative biography.
Gerald Howson, Arms for Spain: the Untold Story of the Spanish Civil War ( John Murray, London, 1998). Extraordinary account of how the international arms embargo was a direct cause of the defeat of the Republic.
Paul Preston, Franco: a Biography (Harper Collins, London, 1993). Definitive biography of the dictator.
Nicholas Rankin, Telegram from Guernica (Faber & Faber, London, 2003). Biography of the journalist George Steer, with excellent section on the reporting of Guernica.
Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War (Penguin, London 2003). Comprehensive and authoritative history of the period.
Gamel Woolsey, Death’s Other Kingdom (Eland, London, 2004). Fascinating account of ordinary life in Andalusia during the first months of the war.
Notes
1 Montse Armengou and Ricard Belis, Las Fosas del Silencio, p. 27.
2 Michael Alpert, BBC History Magazine, April 2002.
3 Paul Preston, lecture at Gavilla Verde conference, Santa Cruz de Moya, October 2004.
4 Paul Preston, Franco, p. 142.
5 Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War, p. 249.
6 Ian Gibson, Vida, Pasión y Muerte de Federico García Lorca, p. 567.
7 Enrique López Castellón, Federico García Lorca: el poeta ante la muerte, p. 65.
8 The following quotes from Queipo are from Manuel Barrios, El Ultimo Virrey.
9 Manuel Barrios, op. cit., p. 51.
10 Lawrence Dundas, Behind the Spanish Mask, p. 66.
11 Manuel Barrios, op. cit., p. 34.
12 Unnamed source quoted in Eladi Romero, Itinerarios de la guerra civil española, p. 100.
13 Cecil Eby, The Siege of the Alcázar, p. 128.
14 Cecil Eby, op. cit., p. 131.
15 Phil Ball, Morbo: the Story of Spanish Football, pp. 26–7.
16 ‘Death, Honor, and Loyalty: The Bushido Ideal’, G. Cameron Hurst III, Philosophy East & West, V. 40 No. 4.
17 Joan Llarch, La Muerte de Durruti, p. 12.
18 Anonymous testimony quoted in Joan Llarch, op. cit., p. 71.
19 Juan Eslava Galán, Una historia de la guerra civil que no va a gustar a nadie, p. 150.
20 Hugh Thomas, op. cit., p. 470.
21 Diego Abad de Santillán, quoted in Hugh Thomas, op. cit, p. 484.
22 Testimony of Father Alberto Onaindía in Juan Eslava Galán, op. cit., p. 234.
23 Taken from Juan M. Riesgo, ‘Guernica, la verdaderas causas’, La Aventura de la Historia, April 2002.
24 Iniesta Cano, Memorias, quoted in Juan Eslava Galán, op. cit., p.100.
25 Juan José Calleja, quoted in Juan Eslava Galán, op. cit., p. 100.
26 Ronald Fraser, Blood of Spain, p. 502 ff.
Index
Aguilar, Captain Gonzalo de, (i)
Aguirre, José Antonio (Basque president), (i)
air raids, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
aircraft, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Dragon Rapide, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Alcalá Zamora, Niceto, (i), (ii)
Alcázar, El (newspaper), (i), (ii)
Alcázar (Toledo), siege of, (i)
Alfacar, (i), (ii), (iii)
Alfonso XIII, King of Spain, (i), (ii)
Alicante, (i), (ii)
anarchists, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii)
Casas Viejas massacre, (i)
and Durruti’s death, (i), (ii), (iii)
and the May Days, (i), (ii)
Animal Farm, (i), (ii)
Argelès, JW in, (i)
Army of Africa, (i), (ii), (iii)
art collection, Prado museum, (i)
Artigas, Lieutenant Eduardo, (i)
Ascaso, Francisco, (i)
Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica, (i)
Assault Guards, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Asturias, miners’ rebellion, (i), (ii)
Azaña y Díaz, Manuel (president of the Republic), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Badajoz, (i), (ii), (iii)
Baladí, Francisco, (i), (ii)
Balmes, General, (i)
Barcelona, (i)
1936 rebellion crushed, (i)
football matches v. Madrid, (i), (ii)
anarchism in, (i), (ii), (iii)
May Days, (i), (ii)
falls to Nationalists, (i)
Basques, Basque Country, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
separatists, (i), (ii), (iii)
Guernica bombing, (i), (ii), (iii)
Bebb, Captain William, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Begoña ( JW’s neighbour), (i), (ii)
Civil War experiences, (i), (ii)
Belchite
battle of, (i), (ii)
JW visits, (i)
Bilbao, (i)
Billmeir, J. A., (i), (ii)
Blanco, Admiral Carrero (later prime minister), (i)
Blue Division, (i)
Bolín, Luis, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
bombings
aerial, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
terrorist, (i), (ii)
Botella, Professor Miguel, (i)
Brunete, battle of, (i), (ii)
bull, emblem used in present-day propaganda, (i), (ii)
Burgos, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
JW in, (i)
Bushido: The Soul of Japan, (i)
Cabello, Cándido, (i)
Calvo Sotelo, José, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Canaries, Franco in the, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Cantabria, (i), (ii)
Cartagena, (i)
Casablanca, (i)
Casares Quiroga, Santiago (prime minister), (i)
Casas Viejas, (i)
Castellón, mountains of, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Castilians, attitude towards Basques and Catalans, (i), (ii)
Castillo, Lieutenant José, (i), (ii), (iii)
Castuera
during the Civil War, (i), (ii)
JW visits, (i)
casualties, of the Civil War, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Casa Viejas, (i)
Granada, (i), (ii), (iii)
Madrid, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Víznar, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Seville, (i), (ii), (iii)
Castuera, (i), (ii)
Toledo, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Alicante, (i), (ii)
Durango, (i)
Guernica, (i), (ii)
Brunete, (i)
post-war, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Barcelona, (i)
Badajoz, (i), (ii)
Málaga, (i)
Teruel, (i)
Catalans, Catalonia, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Cathar refugees, (i)
Cavotti, Lieutenant Giulio, (i)
CEDA (Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Ceuta, (i), (ii)
chekas (unauthorized political courts), (i), (ii)
Chile, Pinochet’s coup, (i)
Chilton, Sir Henry, (i)
Civil Guard (Guardia Civil), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Civil War, background to, (i), (ii), (iii)
CNT (National Confederation of Labour), (i), (ii)
communists, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii)
deaths in Chile, (i)
in Madrid, (i), (ii)
and George Orwell, (i), (ii), (iii)
and the May Days, (i), (ii)
and Nin’s death, (i)
concentration camps, (i)
Castuera, (i), (ii)
French, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
German, (i)
Condés, Captain Fernando, (i)
Condor Legion, (i), (ii), (iii)
Conference of Algeciras, (i)
Conscience of Castuera, (i), (ii)
Cortes, the (Spanish parliament), (i)
Cottmann, Stafford, (i)
Coventry, (i)
crosses, Francoist, (i)
Cuenca, Luis, (i)
Daladier, Edouard (French prime minister), (i)
Despedida (Farewell), (i)
Día de la Raza (Festival of the Spanish Race), (i), (ii), (iii)
Díaz, Manuel, (i)
Disaster, the (war with the USA), (i)
Dos Passos, John, (i)
drag queens, (i), (ii)
Dragon Rapide (biplane), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
drug running, (i), (ii), (iii)
Duelo a garrotazos, (i)
Durango, (i)
Durruti, Buenaventura, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Ebro, battle of the, (i)
education, sanitized, (i), (ii)
elections, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii)
Escrivá, José María de Balaguer, (i)
ETA (Basque terror group), (i), (ii)
Euskera (Basque tongue), (i)
exiles, of the Civil War, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Extremadura, (i), (ii)
FAI (Iberian Anarchist Federation), (i)
Falange, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
in present-day Spain, (i)
and Lorca’s death, (i), (ii)
coup in Granada, (i), (ii), (iii)
in Castuera, (i)
El Día de la Raza, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
founder executed, (i)
Franco assumes control, (i), (ii)
Falla, Manuel de, (i), (ii), (iii)
Fanelli, Giuseppe, (i)
Faraudo, Captain Carlos, (i)
Farewell (Despedida), (i)
farming, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Fernández Montesinos, Manuel, (i), (ii)
fifth column, origination of term, (i)
Fifth Column, The (play), (i)
films, Republican propaganda, (i)
First International, (i)
First World War, (i), (ii)
fist-fight, fascist sponsored, (i)
football match, regional tensions surface during, (i), (ii)
For Whom the Bell Tolls, (i), (ii)
Foreign Legion, Spanish see Legión
Fraga, Manuel, (i)
France, (i), (ii), (iii)
refugees in, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Franco y Bahamonde, General
Francisco, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Asturias rebellion, (i), (ii)
and the 1936 uprising, (i), (ii)
background, (i), (ii)
and Manuel Azaña, (i), (ii)
and Mola, (i), (ii), (iii)
relations with Italy, (i), (ii), (iii)
relations with Germany, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
and Quiepo de Llano, (i), (ii)
recognized as supreme commander, (i), (ii)
uses Madrid football team, (i)
and ETA, (i)
and Millán Astray, (i), (ii)
assumes control of Falange, (i), (ii)
Valle de los Caídos memorial, (i), (ii)
post-war and death, (i)
Franco y Bahamonde, Ramón (Franco’s brother), (i)
Freemasons, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Friends of Durriti, (i)
Gabriel (Lorca family’s caretaker), (i)
Galicians, character of, (i)
Galindo, Dióscoro, (i), (ii)
García Lorca, Federico, (i), (ii)
execution, (i), (ii)
&
nbsp; helped by Rosales family, (i)
arrest and imprisonment, (i)
JW visits Memorial Park, (i), (ii), (iii)
proposed exhumation, (i), (ii)
Generalitat (government of Catalonia), (i)
Germany (Nazi), (i), (ii), (iii)
uses Spain as testing ground, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
military aid to Nationalists, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
bombing of Guernica, (i), (ii)
Gibralter, Strait of, (i)
Gil Robles, José María, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Goded, General Manuel, (i), (ii), (iii)
Goering, Hermann, (i)
Goya, Francisco, (i)
Granada, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Nationalist coup, (i), (ii), (iii)
Granada University, Faculty of Medicine, (i)
graves, (i), (ii), (iii)
mass, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii)
Great Britain, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Guernica, (i), (ii), (iii)
Guernica (painting), (i)
gypsies, (i), (ii)
Hammaralt, Sarvapoldi, (i)
Hemingway, Ernest, (i), (ii)
Hendaye, (i), (ii), (iii)
Hernández, Jesús, (i)
Hitler, Adolf, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi)
Homage to Catalonia, (i), (ii)
House of Bernarda Alba, The, (i)
Ibarruri, Dolores (La Pasionaria), (i)
immigrants, hostility towards, (i)
industrial revolutions, (i)
International Brigades, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Internationale, The, (i)
Italy, (i), (ii)
military aid to Nationalists, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii)
James (i), King, (ii)
Javier (Kiki’s friend), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
jogger, at Castuera concentration camp, (i)
Kiki (friend of JW’s wife)
transformista/transvestite, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
admiration of Pío Moa, (i), (ii), (iii)
affected by Civil War, (i), (ii), (iii)
visits the Valle de los Caídos with JW, (i)
Koestler, Arthur, (i)
Largo Caballero, Francisco (prime minister), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
Lee, Laurie, (i)
Legión (Spanish Foreign Legion), (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)
suppression of left-wing miners in Asturias, (i), (ii)
JW visits headquarters, (i)
siege of Alcázar, (i), (ii)
Badajoz massacre, (i), (ii), (iii)
L’Espoir, (i)
Lorca see García Lorca, Federico
Lozano, Dr Pelayo, (i)
Luftwaffe, (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
Guerra Page 27