A Brief History of Spain (Part Six)

In spite of Spain's humiliating defeat in the Spanish American War of 1898, the beginning of the twentieth century saw increased prosperity, at least for some.  Commerce and industry were booming.  The major cities became increasingly modern.  In Madrid a wide swath was cut through the old city to build a wide avenue, the Gran Vía, which was lined with new buildings in the latest styles.  In Barcelona "modernista" architects such as Antonio Gaudí filled the city with architectural gems.

However, most of the Spaniards, the workers and the rural peasants, still lived in dire poverty.  There was a great gap between the "haves" and "have-nots", and there was increasing social unrest.  Socialist, communist, and even anarchist groups attracted large numbers of the poor.

In 1923 General Primo de Rivera with the support of King Alfonso XIII established a military dictatorship.  His aim was to stabilize and reform the country.  He proved however to be inept, and the beginning of the Great Depression only increased his unpopularity.  In 1930, Primo de Rivera, having lost the support of even the military, resigned.  The following year, King Alfonso, who was also unpopular, suspended the monarchy and went into exile.  A republic was established in Spain.

In 1931 a new constitution was written which guaranteed freedom of speech, gave women the vote, legalized divorce, stripped the nobility of their status, and put restrictions on the Catholic Church, most notably stripping the Church of its role in education.  The liberal constitution, especially the provisions against the Church, infuriated conservatives and the devout.  The country became more polarized between the left and the right.  In the elections of 1933 a more conservative government took power.  But in the elections of 1936, the leftist parties formed the Popular Front and took power.  Violence, strikes and assassinations escalated.  The son of Primo de Rivera founded a pro-Fascist party known as the Falange, which sought to defend Spain and the Catholic Church from the threat of Communism.

In 1936 the military began a coup to overthrow the government of the Republic.  Although the military made gains in southern and rural Spain, they met stiff resistance in the cities which remained loyal to the Republic.  The military had hoped for a quick coup, but instead the conflict stretched in a protracted and violent war, The Spanish Civil War was probably the most disastrous event in the nation's history.

The war raged on for three years and left a half million dead.  The commander of the fascist forces was Generalísimo Francisco Franco.  He received the assistance of Hitler and Mussolini... both weapons and troops.

(image from the web)
Francisco Franco

The Republic was aided primarily by the Soviet Union.  (The United Kingdom and France remained neutral in the conflict.  Around 40,000 volunteers from more than 50 countries also joined in the defense of the Republic.  They were known as the International Brigade.)

During the war atrocities were committed on both sides.  Franco ordered mass executions of leftist sympathizers, trade unionists and school teachers.  Estimates of the number killed range from 130,000 to 200,000.  Among the most famous victims of the Franco terror was the great poet and dramatist, Federico Garcia Lorca.  Antclerical supporters of the Republic burned churches and murdered perhaps 8,000 priests, monks and nuns.

One of the most famous incidents of the Civil War was the bombing of the northern Basque town of Guernica by Hitler's Luftwaffe.  More than 1,600 civilians were killed in the bombing.  The tragedy was portrayed in Pablo Picasso's masterpiece, "Guernica".

(image from the web)
"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso

Eventually the better supplied forces of Franco gained the upper hand.  In 1939, the last bastions of the Republic, the cities of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia fell.  Franco established himself as the dictator of Spain.  His rule was characterized by repression of all political opposition, and the restoration of the privileges enjoyed by the Catholic Church prior to the Republic.  Divorce was once again illegal, all trade unions were outlawed, and the only permitted political party was the Falange, which became known as the National Movement.  Women were relegated to their roles as wives and mothers, and were not allowed to work as university professors.

 

From 1939 to 1943, during what is known as the "White Terror" opponents to France were rounded up, and either executed or put into labor camps.  The prisoners were forced to work on projects such as the "Valle de los Caídos" (the Valley of the Fallen), a grandiose monument to Franco's victory.  Some historians claim that as many as 200,000 died either through execution or deaths in labor camps.

The same year that Franco took power, World War II began.  Hitler hoped that Franco would join the war on the side of the Axis, but he was not willing to agree to the demands that Franco made as a condition to joining the alliance.  Spain remained neutral during the war, although Franco remained sympathetic to the Axis and allowed German ships to use Spanish naval bases.

The country was ravaged after the brutal civil war, and suffered years of economic deprivation.  After World War II, Spain was viewed as a pariah for its pro-Axis tendencies, and was not allowed to join the United Nations until 1956.  However, due to the Cold War, the United States eventually forged an alliance with Spain due to Franco's anti-communist stance.

 

Franco's repressive rule lasted for 36 years.  His hated "Guardia Civil" (Civil Guard) maintained strict order throughout the country.  Franco surrounded himself with economic advisors (many of them members of the Catholic organization Opus Dei) who spurred the nation into tremendous growth during the 1960s.

 

During the years of dictatorship, a terrorist group known as ETA emerged.  They sought the independence of the Basque province.  (The Basques are an ethnic group living in northern Spain and southern France who speak a language completely unrelated to Spanish or French.)  There were many bombings carried out by the ETA.  Although there were innocent victims, the ETA tended to target the police, the "Guardia Civil" and government officials.  In 1973 they killed Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, who had been chosen by Franco to be his successor as the head of government after his death.

 

In 1975 Franco died.  He had arranged for a restoration of the monarchy under Prince Juan Carlos (the grandson of King Alfonso XIII).  Franco assumed that Juan Carlos would be a figurehead dominated by Franco's circle of advisors, and that Spain would continue on the same course as it had during the long years of dictatorship.  Juan Carlos, however, proved to be a surprise.  He allowed free elections and the writing of new liberal constitution that transformed the country into a secular, democratic constitutional monarchy.

 

 (image from the web)

  

Juan Carlos

In 1981 a group of Franco supporters in the "Guardia Civil" seized the parliament building and attempted a military coup.  But King Juan Carlos ordered the rebels to surrender, and since the majority of the military backed the monarch, the coup fizzled.

In 1986 Spain joined the European Union. (In 2002 the Euro replaced the Spanish peseta as the currency.)  Spain enjoyed great prosperity and growth during the last decades of the twentieth century.  1992, the 500th anniversary of the first voyage of Columbus, was a banner year for Spain.  Barcelona hosted the Summer Olympics, and a world's fair was held in Seville.

The story, however. does not end a happy note.  The worldwide economic downturn of 2008 hit Spain especially hard.  Unemployment is still running around 25%, even higher among the young.  The country has weathered far greater disasters, and hopefully it will weather this downturn also.