Spanish Civil War

1
Spanish Civil War

• Attitudes to the War

2
League of Nations

• Republicans claimed non-intervention was illegal
  since it denied help to a government recognised
  by the league, while failing to stop Italian and
  German aggression
• League however was now a spent force, none of the
  major powers even pretended to operate through it

3
The Nyon Conference

• The Non-intervention Committee set up naval
  blockade to stop weapons getting into Spain
• Ineffective-mystery submarines began to sink
  ships taking supplies to the Republic

4
The Nyon Conference

• Britain called for a conference at Nyon near
  Geneva, Germany and Italy did not attend
• British and French navies were ordered to destroy
  submarines or aircrafts attacking non-Spanish
  ships

5
The Nyon Conference

• The piracy came to a sudden end but the lesson
  that it pays to be firm with Fascists was not
  learned
• The Republicans asked that protection be extended
  to their ships this was declined

6
Soviet Attitudes to the war

• Stalin provided the Republicans with just enough
  aid to keep them going
• He knew that he could not win the war as a
  communist government would not be accepted

• However, whilst Germany and Italy were busy in
  Spain they could not attack Russia
• Therefore he wanted the war to last as long as
  possible

7
Nazi Germanys attitude

• Used Spanish war as testing ground for his air
  force e.g. Guernica
• Hitler was happy to see Italy tied up so he was
  free to act in Austria
• Keen to gain supplies of iron ore and other vital
  materials

8
Fascist Italys motives

• Hoped to establish the Mediterranean as an
  Italian sphere of influence
• Wanted to harden national character
• Shared the same ideology as Franco

9
Cost of Civil war

• Cost Spain one million dead
• Destruction of cities
• Franco established himself in power where he long
  survived his sponsors, Mussolini and Hitler until
  his death in 1975

10
Cost of Civil war

• Francos victory was another triumph for Hitler,
  ignored non-intervention which was the policy of
  the league
• Democracy had again been discredited and
  authoritarian Fascism appeared triumphant

11
Consequences of victory

• Hitler was pleased to have another ally on
  Frances southern border
• Although Spain was exhausted by the civil war and
  remained neutral in WW2

12
Consequences of victory

• Rome-Berlin Axis was a reality, Germany and Italy
  able to work together, Stresa Front now hopeless
• National opinion inn democracies divided by the
  war

13
Consequences of victory

• Weakness of appeasement again shown
• Backing down of Italians over the pirate
  submarine showed what a firm stance could
  achieve- ignored
• Testing ground for new weapons and tactics
• Hitler now ready to take his next step
  Czechoslovakia