Causes of the Spanish Civil War

Weakness of the government
1. From 1871 Spain was a constitutional monarchy
  1. The King was head of state
2. The Parliament (Cortes) was elected by males
  1. The real power was held by the wealthy
    1. Power often shifted between their cliques
  2. Two main parties the conservatives and the liberals with not much differentiating them
  3. Elections were rigged and changed practically nothing
The role of the army
1. Were powerful due to Spains Imperial past
2. Believed it was the protector of the nation
  1. Meant it had the right to intervene in politics if a crisis occured
3. Very unpopular with the people
  1. Reputation for brutality
  2. Expensive to maintain
4. Was in need of reform, was too big and had too many officers
The role of the church
1. Catholic church was rich and powerful
2. State had guaranteed its role in education and economy
3. Its wealth had gained it considerable political and social influence
4. Was inclined to support the upper class
  1. Led to resentment amongst the poor
Economic causes
1. Spain was mainly an agricultural economy
  1. Agriculture was inefficient
    1. Work was seasonal
    2. Most lived in abject poverty
      1. Extreme gap between rich and poor
    3. Some groups often supported the Anarchists to fight for land redistribution
  2. Industry needed reform
    1. Expansion was limited by endemic poverty
      1. Led to growth of trade unionism
2. WW1
  1. Inflation and shortages
  2. Violent conflict between employers and employees
Sepratism of Basque and Catalonia
1. Wanted decentralization and independence
2. Had their own industrialised economies, cultures, languages and churches
3. They did not believe they were valued enough considering their economic importance
Political opposition
1. The UGT were influential in organising urban areas strikes and protests
2. The anarachists were popular due to their popularity with the land owners
  1. The CNT (their trade union) was as active as the UGT
3. The FAI organised bombings and assasinations
4. There was a small Communist party after the Bolshevik revolution
The fall of the Monarchy
1. King Alfonso XIII could not resist the coup of General Primo de Rivera
  1. He was under pressure after 12 failed governments
2. Primo de Rivera
  1. Developed industrial production
  2. Created huge debts
    1. Wall street crash caused problems
  3. He resigned in 1930
3. Municipal elections showed support for the San Sebastian Pact coalition
  1. The king went into voluntary exile
    1. Neither the army or church intervened
  2. Second republic established

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Causes of the Spanish Civil War

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	Created by Millie Berrett over 8 years ago