The Spanish Civil War Was The Inevitable Climax Of Problems That Had

The Spanish Civil War Was The Inevitable Climax Of Problems That Had The Spanish Civil War Was The Inevitable Climax Of Problems That Had Become Historically Inherent To â€" Essay Example > The Spanish Civil War refers to the war of 1936-9. This was in fact the fourth such conflict on Spanish soil since the 1830s. The Spanish Civil War pitted ‘regionalists against centralists, anti-clericals against Catholics, landless laborers against latifundistas, workers against industrialists. ’ (Preston. 1986, p. 9) Amid all this conflict one thing was abundantly clear, all of these conflicting groups ‘have in common the struggles of a society in the throes of modernization. ’ (Preston. 1986, p. 9) In the preceding years and the years that followed there was a general disconnect between societal realities and the political authorities governing society. Going back as far as 1808 Spain suffered a series of struggles perpetuated by those who sought reform and those who resisted it. The ruling classes were loathe to subscribe to reform that threatened to redistribute the country’s wealth for fear of losing their economic and political powers. Invariably power and wealth were divided among the ‘monarchy, the landed nobility and the Church. ’ (Preston. 1986, p. 10) This balance of power maintained its dominance until well into the twentieth century. The war of 1936-9 involved almost entirely every political position in Spain at the time and encompassed every social movement. There were primarily two opposing sides to the conflict with the Nationalist on one side and the Republicans on the other. The Nationalist were primarily comprised of Carlists and Legitimist monarchists, Spanish nationalists, fascists of the Falange, Catholics, as well as a cadre of conservatives and monarchist liberals. The Republicans found support from the Basque and Catalan nationalists, socialists, communist, s liberals and anarchists. (Esenwein. 1995 p. 6)Looked at another way, the Nationalists attracted a large number of the Catholics and those associated with the Catholic Church in one way or another. The Nationalists also seemed to secure the support of prominent f actions of the army, a majority of the large landowners, and quite a large number of businessmen as well. Meanwhile, an overwhelming number of urban workers, especially peasants and middle classes generally gravitated toward the Republicans. General Jose Sanjurjo, a monarchist is credited with the distinction of holding the position of the figurehead of the conflict. Working at his side as the primary planner of the conflict and second-in-command was Emilio MolaThe Nationalists had several goals entering the conflict, but one of their more essential goals was to eradicate anticlericalism driven Republican faction. Hand in hand with this goal was the desire to defend the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church had suffered censorship as a result of its unfailing support of the Spanish monarchy. This pro-monarchy stance taken by the Roman Catholic Church offended the Republican followers who saw this alignment as the direct cause of Spain’s social struggles. The 1936 start ed out as a series of acts of arson committed against religious buildings and monuments. Not surprisingly, the Republican authorities either refused or failed to take active steps to prevent the acts of arson. These acts formed part of what was regarded as a social revolution. In furtherance of this so-called social revolution, religious buildings that were spared acts of arson were turned into ‘Houses of the People’. (Esenwein. 1995 p. 35) Acting in harmony with their social beliefs Republican led massacres were primarily against members of the Catholic Clergy.