July 27, 1936: which side are you on?

[Traitorfish]

On July 17, 1936, officers lead by José Sanjurjo launched an uprising in Spanish Morocco against the government of Santiago Casares. Intended to overthrow the republican government in one blow, the rebels quickly seize control of Morocco, and the following day begin actions on the Spanish mainland. However, the coup-attempt is resisted by loyalists within the military and by left-wing militias. Within days, the country is fragmented into loyalist and rebel areas, neither able to achieve a decisive victory.

On July 23, the rebels declare a "Junta de Defensa Nacional", which is recognised by Germany and Italy as the legitimate government of Spain, and within which Emilio Mola and Francisco Franco emerge as the dominant personalities. The "Nationalist" faction will come to include the military rebels, the Falange and other fascists, Catholic traditionalists, and monarchists of both Alfonsist and Carlist loyalties.

The "Republican" faction, supported by France, Mexico and the Soviet Union, is lead by a Popular Front of socialist, communist and republican parties, supported by Galician, Basque and Catalan nationalists, by anarchists, and by the (socialist) UGT and (anarchist) CNT trade unions.

It is July 27th, ten days since the beginning of the uprising. The lines are drawn; which side are you on?

 

[Commodore]

Knowing what we know now about Nazi Germany and Franco's government, I would say I'd be on the Republican side of the conflict. However, if you are asking me to put myself in the shoes of someone without the benefit of such hindsight then I do not know, since the Spanish Civil War is not something I have studied in great detail.

I know almost nothing about Spanish politics at that time; but given my general political leanings, I would have fought on the Republican side.

 

[KevinLancaster]

Yup, I would be on the Republican side as well, though I haven't studied the period in detail. Shame that they lost though.

 

[Omega124]

I would go with Republican because the Nationalists were literally a bunch of fascists. The fact that the Republicans were the democratically-elected government is merely icing on the cake; had the Republicans tried to forcefully overthrow the elected Nationalists I still would support the Republicans.

 

[LamaGT]

IIRC the whole point of this debate is that the Republicans were just as terrible, otherwise it would have been too easy
That's just something I remember reading somewhere, I don't have any real knowledge about the war.

 

[Phrossack]

Moroccan independence, or a plague a' both your houses.

 

[Akka]

The democratically elected government vying for a more equal society, or a bunch of religious fascists ?

That certainly makes for a very difficult choice !
(that last sentence was dripping with irony, just in case you'd wonder)

 

[Joecoolyo]

I'm not seeing much of a choice here.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

The Republic. Diaz is my man. Although if I were him, I would ignore Comintern advice and push for control over the government instead of junior partner in a coalition.

 

[Tahuti]

I voted Republican, but with a distinct reluctance. I'm well aware that the republicans too committed atrocities and that more benign elements within the republicans like liberals and the CNT-FAI were increasingly marginalised by the Pro-Soviet elements within the republicans.

 

[Gary Childress]

I would side with almost whoever was fighting against the fascists. I don't know much about the policies of the Spanish Republicans. They seem at superficial glance to be "good guys" from what little I've read about them. My understanding is that there were many different "factions" within the Republican side, anarchists, communists, liberals of different stripes. Not all of them agreed with each other and in the end I believe many anarchists believe that the Soviet Union ultimately tried to undermine the anarchists in their interference in Spanish politics.

Not sure why the fascists won. It seems to me that the majority would be in favor of democracy and things of that nature. What exactly was the platform of the Nationalists? What were they going to offer that appealed to so many?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I would side with almost whoever was fighting against the fascists.

Always a respectable policy.

 

[Tahuti]

Not sure why the fascists won. It seems to me that the majority would be in favor of democracy and things of that nature. What exactly was the platform of the Nationalists? What were they going to offer that appealed to so many?

To put it bluntly, the majority doesn't matter: The nationalists defeated the republicans militarily and destroyed anyone capable of offering meaningful resistance. In the end, their deference to the monarchy was their undoing, since Juan Carlos (chosen by Franco to become king of Spain upon Franco's death) decided to restore democracy to Spain.

Almost every succesful revolution requires the support of the military, it is the way things work. It is never the majority who rules, but (the majority) of the ones who have guns or those who sooth talk them. If this wasn't the case, you wouldn't have bank robberies.

 

[Akka]

Not sure why the fascists won.

They had the army, which followed Franco in its vast majority.
Also, they had the Church with them, and Spain has always been one of the most religious country in Europe (relatively speaking).
The Republicans were also quite divised, while the Nationalist were much more unified.
Finally, after a few years of war, many people just wanted peace and order, which naturally favoured one side far more than another.

 

[carmen510]

This really depends on the outcome of the war. At the very least, Franco ensured that Spain would act as a buffer zone for Gibraltar against Hitler's Germany, and Hitler would likely be much more willing to invade a socialist or communist Spain; I would rather see the fascists win in Spain and ultimately lose the Second World War than risk the possibility that they come to dominate the Mediterranean.

If the anarchists come to win the struggle against the Stalinists and other socialists, I would be more tempted to align with the Republicans.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Always a respectable policy.

Not in Austria!

 

[luiz]

There were good and bad people both among the Republicans and the Nationalists. Fact is there was plenty of reason to dislike that particular Republican government as it was failing to take action against some it's members who were spreading terror. The Nationalists however were the wrong answer for it, and ended up being the worst side. So I'd probably side with the Republic, but very reluctantly, and would totally abandon that support as the Civil War progressed and they became more and more controlled by the Soviet Union.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Not in Austria!

It was the social-democratic militia's performance during the Dolfuss coup that convinced the Comintern of the validity of the United Front!

 

[Cutlass]

Whichever side Franco is not on

 

[Dachs]

It was the social-democratic militia's performance during the Dolfuss coup that convinced the Comintern of the validity of the United Front!

Performance fighting on the side of the fascists