red Spain

Francisco Franco's most powerful weapon to win the Spanish civil war was terror. Tortures, murders and other atrocities occured during the sad episode Spain lived when Franco's troops took the power in  July1936 (only six months after the popular goverment was established),so spanish citizens lived a daily horror which paralized them or made them act against their convictions. It was not through the most imporant fascist movement in spain "la falange" that Franco reached his objective, but through the church and the old monarchy, later this movement helped in the development of Franco's regime.

Republicans (red) and Nationalists "Fascist"(1) had to look for external help during the war. The republicans were supported by the URSS but not very openly.  France with its new popular socialist government elected, supported only the idea of the republic, as it was forced not to participate. Germany and Italy of course sent help to the nationalists"It is right to criticise the communist conviction that the only revolution that counted was one that brought the party a monopoly of power. And yet these considerations are not central to the problem of the civil war. Marx would have had to confront Bakunin even if all on the republican side had been angels. (2)" Franco's troops killed thousands of republicans but the red power also killed men. The only possitive effect of the belic confrontation was that republicans were not "extinguish"due to those men who went to support and defend the republic. When a "red" was executed their last words were always "viva la república" (3) More than 40 thousand volunteers fought for the republic mainly fromThe communist international, the anti fascist italian movement Giustizia e Liberta (4). IN April 1, 1939, Franco's forces reached the victory.

Fear pushed artists and other citizens outside Spain, a huge migratory wave came to Argentina and other American countries during the civil war. Not everyone wanted to give their lives for the republic. Federico García Lorca was not only a left-thinker, but also a communist, so he was executed by the nationalist forces on August 19, 1936. Some other great thinkers and artists remainded silent or used methaphors to alude to the reality they were living, the most importan pieces of art from the period belong to anti-falangists (Dalí, Miró, Bardem, among others)

Spanish civil war, even not having been able to overthrow the dictatorship, set the foundings to the strategies in the second world war: aliance in national fronts, revolutionaries or conservatives. This fighting experience also gave the basis to defeat Francisco Franco's followers later.ranco died in 1975, Spain became to be ruled bya parliamentary democracy. The working class realized how powerful they were, and went on general strike in 1951, and a decade later a huge labour movement started all over the country. When terror was not a daily reality, when workers could participate in politics, fear dissapear and they became stronger and organized themselves as a polical and social class: the owners of the working strenght.




thesis stament: fear was the strongest weapon franco's men used to opress working class and submit them to his cruel regime  Analytic thesis statement, as the paper explains the logical of fear as paralizing weapon and also the characteristics of terror during franco's dictatorship.

working class in spain against franco, but also against popular government elected in february 1936 (but not very organized) external help

without fear, workers are organized and they go on strike, general strike in 1951 in barcelona, great workers movement started in the 60's

conclusion: fear is a strong weapon every dictatorship has used, once people realize their own power and loose fear, they can organize themselves and fight








(1) there is a theoretical discussion about Franco as a fascist, as some historians argue he doesn't belong to this movement. I still support he is a fascist.
(2)War of Ideas' Eric Hobsbawm, The Guardian 17 February 2007.
(3) Long live the republic!
(4) Justice and freedom

Chacon, Dulce, the sleeping voice, Harvill Secker (February 28, 2006)

Commentary magazine, online version http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2007/02/20/hobsbawms-
spanish-civil-war/ last visited on September 27 2013

Cuerda, José Luis. Butterfly tongues(La lengua de las mariposas) (1999)

Haimovich, Perla, Spanish labour movement (1914-1936) , In labour movement's history, centro editor de América Latina, 1973

Hobsbawm, Eric, "War of ideas", The guardian, online version
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/feb/17/historybooks.featuresreviews last visited on September 27
2013

Hobsbawm, Eric,Historia del Siglo XX,Título original: Extremes. The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991
Traducción castellana de Juan Faci, Jordi Ainaud y Carme Castells, capítulo 5 "contra el enemigo común"

Radical History network http://radicalhistorynetwork.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/spain-and-world-aspects-of-spanish_16.html last visited on September 24 2013