Why did the USSR get involved in the Spanish Civil War? Spanish Civil War

WORLD CIVIL WAR The longer the Comintern worked, the more obvious it became - there would be no World Revolution. It will not be possible to organize it even with Moscow’s money. But experience has shown: it is always possible to organize a civil war in the country. Only in 1989, the CPSU

207. I will not learn Spanish, because I do not plan to live in Spain Intention: you want to do only useful things. Moreover...Redefinition: at first glance it is not always clear why. And yet...Division: but you can take a few lessons. Maybe,

In its destructiveness, the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 can be compared with the war of liberation against France of 1808-1814. Military losses are comparable to the First Carlist War, the largest civil war in Spain in the 19th century. Just over 150 thousand Spaniards in uniform died. In addition, 25 thousand foreigners died. 56 thousand people were repressed by the Republicans alone, and the same or more were killed by the Nazis. At least 12 thousand civilians died during the hostilities (mainly in the republican zone). Many more people died from the indirect consequences of the war - from hunger, disease, as a result of refugee.

The war of 1936-1939 was the first major war in Spain, where most of the military died in battle. By comparison, the Cuban War of 1895-1898 cost Spain 55 thousand military deaths, of which only three thousand died in battle and 52 thousand from disease. More than two million people were mobilized on both sides. 175 thousand people died in the battles, or 6% of those mobilized (of which about 25 thousand were not Spaniards). The fascist police numbered 150 thousand people. An important base for Franco was Spanish Morocco. Muslim soldiers played an important role in the first seven months of the rebellion. Muslim volunteers were also from Algeria and French Morocco. In general, there were 80 thousand Muslims in the fascist army, or 7% of the total number during the entire war. 11 thousand Muslims died. 16 thousand Germans and 70 thousand Italians fought on Franco’s side. Thus, there were 166 thousand non-Spaniards in the nationalist troops, no less than 15% of the total number. About 41 thousand volunteers fought on the side of the republic, mainly from the USSR and Europe, three thousand volunteers were from the USA. In the fall of 1936, international brigades began to be formed. The volunteers suffered heavy losses, especially in the first nine months of the war, when they fought at their most intense. Several thousand of them were captured, more than 500 of them were executed. Three thousand people from the USSR fought in Spain, 200 people or 6.67% died. Among the Soviet volunteers there were about 800 pilots, several hundred tank crews, and about 600 officers of various ranks. On average, the international brigades lost 15% of their personnel killed, the American Lincoln Battalion - 30%. 7 thousand foreign volunteers died on the side of the Spanish Republic.

According to the 1930 census, Spain had a population of 23,564,000. 1.1% of the population of the Spanish Republic died in battle. The total number of deaths, including civilians, reaches 344 thousand people or 1.4% of the country's population. This is without the decline in the country's birth rate between 1936 and 1940. In addition, within a year after the war, several hundred thousand people were convicted. At the end of 1939 there were 270 thousand Spaniards in prisons; two years later there were 160 thousand people left. In 1944, there were 54 thousand people in prison. Pre-war incarceration levels were only reached in the 1950s. Hard labor was widely used. 51 thousand death sentences were imposed, of which 28 thousand were executed. Another 200-300 thousand people died prematurely due to the economic and economic consequences of the war. Even in 1941, the mortality rate was 124 thousand people higher than normal. One and a half million people from the Republican zone left Spain, although quite soon the majority returned. Net emigration amounted to 170 thousand people. The 1940 census showed the population of Spain at 25,878,000.

The Civil War destroyed 10% of Spain's national wealth. Total production in 1939 was 21% less than pre-war in agriculture and 31% in industry. GDP fell by 26%. GDP per capita fell by 28%. Many workers from the city returned to the countryside, and the number of rural laborers increased by 50%. A third of the Spanish merchant fleet, 40% of locomotives and rolling stock, were lost. Franco went into debt, 570 million US dollars, 355 million Italian and 215 million German. Mussolini wrote off a quarter of the debt, the rest was paid in 1942-1962. Germany repaid the loan through exports in 1939-1944. The Second World War of 1939-1945 did not contribute to Spain's economic recovery. Growth began only after 1945. Pre-war per capita income was reached only in 1951.

In World War II, Spain leaned toward the Axis powers, providing Germany and Italy with raw materials, intelligence information, repairs, and supply of submarines. The volunteer Blue Division of 20 thousand people fought against the USSR for two years. In the summer of 1940, the question of Spain's entry into the war on the side of the Axis was being decided. Franco demanded significant economic assistance and part of the French colonies in northwest Africa. Germany did not agree to this, and when the defeat of the former became obvious, Franco sharply weakened ties with Berlin from October 1943. Franco improved relations with the USA and Great Britain, which improved his position. In 1953, Spain entered into a military alliance with the United States. In 1947, following a referendum, the monarchy was returned to Spain, and Franco became regent for life. In 1969, Prince Juan Carlos de Bourbon was declared the future king of Spain.

Thousands of Spanish Republicans fought in the Resistance Movement in France. Five thousand of them died in the Mauthausen camp alone. In October 1944, communist troops invaded Spain from France. Anarchist partisans operated inside the country. The invasion failed to spark a civil war in Spain and failed. But armed resistance to the Franco regime lasted until 1952.

Sources:

Payne Stanley G. The Spanish Civil War, Cambridge University Press, 2012

(1936-1939) - an armed conflict based on socio-political contradictions between the left-socialist (republican) government of the country, supported by the communists, and the right-wing monarchist forces that launched an armed rebellion, on the side of which most of the Spanish army led by Generalissimo Francisco Franco took the side .

The latter were supported by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany; the USSR and anti-fascist volunteers from many countries of the world took the side of the republicans. The war ended with the establishment of Franco's military dictatorship.

In the spring of 1931, after the victory of anti-monarchist forces in municipal elections in all major cities, King Alfonso XIII emigrated and Spain was proclaimed a republic.

The liberal socialist government began reforms that resulted in increased social tension and radicalism. Progressive labor legislation was torpedoed by entrepreneurs, the reduction of officer corps by 40% caused protest in the army, and the secularization of public life - the traditionally influential Catholic Church in Spain. The agrarian reform, which involved the transfer of surplus land to small owners, frightened the latifundists, and its “slipping” and inadequacy disappointed the peasants.

In 1933, a center-right coalition came to power and rolled back the reforms. This led to a general strike and an uprising of the Asturian miners. New elections in February 1936 were won by a minimal margin by the Popular Front (socialists, communists, anarchists and left-wing liberals), whose victory consolidated the right flank (generals, clerics, bourgeois and monarchists). The open confrontation between them was provoked by the death of a Republican officer on July 12, shot dead on the threshold of his home, and the retaliatory murder of a Conservative MP the next day.

On the evening of July 17, 1936, a group of military personnel in Spanish Morocco and the Canary Islands spoke out against the Republican government. On the morning of July 18, the mutiny engulfed garrisons throughout the country. 14 thousand officers and 150 thousand lower ranks took the side of the putschists.

Several cities in the south (Cadiz, Seville, Cordoba), the north of Extremadura, Galicia, and a significant part of Castile and Aragon immediately fell under their control. About 10 million people lived in this territory; 70% of the country's agricultural products were produced and only 20% of industrial products.

In large cities (Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bilbao, Valencia, etc.) the rebellion was suppressed. The fleet, most of the air force and a number of army garrisons remained loyal to the republic (in total - about eight and a half thousand officers and 160 thousand soldiers). The territory controlled by the Republicans was home to 14 million people and contained major industrial centers and military factories.

Initially, the leader of the rebels was General José Sanjurjo, exiled in 1932 to Portugal, but almost immediately after the putsch he died in a plane crash, and on September 29, the top of the putschists elected General Francisco Franco (1892-1975) as commander in chief and head of the so-called “national” government. He was given the title caudillo ("chief").

Back in August, rebel troops captured the city of Badajoz, establishing a land connection between their scattered forces, and launched an attack on Madrid from the south and north, the main events around which occurred in October.

By that time, England, France and the United States had declared “non-intervention” in the conflict, introducing a ban on the supply of weapons to Spain, and Germany and Italy sent, respectively, the Condor Aviation Legion and the Volunteer Infantry Corps to help Franco. Under these conditions, on October 23, the USSR declared that it could not consider itself neutral, and began supplying the Republicans with weapons and ammunition, also sending military advisers and volunteers (primarily pilots and tank crews) to Spain. Earlier, at the call of the Comintern, the formation of seven volunteer international brigades began, the first of which arrived in Spain in mid-October.

With the participation of Soviet volunteers and fighters of the international brigades, the Francoist offensive on Madrid was thwarted. The slogan “¡No pasaran!” that was heard during that period is widely known. (“They will not pass!”).

However, in February 1937, the Francoists occupied Malaga and launched an offensive on the Jarama River south of Madrid, and in March they attacked the capital from the north, but the Italian corps in the Guadalajara area was defeated. After this, Franco moved his main efforts to the northern provinces, occupying them by the fall.

At the same time, the Francoists reached the sea at Vinaris, cutting off Catalonia. The June Republican counteroffensive pinned down enemy forces on the Ebro River, but ended in defeat in November. In March 1938, Franco's troops entered Catalonia, but were able to completely occupy it only in January 1939.

On February 27, 1939, France and England officially recognized the Franco regime with its temporary capital in Burgos. At the end of March, Guadalajara, Madrid, Valencia and Cartagena fell, and on April 1, 1939, Franco announced the end of the war by radio. On the same day it was recognized by the United States. Francisco Franco was proclaimed head of state for life, but promised that after his death Spain would again become a monarchy. The caudillo named his successor the grandson of King Alfonso XIII, Prince Juan Carlos de Bourbon, who, after the death of Franco on November 20, 1975, ascended the throne.

It is estimated that up to half a million people died during the Spanish Civil War (with a predominance of Republican casualties), with one in five deaths being a victim of political repression on both sides of the front. More than 600 thousand Spaniards left the country. 34 thousand “children of war” were taken to different countries. About three thousand (mainly from Asturias, the Basque Country and Cantabria) ended up in the USSR in 1937.

Spain became a place for testing new types of weapons and testing new methods of warfare in the run-up to World War II. One of the first examples of total war is the bombing of the Basque city of Guernica by the Condor Legion on April 26, 1937.

30 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers and officers, 150 thousand Italians, about three thousand Soviet military advisers and volunteers passed through Spain. Among them are the creator of Soviet military intelligence Yan Berzin, future marshals, generals and admirals Nikolai Voronov, Rodion Malinovsky, Kirill Meretskov, Pavel Batov, Alexander Rodimtsev. 59 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 170 people died or went missing.

A distinctive feature of the war in Spain were the international brigades, which were based on anti-fascists from 54 countries. According to various estimates, from 35 to 60 thousand people passed through the international brigades.

The future Yugoslav leader Josip Bros Tito, the Mexican artist David Siqueiros, and the English writer George Orwell fought in the international brigades.

Ernest Hemingway, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and the future Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Willy Brandt illuminated their lives and shared their positions.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Causes of the Civil War

Not only the parliamentary stands, but also the streets of Spanish cities have turned into a place of confrontational confrontation between right and left forces. Bloody battles between demonstrators, killings from behind corners, arson and intimidation have become a daily occurrence. The government of S. Casares Quiroga demonstrated its inability to stabilize the situation. Various segments of the population experienced panic, and demands to restore order in the country grew. In army circles, which were sensitive to public sentiment, there was also a division into supporters and opponents of the Republic. The latter were led by the influential generals E. Mola and F. Franco 5 .

In the ranks of the high army command, which almost unanimously shared the opinion that the republican system endangered their corporate interests and the traditions of Spain as a whole, an anti-government conspiracy was brewing. Despite the alarming information received, the governments of M. Azaña and S. Casares Quiroga clearly underestimated the degree of danger threatening the Republic. Measures to prevent the rebellion were sporadic: only a small group of the most conservative officers were placed under police surveillance, potential conspirators were transferred to peripheral areas: E. Mola to Pamplona, ​​and F. Franco to the Canary Islands. Their places were taken by generals more loyal to the Republic. The conspirators, despite the measures taken by the authorities, continued their underground activities. However, the leaders of the conspiracy, who had a fairly clear plan for joint action in the event of a rebellion, did not have a clear idea of ​​​​the priority tasks after their eventual rise to power.

The violent death on July 12, 1936 of the Republican lieutenant X. Castillo, who died at the hands of fascist thugs, and the retaliatory murder the next day of one of the leaders of the right forces X. Calvo Sotelo, committed by a group of young socialists led by the captain of the Civil Guard F. Condes, “worked” as detonators of a military coup. The military played a leading role in the rebellion. Fascists, traditionalists and right-wing monarchists who sympathized with them remained on the sidelines.

On July 17, 1936, an anti-government putsch broke out in Spanish Morocco and the Canary Islands. According to a pre-developed plan, the next day the generals who commanded military units in various points of Spain joined the rebellion. In his address to the Spanish people via the radio station Radio Las Palmas (on the morning of July 18, 1936), General F. Franco, justifying the rebellion, said in particular: “The situation in Spain is becoming more and more critical. There is anarchy in the cities and countryside. Various kinds of revolutionary strikes paralyze the life of the population.... On top of the unconscious revolutionary ideas of the masses, deceived and exploited by Soviet agents, are layered the evil intent and carelessness of authorities at all levels.... In return for this, we offer justice and equality of all before the law, reconciliation and solidarity between all Spaniards, work for everyone, social justice in an atmosphere of brotherhood and harmony.... There should be no place in our breasts for feelings of hatred and revenge.... In our Motherland, for the first time and really, three ideals will be established in the following order: freedom, brotherhood and equality" 6 .

On July 19, 1936, General F. Franco arrived from the Canary Islands in the city of Tetouan in northern Morocco and took command of the Spanish expeditionary force in Africa, numbering 45 thousand people. These were the most combat-ready troops, consisting mainly of experienced soldiers and officers.

The Republican government and the Popular Front parties called on the citizens of the country to defend the republic. The Civil War began, which took the form of a fratricidal armed clash between conservative-monarchist and fascist groups, on the one hand, and a bloc of republican and anti-fascist parties, on the other. Objective and subjective factors contributed to the irreconcilability of the conflict: the protracted socio-economic and institutional crisis, the polarization of socio-political forces on the eve of the war, the radicalism of the ideological postulates of both left-wing parties and right-wing forces, the confrontation between communist and fascist ideologies, and the involvement of other countries in the internal conflict. In addition, many Spaniards perceived the war as a struggle between Catholic believers and “atheist” atheists.

14 thousand officers and about 150 thousand privates sided with the rebels. In the first days of the war, after the death of General X. Sanjurjo in a plane crash on July 20 (it was assumed that he would lead the rebellion), the conspiracy was “decapitated.” However, soon in the north of the country in the city of Burgos, the Junta of National Defense was established, headed by General M. Cabanellas (1862-1938). By decision of the Junta, General F. Franco was vested with full military and political power. The territory controlled by the rebels was home to about 10 million people and produced 70% of the country's agricultural output, but only 20% of its industrial output. Initially, success accompanied the putschists in the south of the country in the areas of Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Cadiz, in Old Castile and Navarre, as well as in Galicia, Aragon, the Canary and Balearic Islands (with the exception of Menorca).

In many regions of the country, the coup, lacking popular support, failed. Military protests in Madrid and Barcelona were quickly suppressed. The sailors of the navy and most of the air force remained loyal to the Republic. The territory controlled by the Republicans was home to 14 million people, and the main industrial centers and military factories were also located there. 8.5 thousand officers and more than 160 thousand ordinary soldiers remained on the side of the legitimate government.

The fundamental difference in ideological views and vision of the country's development paths led to significant differences between the political and socio-economic transformations carried out on the republican territory and in the zones controlled by the Francoists. The emergency conditions of the Civil War left their mark on the essence and methods of the reforms being carried out. The military coup became a catalyst for many social processes. For Republicans, the fight against fascism was combined with attempts to implement deep, often hasty and ill-considered reforms.

Internationalization of the conflict

In September 1936, in response to a request from the new head of the republican government, F. Largo Caballero, the USSR decided to provide assistance to Spain, although the first military advisers arrived in Spain in August along with the Soviet embassy 7 . Total in 1936-1939. There were about 600 Soviet military specialists in Spain. The total number of USSR citizens who took part in the Spanish events did not exceed 3.5 thousand people.

Republican Spain was supported by democratic forces in other countries. From among the anti-fascist volunteers who arrived in Spain, the International Brigades were formed (October 1936). The USSR was at the head of the forces that provided particularly effective assistance to the republican government. The leaders of the Soviet Union believed that the issue of starting the fight against fascism in Europe and the world was being decided on the fields of Spain. In a telegram addressed to the General Secretary of the CPI X. Diaz, the text of which was transmitted by all news agencies in Europe and America, J.V. Stalin wrote: “The workers of the Soviet Union are fulfilling only their duty, providing all possible assistance to the revolutionary masses of Spain. They realize that the liberation of Spain from the oppression of fascist reactionaries is not a private matter of the Spaniards, but a common cause of all advanced and progressive humanity” 8.

Social and political processes in the country during the Civil War

The first successes of the putschists seriously undermined the authority of the republican government. Self-proclaimed and ideologically heterogeneous revolutionary committees and juntas for the defense of the Republic tried to fill the vacuum of local authorities. In the first months of the war on republican territory, in addition to representatives of the central government, “local government” was carried out by local authorities, which were under the influence of various political parties or military leaders. Groups of Republican Milisianos (people's militias), deprived of unity of command and acting under the slogans of social revolution and the fight against saboteurs, carried out the Red Terror, the victims of which were the military, representatives of the bourgeoisie and right-wing parties, and priests (during the Civil War, almost 7 thousand clergy were killed rank). At the same time, bloody atrocities and lawlessness were committed by the Francoists within the territory under their control. In Badajoz alone, they shot 2 thousand supporters of the Republic without trial or investigation.

The largest trade union associations, the UGT and the CNT, set the task of launching a struggle against the capitalists in the name of the triumph of the workers' and peasants' revolution. Despite the lack of a proper legislative framework, revolutionary committees and trade union organizations carried out “collectivization” in both cities and rural areas. In particular, about 5.5 million hectares of land were expropriated and transferred to the disposal of 3 million peasant farms. The redistribution of land in favor of small peasants and tenants became widespread in Castile, Aragon, Andalusia, Murcia and Extremadura. Large factories and factories, on the initiative of trade unions, came under the control of workers and employees. An active process of redistribution of property in the industrial sector was observed in Catalonia. At the same time, the process of “collectivization” practically did not affect small private enterprises, handicraft industries and craft workshops.

The government of F. Largo Caballero, formed on September 4, 1936, which included the CNT trade union leaders a few weeks later, made efforts to strengthen the vertical of power. By government decree, revolutionary committees and juntas for the defense of the Republic were dissolved, and at the same time local authorities were reorganized, whose duty was to carry out all orders of the central government. Strict military discipline was introduced in the people's militia units. All operations carried out by the Central Bank of Spain were placed under government control. Government actions to strengthen the vertical power structure often encountered resistance from revolutionary committees, many of which were influenced by anarchists. In the Basque Country and Catalonia, regional government institutions operated, often sabotaging orders coming from Madrid.

In November 1936, the Battle of Madrid began. The possibility of the rebels seizing the capital was quite real. Therefore, the country's president M. Azaña moved to Barcelona, ​​and the government led by F. Largo Caballero moved to Valencia. After fierce fighting, the rebel troops were stopped at the immediate approaches to Madrid. Militia units led by communists and socialists showed massive heroism in the fight against the fascists. The rallying cry of the leader of the PCI, Dolores Ibárruri, has gained worldwide fame: “¡No pasaran!” - “They will not pass!” In March 1937, the Republican army defeated the Italian corps near Guadalajara.

In the face of growing danger (especially after the fascists captured Malaga in February 1937), among the leaders of the most influential parties of the Popular Front, primarily the PCI, an understanding of the need to abandon overly ambitious and risky revolutionary changes began to mature. The communist tactics consisted of concentrating efforts on the fight against the Francoists and finding new allies, primarily among the petty and middle bourgeoisie. Some concessions to the urban and rural bourgeoisie on the part of the PCI and the Catalan communists were regarded by the most extremist party and trade union leaders as a betrayal of “class interests”. The sharp deterioration of relations between various republican parties, primarily between communists and anarchists, led to street clashes in Barcelona in May 1937. About 500 people died.

The bloody events in Barcelona and growing disagreements within the Popular Front parties led to the resignation of F. Largo Caballero. A left-wing government led by socialist X. Negrin 9 was sworn in. With his coming to power, the positions of the CPI within the leadership of the Republic were strengthened, while at the same time the anarchists and trade union leaders of the NKP lost their influence. The program of the new government - the victory program (13 points) - provided for the creation of a regular army, a transition in war from defense to offensive, a radical agrarian reform, and the introduction of progressive social legislation. The government began to implement a social program, established the power of the central government in Catalonia, and managed to prevent separatist sentiments in Aragon and a number of other regions. At the same time, reform of the Armed Forces was carried out. Three ministries - military, navy and air force - were merged into a single Ministry of National Defense. The process of reorganizing the people's militia into regular units has been completed. In most units of the army, the post of political commissar was introduced, whose responsibility was to strengthen military discipline.

Despite the hardships of the war, the Republican Ministry of Public Education paid great attention to improving the level of education and culture of the population. In 1936-1938. 5,500 new schools were built (2,100 of them in Catalonia with funds from the regional government of the Generalitat). The government developed and approved a plan for the further development of primary and secondary school education. The work of the so-called Cultural Militia to eliminate illiteracy in rural areas and among the soldiers of the Republican Army gained great popularity.

Many writers, scientists and artists in Spain from the first days of the war firmly sided with the Republic. Among them were such famous cultural figures as A. Machado, M. Hernandez, R. Alberti, F. García Lorca (shot by the Francoists in the summer of 1936), etc. In 1937, the II International Congress of Anti-Fascist Writers was held in Valencia, Among its participants were outstanding writers from around the world.

In the summer of 1937, Franco's troops took possession of the entire industrial north of the country. No more than a third of Spain's territory remained under Republican control. Even the barbaric bombing of unprotected cities in this territory (the complete destruction of the Basque city of Guernica by German aircraft on April 26, 1937, the brutal shelling of Almeria by German warships on May 31, 1937) did not allow the Nazis to achieve decisive victories here until the spring of 1938.

In contrast to the evolution of the institutions of the political system of the Second Republic, the institutional development of the Francoist state in the zones controlled by the rebels went in a completely different direction. Since its inception, the National Defense Junta has declared a state of war in the country. The Francoist policy was based on the principles of unity of command and dictatorial rule, which was determined by the ultimate goal of the rebels - the conquest of political power and the implementation of counter-revolutionary changes. The main ideological postulates of the Francoists during the Civil War were the inviolability of private property, the maintenance of strong social order, the prohibition of communist ideology and respect for religion. The core element in achieving these goals was the army, characterized by strict military discipline.

Volunteer detachments of opponents of the Republic, formed in July-August 1936, soon merged with regular units. The Francoists quickly eliminated the shortage of officer personnel by awarding the most trained non-commissioned officers and sergeants the rank of junior officer - “temporary lieutenant”.

The success of the rebels during the war was largely due to the concentration of leadership powers and functions in the hands of one person - General F. Franco. In the fall of 1936, the National Defense Junta appointed him Commander-in-Chief of all branches of the armed forces and at the same time the head of government, and soon the head of state. In 1936, F. Franco created the State Technical Junta, the prototype of the future government. On January 30, 1938, in accordance with the law on the Supreme State Administration, governing bodies of power were formed. The head of state, F. Franco, had full legislative power and at the same time headed the Council of Ministers, the highest body of executive power. Even earlier, all the political forces that supported the rebellion (fascists, traditionalists, Carlists, 10 monarchists, etc.) united into a single party, the “Spanish Phalanx.” It was also headed by F. Franco.

The first steps of the Francoist government were clearly anti-democratic and anti-revolutionary in nature. The junta abolished freedom of the press, speech, assembly and demonstrations, and banned all trade union organizations and political parties, except the Spanish Phalanx. Landed property and other real estate were returned to their former owners from among the Spanish aristocracy, latifundists and the industrial and financial elite. The Frankists took control of school and university education, book printing, librarianship, cultural objects, and abolished all anti-religious laws adopted by republican governments. Frankist propaganda proclaimed the ideological task of its leadership - the formation of a “new man” on the basis of patriotic, nationalistic and religious education. To realize this goal, on September 20, 1938, a law on the reform of secondary education was adopted.

The highest hierarchs of the Spanish Catholic Church did not take part in the anti-government conspiracy of 1936. However, after the rebellion, the church supported the Francoists and their slogans, which called for the preservation of the territorial integrity of the country and the national unity of the Spaniards, and the restoration of traditional values, including respect for the Catholic Church. Mass prayer services took place among the rebel troops, and time was officially set aside for confession.

The Francoist struggle against the Republic in clerical circles was called a “national crusade.” This expression, first used by Bishops Mujica and Olaechea in a pastoral letter to the faithful of August 6, 1936, subsequently became widespread in the Francoist lexicon.

The lack of proper coordination of actions within the leadership of the Republican Army in 1938 led to the disruption of the Republican offensive in the Teruel area and facilitated the advance of the putschists. On April 15, the Francoists reached the Mediterranean coast, dividing the republican forces into two parts. In June they attempted an attack on Valencia. The Republicans, defending Valencia, carried out a successful operation on the river. Ebro, where large enemy forces were pinned down for more than 3 months.

In the second half of 1938, the situation at the front changed dramatically. France closed the Spanish border, thereby strengthening the blockade of Republican Spain. At the same time, Germany and Italy openly supported F. Franco. The Munich agreement between Nazi Germany and the ruling circles of Great Britain and France was enthusiastically received by the Francoists and had a negative impact on the mood in the Republican camp. The Nazis entered Catalonia in March 1938, but captured its entire territory on January 26, 1939. A month later, on February 27, 1939, England and France broke off diplomatic relations with the legitimate government of Spain and recognized the government of F. Franco. At the end of March, all of Spain was in the hands of the rebels. The war in Spain ended on April 1, 1939 with the defeat of the Republican forces. On the same day, the government of F. Franco received official recognition from the United States. A dictatorial regime was established in Spain. For decades the country was divided into winners and losers.

The following figures speak about the tragic consequences of the Civil War for Spain: about 145 thousand people died during the battles, 135 thousand were shot or died in prisons, more than 400 thousand people were seriously wounded, about 500 thousand emigrated. About 300 thousand were kept in prisons or concentration camps until 1945. In 1939-1940. agricultural production was only 21% of the 1935 level, and industrial production was 31%. More than 500 thousand buildings were destroyed. Spain, which paid the USSR for arms supplies with its gold reserves 11, was destined for the fate of being a debtor to Germany and Italy. The debt to these countries was expressed in the amount of $1 billion. It took the country more than 10 years to eliminate only the material damage caused by the war.