Antonio Antón Rodríguez
Mr. Miguel Pinto
History 4
22 February 2019
Foreign
Involvement in the Spanish Civil War
Introduction
This
is a work that speaks about the support that other countries gave to the
different wings of the war. It´s an evidence that there was foreign involvement
in the Spanish Civil War and there are some proved facts that can corroborate
it. The help that different countries whas always for a personal interest not
in an altruist way because some countries like Germany and Italy wanted Franco
to win and others like Mexico and antifascist countries preferred the
Republicans. The help benefited more to the rebelled side because it was much
bigger and had an enormous quality. I´m going to defend that the Republican
wing had no win chance, they needed a miracle and I think that although the
foreign intervention was enormous the result of the war would be same, the only
difference if there had been intervention or not is the duration of the war,
instead of 3 years they would have been 5.
Aid
received by the Nationalists
We
can say that the involvement of other countries was enormous and lot´s of
people died in this try of changing Spain´s way of government. Franco received
help since the start of the war, he left Canary islands in a plane that came from London, the Dragon Rapide that
would take him to Morocco succesfuly in 1936 to lead the revolution. Germany
sent an important militar force that was very important to cross the channel.
“Legión Condor” was the name given by the III Reich (Period of the Nazi
Germany) to this militar force. It was formed by 16.000 militars, of which
6.500 were normal troops and the rest were related to the 600 planes that some
months later were going to bomb some Republican cities like Guernica, Zaragoza,
etc... Germany also gived Franco´s army
some logistic important things that were incredibly important to the war like
telecommunication material that was very useful for the army when they had to
communicate quickly without the other side heared them. Germany saw in Spain an
ideal battlefield to try new weapons that had not been tested in battle yet, as
it is said in the article of “la Junta de Andalucía”.
Italian support was also important in this
war. Mussolini wanted to form an empire in the Mediterranean and thought that
having a communist ally in there would help him if France or England gave
problems. He sent the CTV (Corps of Volunteer Troops). It was formed by 50.000
troops which contained artillery, 50 planes and tanks according to Moradiellos
(page 208). They installed in the island of Mallorca from where they controlled
all their operations. Italy also sent Franco some material like fuel and ammo
that arrived in Spain in merchant boats.
There
was a minority help from countries like Portugal or Morocco, this one, sent
100.000 mercenaries known for their cruelty, they did lot´s of heartless
murderings and tortures. Portugal whas also an ally of Franco because the
dictator Oliveira Salazar let the North Spanish rebels to use Portugal´s roads
to join the south battles and also selled armament.
Aid
received by the Republica
In
the other side was the Republican wing, which was clearly defeated after lot´s
of defeats. The help they received had not the same quality and amount as the
other side and almost all the hepl they received was to take refuge.
The
USSR was the main supporter of the Republic and it´s help was notorious in lots
of battles because if they had not intervened the Republican side would have
been defeated very quickly. The help received was mainly overland, It was
formed by 400 tanks, boats, 700 planes and artillery. The USSR also sent
professional marines, pilots and gunners, which were very useful but almost 200
of them died in the battlefield. The support given costed the Sovietic Union
hundred of millions of dollars.
There
was another tipe of help called the International Brigades. They were not from
one country in concrete, they came from countries from all over the world, from
South America, England, etc… They were all voluntaries against the fascism and
it was not obligatory to go if you didn´t wanted. It was formed by 35.000
brigade members of which 20.000 died in the battle and France sent almost all
the troops (around 9000).
Some
countries like Mexico and much others also helped by in a more moral way,
without getting completely in the war. Mexico supported by giving weapons, ammo
(around 28 million bullets), food and asylum for Republican intelectuals and
families who arrived at Veracruz port and whose lives were in danger in Spain.
Argentina also helped hundreds of Spanish families to tun away from their country
to France in two battleships.
Conclusion
We
can say that the foreign intervention was incredible. Although lots of
countries like Portugal, Nazi Germany, Italy, Russsia, England and France
created a comittee called the non-intervention comittee, which avoided this
countries to get into the Spanish civil war, they disobeyed what was agreeded.
Germany, Italy and Portugal helped the revels since the beggining and Russia
the republicans.
Cited
Works:
·
“La intervención extranjera en la guerra
civil: un ejercicio de crítica historiográfica” by Enrique Moradiellos.
(24-2-19)
