The Spanish Civil War was a dose of reality for Spain.

The people wanted change, in

their economy, better jobs, better living conditions, but none were granted. The
workers and land owners grew increasingly impatient with the government. Those
mounting frustrations lead them to make one crucial decision, we must go to war to
get the change we so desire.
Above is a summary of the Spanish Civil War.
Spain's way of being became split in half, the laborers/land owners vs. the Republic.
Parts of the military banded together with those in the revolt to fight for what they
believe is right and have their voices finally heard.
On July 18, 1936, the Spanish Civil War begins with a revolt by the right-wing (the
Nationalist). The people of the left-wing ( the Republic) didn't agree with the rightwing of the government and their plans for economic reformation.
The picture above depicts the first of many riots and strikes lead by women. The
ingenuity of the women in this war was a catalyst as to why this war was so
memorable.
Military revolt against the Republic government of Spain, was devastating to their
agenda of keeping the goods and riches for themselves. This self absorption lead to
parts of the military siding the Nationalist. The military, their fire power and fighting
no how were few of the factors as to why the rebels won. With General Francisco
Franco as there leader they follow with no hesitation.
The war was supported by the workers and people of Spain that wanted to make a
drastic change in how their lives were lived. The workers demands were as follows:
shorter work hours, higher wages and better living conditions.The people
undoubtedly sought a shift of how things had been for them. The Republic
repeatedly made meaningless and empty promises to the people. Their restlessness
increased with every unfulfilled promise. The people of Spain saw this as an
opportunity to put plans for a revolt into action.
Area under Nationalist control
Area under Republic control
There were approximately 36 battles during this war, of which 10 were major bloody
battles
The major events that had an effect on Spain were:
Battle of Ebro, Bombing of Durango, Bombing of Cabra, Battle of Brunete, Battle of
Talavera de la Reina, Bombing of Barcelona and Battle of Jarama.

Many of the Spaniards who perished were from the Republic. They didn't posses the
skills needed to fight and win a war successfully. The Nationalist loss of life were
minimal compared to the numbers of the Republic.

The Nationalist raided the homes of members of the Republic and forced them out
to live on the street. Sometimes their lives were spared, often times they were
slaughtered in the streets.
With each battle and bombing, Spaniards were pushed closer and closer to a world
they no longer recognized. The wide spread devastation of Spain was something not
realized until almost of the end of the war. They thought that after all of the chaos
and destruction their lives would go back to normal and the living conditions would
be better. This was not the case.
The Spanish Civil War created severe poverty and homelessness. People were
without the basic necessities of life. Many died as a result. These were not the end
results the Nationalist hoped for. They were supposed to be prosperous and have
comfortable lives. With any war, comfort and prosperity are never a part of the
equation.
This video has snap shots, of how things were during this time period.
The Most important battles were: The Battle of Guadalajara, The Battle of the Ebro
and The Battle of Madrid.
The Battle of Guadalajara
The Battle of Guadalajara is very interesting because it was sparked by the Italian
forces, who aided the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. Italys then fascist
leader, Benito Mussolini, proposed that Italians take the offensive toward
Guadalajara, which is located on the north-east side of Spain's capitol Madrid. They
began their march on March 8th 1937, with about 50,000 Italian men leading the
charge.
The Battle of the Ebro

The Battle of the Ebro was a planned, surprise attack on the Nationalists by the
Republicans, and is thought to be their last attempt to attack. On July 24th 1938,
the Republicans waited until midnight to cross the Ebro River. The surprise factor
was a huge success and they had the Nationalists surrounded. But Franco was quick
to respond and sent in units from all over to defend their lines. By August, the
Nationalist had cut off the Republican supply line. Which led the Republicans to
surrender.

In July 1936 was the beginning of the Nationalists first attempt to take over the
Spanish capital of Madrid. They had forces to the north and south, and it looked as if
they were going to take it over no problem. But Francos decision to relieve efforts
outside the city before attacking, gave the Republicans time to prepare for the
attack. After receiving the Nationalists plan of attack off a dead officer, the
Republicans knew where they were going to attack with the most force. Madrid
wouldn't be taken over by the Nationalists until it was surrendered at the end of the
war.
Mi corazn se est rompiendo
(my heart is breaking)
The gap between the rich and the poor was even greater post war. Churches, who
helped the those in need, didn't know which group of people to help first.
Workers/laborers faced even lower wages, had to work longer hours to repair the
damage done., unregulated working conditions and poor housing.

The Republic government never thought that the country would be ran by everyday
folk. To their surprise the Spanish Civil War was won by the Nationalist (common
folk) which caused the Spanish government to be turned upside down.
100,000 Republicans were killed. 70, 000 Nationalists were killed. Hundreds more
lives continued to be lost well after the war had ended. Franco launched terror
attacks against the people that supported Republic (an estimated death toll of
200,000 Spaniards).Thousands of Republic supporters were held in concentration
camps and prisons. Republic children were taken from parents to be re-educated by
the Nationalist. Divisions and hatred remained in Spanish society for decades.

Many women and children had no idea what do. Their world has been shaken upside
down and didn't know where to go. People got sick easier and they would died a lot
fast because of the lands were destroyed and doctors couldn't reach their patients.
Art work was important to the fighters during the Spanish Civil War.The people
didn't just create beautiful art, their work inspired the people to stand up and fight
for their rights.
These photos were for the women encouraging them to come join the fight.
Picasso's purpose for his work throughout the war was to bring attention of the
atrocities occurring in Spain and demand the current government generate a new

society. He wanted people to view his work and feel the emotions of the war through
his depictions.
This is one of Picasso's works from the war.