The Main Causes of the Spanish Civil War

1. The Main Causes of the Spanish Civil War Vanessa, Seraphina

2. Main Categories • Social • Economic • Political

3. Social Causes Social Issues: Of or relating to society or its organisation. Also relating to rank and status in society. Impacting Negatively On: • Peasants • Workers Blamed on: • The Government • The Upper Class/ Bourgeious. • The Church • The Army

4. Social Causes - The Church The Church was rich and powerful and closely tied to the aristocracy. • The Church favoured the rights and status of the upper classes. This caused much resentment among people in the poorer areas. • Church had been using its influence to tell people which way to vote as well as having a monopoly in the education system. This created hatred in the politically left parties and also amongst the Spanish people.

5. Social Causes - The Army The Army was disliked by the people since it had a reputation of brutality and taxes. • The people certainly didn’t like the fact that the army was getting involved in political issues.

6. Social Causes - The Upper Class Primo De Rivera did not allow Catalonia to self govern. After the King was overthrown, the Anarchists became popular since they advocated land redistribution. • unequal treatment of citizens will cause them to rise in revolt and attempt to assert their authority over the entire nation or to support a more modernising and more communist political view.

7. Economic Causes-Seraphina Economic: Of or relating to the practical necessities of life; material goods. Of most concern to: • Peasants; • Workers; Blamed on/Stems froms: • Government; • The Upper Class/ Bourgeious.

8. Economic Causes-Seraphina • Depended on Spanish Empire’s resources, thus had no developed home industry. • Extreme poverty when empire fell. • Poor Infrastructure attempted to solve by International loans. Led to dependence. • Heavily Affected by the Great Depression, loans were recalled. • Mass unemployment; • Industrial production halved.

9. Economic Causes-Seraphina • “Latifundia” • Linked to social ills, widened inequality. • Maintained an uneconomic, inefficient and feudal type of land ownership. • Martin Blinkhorn--"a staggeringly unjust society" • Laborers were exploited with minimal wages and poor conditions, • Bred support for Anarchists.

10. Political Causes-Joint Political: Of or relating to the government or the public affairs of a country. Of most concern to: • Everybody! :) Blamed on/ Stems from: • Government Policy • Churches and Wealthy Businesses Opposing Change • Military Strenght

11. Political Causes Spain has a history of Military Intervention in Politics. True democracy never existed, and when it did, it was a failure. • Military believed it was their right to determine the government “for the good of the country” • When Riviera lost control of the army during the Great Depression, his government fell. • Difficult to put in any policies to rectify this. • Azana attempted to reduce military influence during his rule in the Left Republic, but few people took him up on the offer.

12. Political Causes Elections divided almost evenly, thus a government did not have the chance to implement effective policies. • The reforms by the Left Republic were reversed by the Right, causing controversy no matter what. • The people did not abide by the rules of democracy, being very unsatisfied no matter what due to the split between Republican and Nationalist. • Military did not respect the Republic’s decisions.

13. Political Causes Inability to facilitate smooth transition • Military’s involvement means there is no natural progression. • Preventative brutality also compromises democracy of the elections.

14. Political Causes Corrupt “Rotation” System • For a long time there was no proper election system; a false democracy was used. • Entrenchment of this reinforces the ‘superiority of Bourgeious” • People want a representative govt. and this is because of the history.