Spanish Civil War

1. Spanish Civil War NIC - Notes

2. Reasons Why Countries Supported NIC • League powerless – Civil War – need to take action to limit war • Britain and France – domestic problems – supported neutrality • Britain – wanted to be on good terms with winners – Gibraltar • Fear of supporting Republic – would annoy Italy

3. Reasons Why Countries Supported NIC • Fear of supporting Franco’s Nationalists – support for fascism unpopular • Soviet Union, Germany, Italy intervened – wanted to restrict rivals – could cheat! • Stalin wanted an anti fascist alliance with Britain and France • Britain and France wanted to avoid a general European war

4. NIC - Action • Britain/France proposed a ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ – big three interventionist powers to agree to stop intervention – rejected • Observers – monitored supply routes e.g. French border, Portuguese border, sea ports, airports • Sea patrols – exclusion zone

5. NIC - Action • Refugee ships escorted to safety • Nyon Conference 1937 – aimed to reduce Italian cheating – Britain and France took a tough line - restrictions on Italian naval activity in the Mediterranean

6. NIC - Effectiveness • Supplies of soldiers and weapons reached both sides • Portugal – open border – supplies to Nationalist side • No control over air traffic – difficult to patrol – Guernica! • Naval restrictions did not apply to non European ships

7. NIC - Effectiveness • No control over Spanish ships • Fear of Great Power clashes over Spain restricted effectiveness of NIC • British/French military power limited – afraid of strength of Italian and German navies and German airpower