Foreign Intervention in the Spanish Civil War | Which Side Received More Help?
Summary
TLDRThe Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a complex conflict with international implications, serving as a precursor to World War II. The video script explores the significant military support received by both the Nationalist and Republican sides, detailing the involvement of Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. It highlights the strategic interests of these powers, the role of the International Brigades, and the scale of military aid, including troops, planes, and tanks, ultimately shaping the course of the war and foreshadowing the global conflict that followed.
Takeaways
- 😐 The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a precursor to World War II, with significant international involvement.
- 🏰 European powers had conflicting interests: France and Britain aimed to maintain the Treaty of Versailles, while Germany and Italy sought to regain power, and the Soviet Union had its own strategic concerns.
- 🤝 France and Britain initially attempted to isolate the conflict and prevent foreign intervention, but this was undermined by support from Germany, Italy, and Portugal for the military rebels, and Soviet Union and International Brigades for the Republicans.
- ✈️ Germany and Italy provided crucial military support to Franco's Nationalist forces, including 90 planes to transport 13,000 well-trained troops from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula.
- 🇫🇷 France reluctantly sold 26 planes to the Republican government at a high price, without weapons, ammunition, or support personnel.
- 🤔 The German Condor Legion and Italian forces played significant roles in supporting Franco, with around 19,000 German troops and 72,000 Italians participating in the conflict.
- 🌍 The Soviet Union was the primary supporter of the Republican government, providing a substantial amount of military equipment and approximately 2,000 personnel as technicians, pilots, advisors, and agents.
- 💪 International Brigades, composed of 40,000 volunteers from various countries, fought for the Republicans, with around 10,000 losing their lives in the process.
- 🇲🇽 Mexico provided minor aid to the Republicans, including 20,000 rifles and refuge for 25,000 Spanish Republicans after their defeat.
- 🤝 France and Poland also sold military material to the Republicans, albeit at inflated prices and with some obsolete equipment.
- 🔢 The scale of military aid varied, with the Nationalist side receiving slightly more than double the troops supported by the Republicans, and both sides receiving a similar number of planes, though the effectiveness differed.
Q & A
What was the time frame of the Spanish Civil War?
-The Spanish Civil War took place from July 1936 to April 1939.
Why was the Spanish Civil War considered the first armed confrontation of World War II?
-The Spanish Civil War was considered the first armed confrontation of World War II because it involved direct or indirect participation of many European countries, setting the stage for the larger conflict that followed.
What were the main interests of France and Great Britain during the Spanish Civil War?
-France and Great Britain were interested in maintaining the Treaty of Versailles and their European and colonial hegemony.
What was the stance of Germany and Italy during the Spanish Civil War?
-Germany and Italy were dissatisfied with the status quo and wanted to become powerful countries again, supporting the military rebels in Spain.
What was the role of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War?
-The International Brigades were foreign volunteers who came to Spain to fight on the Republican side, with figures ranging between 60,000 and 35,000 troops.
How did the French government initially respond to the Spanish Republic's request for weapons and aircraft?
-The French President, Léon Blum, initially accepted the request but had to cancel the shipment due to protests from right-wing parties in France.
What was the significance of the aid provided by Germany and Italy to the Nationalist side in terms of transportation?
-Germany and Italy provided around 90 planes to transport approximately 13,000 well-trained and armed troops from the Spanish Army in Africa to the Iberian Peninsula, which was crucial for the Nationalist side.
What was the main objective of Germany's intervention in Spain according to Hermann Goring?
-Hermann Goring stated that the main objectives of Germany's intervention in Spain were to counteract the spread of communism and to test their new aviation capabilities.
How many Italian soldiers and volunteers were sent to Spain to support the Nationalist side?
-It is estimated that around 72,000 Italian soldiers and volunteers were sent to Spain to support the Nationalist side.
What was the Soviet Union's contribution to the Spanish Republic in terms of military aid?
-The Soviet Union provided the Spanish Republic with between 1,000 and 700 planes, about 400 or 500 tanks, 1,600 artillery pieces, 15,000 machine guns, half a million rifles, and additional material and ammunition, along with 2,000 troops as technicians, pilots, advisors, and agents.
What was the estimated number of volunteers from the International Brigades who died in Spain?
-It is estimated that around 10,000 volunteers from the International Brigades died in Spain.
Outlines
🇪🇸 Spanish Civil War: International Involvement and Interests
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a complex conflict that not only divided Spaniards but also involved European powers, marking the prelude to World War II. This paragraph outlines the geopolitical interests of Germany, Italy, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain in the war. It discusses the initial attempts by France and Britain to isolate the conflict through a non-intervention agreement, which was undermined by the support of Germany, Italy, and Portugal for the Nationalist rebels, and the Soviet Union's support for the Republican side. The International Brigades, composed of foreign volunteers, also played a significant role, with their numbers ranging between 60,000 and 35,000 troops, including French, Belgians, Poles, and Americans. The paragraph sets the stage for a detailed examination of the military and political support each side received.
🛫 Military Aid and the Strategic Role of Foreign Powers
This section delves into the specifics of military aid provided to both the Nationalist and Republican factions during the Spanish Civil War. It highlights the crucial support given to the Nationalists by Germany and Italy, particularly in transporting troops from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula and supplying them with advanced military equipment. The paragraph also discusses the challenges faced by the Republicans in securing aid, with France ultimately selling them a limited number of planes under restrictive conditions. The narrative emphasizes the disparity in the effectiveness of the aid received, with the Nationalists benefiting from direct support and the Republicans facing obstacles in the form of high costs and lack of technical support. The paragraph concludes with a brief mention of the significant military contributions from Portugal and sets the stage for an analysis of the aid received by the Republican side from the Soviet Union and other countries.
🛡️ Soviet Support and International Brigades: The Republican Aid
The final paragraph focuses on the substantial support provided to the Republican side by the Soviet Union, including a detailed account of the military equipment shipped to Spain, such as planes, tanks, artillery, machine guns, and rifles. It also discusses the significant contribution of the International Brigades, which included around 40,000 volunteers from various countries. The paragraph provides a comparative analysis of the military aid received by both sides, noting the numerical superiority of the Nationalist troops and the qualitative advantage of the Republican's military equipment. It also mentions the lesser-known support from countries like Mexico and Poland, which provided rifles, ammunition, and refuge for Spanish Republicans after the war. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the impact of this international aid on the course of the Spanish Civil War and a note on the enduring difficulty of discussing this period in Spanish history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Spanish Civil War
💡European Powers
💡Nationalist Side
💡Republican Side
💡International Brigades
💡Non-Intervention Agreement
💡Condor Legion
💡Italian Fascist Militia
💡Soviet Union Aid
💡Military Material
💡Casualties
Highlights
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was the first armed confrontation of World War II, involving direct and indirect participation from various European countries.
France and Great Britain aimed to maintain the Treaty of Versailles and their European and colonial hegemony, while Germany and Italy sought to regain power.
The Soviet Union had its own interests and was predicted to have future problems, influencing its involvement in the Spanish Civil War.
France and Great Britain initially tried to isolate the Spanish conflict to prevent foreign intervention, but this was unsuccessful as Germany, Italy, and Portugal supported the military rebels.
The Republican side was supported by the Soviet Union and International Brigades, which included foreign volunteers from various countries, including France, Belgium, Poland, and the United States.
Germany and Italy provided significant military aid to the Nationalist side, including the transportation of 13,000 well-trained troops from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula.
France initially canceled weapon shipments to the Republic due to domestic protests but later sold 26 planes at an exorbitant price without additional support.
Great Britain supported non-intervention to avoid a potential European conflict arising from the Spanish Civil War.
Hitler's interest in aiding Franco was to ensure a Spain not under the influence of France, England, or the Soviet Union, and to test new aviation technology.
The Italian Fascist regime aimed to secure an ally in Spain to facilitate its expansion plans in Africa and the Mediterranean.
Portugal sent about 10,000 volunteers and various supplies to support the Nationalist side.
The Soviet Union was the primary foreign supporter of the Republican government, providing a significant amount of military equipment and personnel.
International Brigades, consisting of approximately 40,000 volunteers, played a crucial role in supporting the Republican side.
Mexico provided minor aid to the Republic, including 20,000 rifles and ammunition, and offered refuge to 25,000 Spanish Republicans after the war.
France eventually sold about 250 planes to the Spanish Republic, though they were not as effective as the German and Italian aircraft.
Poland and Czechoslovakia also sold military material to the Republic, albeit at high prices and with some obsolete equipment.
The program concludes by discussing the relative effectiveness of the military aid received by both sides and the difficulty of analyzing the decisiveness of each aid in the context of the war.
Transcripts
from july 1936 to april 1939
a bloody civil war was waged in spain
pitting friends neighbors and sometimes
even members of the same family against
each other
however this was not a war only between
compatriots as many european countries
were directly or indirectly involved in
it making the spanish civil war the
first armed confrontation of world war
ii for some
in today's program we are going to see
precisely what was the real help that
each side received mainly from germany
the soviet union italy france and great
britain and what interests each one had
when the spanish civil war began europe
was experiencing a very delicate
diplomatic situation
on one side were france and great
britain who wanted to maintain the
treaty of versailles and their european
and colonial hegemony
on the other hand were germany and italy
who were dissatisfied and wanted to
become powerful countries again
and finally there was the soviet union
with which problems were also predicted
in the future
once the military coup fails and
everything indicates that spain will be
immersed in a harsh civil war for years
france and great britain try to isolate
the events that are taking place in
spain and a proven agreement so that no
foreign country intervenes in the
conflict
however this measure is not very
successful as both germany italy and
portugal quickly support the side of the
military rebels just as the republican
side is supported by the soviet union
and the members of the international
brigades who are beginning to arrive
making a small point and so that all
viewers have it clear the international
brigades were a series of foreign
volunteers who came to spain to fight on
the republican side
the figures of the volunteers who came
to fight in spain are between sixty
thousand and thirty five thousand troops
the most numerous were the french
belgians and poles and even americans
in addition and as a curiosity there
were also italians and germans who were
part of these brigades and fought on the
republican side
after making this clarification let's
continue with the program
in the first place the most significant
help that the rebellious or national
side had was that which italy and
germany gave them to transfer the army
of africa to the iberian peninsula
it is estimated that both countries sent
franco during the months of july and
august some 90 planes including fighters
bombers and transport planes which
served him to transport some 13 000
troops from the spanish army in africa
to the peninsula
these troops were very important as they
were very well trained and armed and had
experience in combat
for its part the government of the
republic requested france at the end of
july of the year of 1936 all kinds of
weapons and aircraft
although the french president being this
the socialist leon bloom accepted he had
to cancel the shipment due to the
protests that the french right-wing
parties organized in the country
great britain supported the decision of
non-intervention because they wanted to
avoid at all costs a possible european
conflict that could develop as a result
of the war in spain
everything changed when france found out
that italy and germany had sent aid to
spain
so finally france sold about 26 planes
to the government of the republic
although at a totally exorbitant price
and without weapons ammunition or pilots
or technicians who could take care of
them the germans and italians had indeed
sent qualified personnel for its use and
their method of payment was in
installments instead of cash as france
requested
making a small point here it should be
remembered that although these figures
may seem ridiculous if we compare them
with those of the second world war to
which we are accustomed the truth is
that in this situation they were very
relevant
although the figures vary greatly
depending on the sources consulted we
are going to expose some intermediate
numbers on the number of men and
material that each country sent to spain
these figures being the most accepted
today
first of all let's start with the help
that franco's side received which came
largely from germany italy and portugal
hitler's interest in helping franco was
that the new government that was formed
in spain after the civil war would not
be under the french english or soviet
sphere of influence
faced with the warlike future to which
europe was heading again it was better
to have a spain favorable to the third
reich than to have it as an enemy
years later during the nuremberg trials
hermann goring stated the following
regarding germany's intervention in
spain
the main objective i had was firstly to
counteract the spread of communism in
spain and secondly to test my new
aviation
the main german combat force in spain
was the famous condor legion which began
to arrive in spain at the end of 1936.
the unit was made up of about
500 men although between the different
relays a total of 19 000 troops were
added who arrived at fight in spain
it also had about 600 planes of all
kinds and 48 tanks most of them panzer
won with regard to italy he also had a
special interest in spain being an ally
of his or at least not being led by
france or great britain
the reason for this was the expansion
through africa and the mediterranean
that the italian leader wanted to carry
out
in total he calculates that between the
soldiers of the italian army and the
volunteers of the italian fascist
militia some 72 000 italians were sent
to spain to help the franco side
they also sent numerous planes that
carried out more than 700 attacks on
different targets and about 200 battle
tanks that were already quite obsolete
of the 72 000 italians who in different
periods fought in spain some fifteen
thousand lost their lives
finally portugal sent to spain about ten
thousand volunteers and supplies of all
kinds
after seeing the help that the rebel
side received let us now see the help
that the spanish republic received from
other countries as you all know the
soviet union was the foreign power that
helped the republican government the
most
in total it is estimated that since
october 15 1936 the soviets made some 23
trips by ship with weapons of war to
which must be added another 10 ships
with another nationality that also
brought more material to the republic
the exact data of what these ships that
arrived at the republican ports of the
mediterranean contained are very
different depending on the source
consulted but they were approximately
the following
between 1 000 and 700 planes
about 400 or 500 tanks type t26 and bt5
which were far above the germans
1 600 artillery pieces 15 000 machine
guns and half a million rifles
to this we have to add abundant material
and ammunition of all kinds and some 2
000 troops as technicians pilots
advisors and agents
this is the help that is estimated to
have arrived since other ships with
military material that were heading to
spain were sunk along the way
the other great help that the republican
government received was that of the
international brigades that we have
already explained at the beginning
in total it is estimated that some forty
thousand volunteers from many countries
came to fight on the republican side
this unit was finally dissolved at the
end of 1938 when republican president
juan negrin declared that all volunteers
should return to their country
with this he hoped that the germans and
italians would do the same with their
troops but they only managed to get
mussolini to withdraw a quarter of what
italy had in spain
it is estimated that a total of ten
thousand volunteers from the
international brigades died in spain
other minor aid received by the republic
was from mexico which sent some 20 000
rifles and numerous ammunition
likewise he helped some 25 000 spanish
republicans take refuge in mexico when
they lost the war
for its part france ended up selling
about 250 planes to the spanish republic
which due to their conditions were not
as effective as the germans and italians
poland was also able to sell some more
material to the republican government
although it was somewhat obsolete
material and like france poland sold it
at a much higher price than it really
was
the materials sold by countries like
poland or even czechoslovakia were
cannons rifles ammunition and the
occasional old-fashioned plane and tank
well as we see on the screen the number
of planes that both sides received was
more or less similar although due to the
reasons that we have explained in the
program german aviation was more
effective
with regard to tanks the republic had
quite an advantage over the frank hoist
side although the correct use of tanks
was still to be developed
finally and in terms of troops the aid
received by the rebel side was slightly
more than double that of the republican
side
well this is in general terms the help
received by the different spanish sides
during the civil war
which of these aids was more decisive in
relation to the forces that each side
had when the conflict began in july 1936
is something that i leave to the
analysis that each one wants to do
in any case i hope you like this program
and i invite you to watch the one we
uploaded a few months ago about some of
the most striking curiosities of this
conflict unfortunately this still feels
like a very difficult issue that even
today is difficult to deal with in spain
so i hope it doesn't get filled with
haters
we say goodbye here
many thanks to everyone especially the
sponsors who make this possible
subscribe and share this program if you
liked it and see you in the next one see
you soon
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