On this day in 1936, Spanish armed forces rebelled against the recently elected government, beginning the Spanish Civil War. Planned chiefly by Generals Emilio Mola and José Sanjurjo and joined by Francisco Franco, it was intended to overthrow the Popular Front government and replace it with an authoritarian regime. Instead of securing a rapid transfer of power, the coup only partially succeeded and precipitated the Spanish Civil War.
The rebellion began in Spanish Morocco on 17 July and spread to mainland garrisons the following day. It triumphed in parts of northern, western, and southern Spain, but failed in key political and industrial centers including Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. The failed coup transformed a political crisis into the Spanish Civil War, which lasted until 1939. It ended with the defeat of the Republic, the victory of Franco’s Nationalists, and the establishment of the Franco dictatorship, which ruled Spain until 1975.
Republican soldiers and Assault Guards during the July 1936 uprising in Barcelona, in the Telefónica building
Effective sign…
It’s HOT out there… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs8ZNa73OS4
