The Republican leaders decided then to reform Spain to make it more in line with the ideal in a democracy. Never before did Spain have human rights and a republic as rule of law before.

Los lideres republicanos decidieron entonces a reformar a España para hacerlo mas en línea con el ideal en una democracia. Nunca antes tenia España derechos humanos e una republica como la ley antes.

(Picture credit: this is the republican flag)

The constitution they adopted was in line with these principles but made many conservatives and far left people mad for the inherent nature of religious noninvolvement,the quickness of the reforms,not having the reforms go quick enough,and the influence of extreme political reasoning led it to its doom.

La constitución que adoptaron fue en línea con esos principios pero hicieron muchos conservadores e gente de extrema izquierda enojadas por su plazo seglar,la rapidez de las reformas,no tiendo las reformas ir suficientemente rápidos, y la influencia de razonamientos políticos extremistas hizo a la republica caer.

However what made the republic fall quicker were non-state actors (organizations that influence political affairs in various countries or even use paramilitaries to influence matters. For example, a group of fascists,conservatives,and monarchist formed the falange party. It was a Conservative party opposed to the reforms and the republic that did it.

The second group which encompassed the rest: republicans,anarchists,socialists,communists,and etc were formed into an alliance called Popular Front.

However, despite the alliance many hard core anarchists and communists refused to join in the election. As thus in the eyes of many the second republic lost their control and respect. Because the one thing a country shouldn’t do is lose respect or allow rebel parties to overthrow the government in a violent way

So now the stage was set when after many assassinations; when a rebellion against the Spanish republic by the military headed by Franscisco Franco “on July 17, 1936, in garrison towns throughout Spain. By July 21 the rebels had achieved control in Spanish Morocco, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands (except Minorca) and in the part of Spain north of the Guadarrama mountains and the Ebro River, except for Asturias, Santander, and the Basqueprovinces along the north coast and the region of Catalonia in the northeast. “ (britannica-Spanish civil war)

However the other half of the army refused to support the rebellion and the rest of Spain remained under government control. Then WAR!

Then when the war began there were 4 major sides:

Republicans: those in the Republics’ government and supporters.

Nationalists: Those who supported Franco’s rebellion against the Spanish republic. In general it included mostly those in Falange or any other conservative and/or fascist party. (They had no commonly accepted symbol till later in the war; so I included the flag they used when the nationalists marched on Madrid)

The International brigades and other communist militias:

They fought against the nationalist uprising but encompassed all from republicans to communists. In general, many of them disliked the republic and wanted Spain to become a communist country.

The Anarchists:

They only fought franco because they disliked them built in general they disliked any kind of government and wanted to wreck them all. Their flag was red and black:

Both sides wanted other countries to help them. (In the case of them both, to treat the other side as unworthy of support)

Nationalists got support from Nazi germany and Fascist Italy.

Republicans and other factions got support from the Soviet Union and Mexico.

The other countries nearby tried to remain neutral or give extremely limited help.

And both tried to recruit volunteers for their side.

So many volunteers came (especially to the international brigades which were directly sponsored by the soviets) that the USA published neutrality acts banning volunteers or aid to countries that are in a war the USA isn’t involved in. And it is still the law.

So now the war would turn into one of the first in a kind of war common today:

A proxy war. When different countries or organizations give support or get involved in another countries’ war but however don’t each other themselves.

Because Germany and Soviet Union didn’t fight each other yet but since they wanted to cause mayhem,gain power,and expand their influence they gave money and troops to other groups to fight for them.

And so the Spanish Civil War began:

Lo que tengo aquí es una mapa de los partes de España que fueron controlados por ambos partidos en la guerra. Gracias al los sitios mostrado en el foto.

Why I have here is a map of the parts of Spain controlled by both parties. Thanks to the webpages shown in the screenshot.

Lo que tengo aquí son mapas de las partes de España que fueron controlado por ambos bandos. Gracias al este sitio mostrado en el foto

Pero mostrar mapas de la pelea simplemente no hace justicia a la gente damnificada en tales desgracias. Porque cada movimiento por ambos ejecitos por los 4 grupos trajo sufrimiento pero los nacionalistas lo hicieron como para asustar a los pueblos a rendirse.

But to show maps doesn't merely do justice to the poor people caught in these wars. Because every movement by both armies in the 4 groups brought suffering; however the nationalists did it to scare people to submit to them.

The war was in many was a preview to WWII since the communist and fascist countries used the war as a chance to show off to the world and discredit any of Europe's other countries. So a civil war quickly turned into a symbol of two different ideologies fighting each other. However, the war also reflected a mix of WWI and WWII because of the ways each side fought.

Like in some ways the would use trenches like in WWI but they also blitzed like in WWII. In some ways planes were used as spy equipment like in WWI but planes were being used as machines of fear like in WWII.

Major planes used at the time were the soviet Polikarpov 1-16 used by the Spanish Republic and the Nazi Messerschmitt bf109 by the Nationalists.

And the use of such planes merited attention when Gernika was bombed by the Nazi Condor legion of fighter pilots even though it was illegal to do so! And it wasn't a major target anyways but a way to scare people. And the republicans scared people by their reluctant use of communists to fight for them with their abuses!

But after the battle of Ebro,the republic lost and lost till Franco marched on Madrid in August of 1939. A few months later; WWII would come.