ABSTRACT
The ferocity with which the Spanish Civil War was fought astounded a Europe still recovering from the shock of the First World War and in which the victors of 1918, Italy excluded, were anxious to preserve the peace that followed. The war in Spain, which lasted for thirtythree months, resulted in half a million deaths and constituted, for a time, the focal point of European politics. Spain suddenly abandoned the periphery to which a slow decline had condemned it, becoming the centre of attention for world powers which moved with care in order to achieve their goals without provoking a major confrontation. Victory in the Civil War would also provide the sustaining myths for the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, which lasted until the Caudillo’s death in 1975. As the scale of losses indicates, the commitment of both sides to the fighting was great and sustained. Any examination of the Civil War must begin with the origins of the conflict, which, as this commitment to the fighting suggests, are to be found in diverse spheres: social, economic, cultural and political.
