In July of 1936, Spanish nationalist troops uprose against the established Republican government. Francisco Franco, a general in the army, took the lead role in what became known as the Spanish Civil War. Franco, in 1937, statedOur war is not a civil war. . . but a crusade. . . we are not fighting against men but against atheism and materialism.1939, Francisco Franco’s troops controlled most of Spain, and he established a military dictatorship until his death in 1975.