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Long Term Causes of The Spanish Civil War - Coggle Diagram
Long Term Causes of The Spanish Civil War
Socio Political Tensions
The Catholic Church was wealthy and powerful in Spain. Its power led to disputes between the church and state throughout the 19th century.
The Church used its wealth and position to gain political and social influence. The church promoted social, political and economic conservatism and it was opposed to liberal modernizing forces.
The aristocracy and upper classes had close ties to the church's funding. In many urban areas there were protests against the church
The church was resented for its association with the aristocracy and wealthy elites. Some educated middle class were anti-clerical promoted liberalism and wanted to limit the church's power, over education specifically.
Regionalism
The centralist state opposed the demands for autonomy from Catalonia and Basque regions
They wanted decentralization and independence.
Due to the independent regions having separate languages and cultures which in turn meant that they had industrialized their economies.
There were economic strains between the regions an the central government. Most of Spain's key industries were concentrated in the Catalonia and Basque regions. political protests and strikes were met with brutal state suppression.
Political Divisions
In the late 19th century the Partido Socialists Obero Espanol (PSOE, Spanish Socialist Party) developed in urban areas in the state in the late 19th century but had limited impact.
The more moderate socialists were led by Indalecio Prieto and the more radical group was led by Largo Caballero.
The anarchists were popular in the countryside. Anarchists trade union was active in organizing strikes and protests.
The FAI (Spanish Anarchist Federation) carried out bombings and assassinations; this called for a revolution.
Economic Problems
It was highly inefficient, agricultural labor, and most of the work was 'seasonal'. The elite group, Grandees, dominated the political system.
The stark divisions between the rich and poor in the countryside led to frequent rioting and disturbances. The rural poor turned from church organizations and radical political groups such as the anarchists demanded redistribution of land.
Spain needed economic modernization. the environment in the industrialized led to the growth of trade unionism. the unions were divided between anarchist and socialist groups.
Between 1914-18 there was a period of economic boom as exports increased. There were also some shortages and inflation that led to working-class living standards declining more. In the early 1920s there were major economic problems.
Political Issues
From 1871, Spain had been a constitutional monarchy; king was the head of the state and he appointed himself a PM.
Real power remained in the hands of the wealthy oligarchs, political control merely shifted between different powerful cliques.
There were two main parties, Conservatives and Liberals, elections were usually rigged or decided by corruption.
The army retained a powerful position due to its role in Spain's imperial past. The army saw itself as the protector of the nation; they felt as though they had the right to intervene in politics if a crisis developed.
The army was unpopular with the Spanish people, it had t be paid for with heavy taxation and it was in desperate need or reform. The upper and middle classes defended the scale of the military. Army leaders were Conservative, but there were elements; the credibility of the army had been undermined when it lost the war in America in 1898 and struggled to keep control of Morocco between 1906 and 1926.