Spanish Civil War

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 30 January 1939, Page 5

Spanish Civil War

Notes on the News

With the fall of Barcelona it. would appear that General Franco is well on the way to a rebel victory in the Spanish Civil War. The civil war began in July, 3936, as a defensive struggle of the constitionally elected Government of Spain against a revolutionary plot. The spark which set the present blaze alight was the murder of Senor Calvo Sotelo on July 13, 1936. He was the outstanding political figure of the Spanish right. His death followed the assassination of a lieutenant of the Government police by Fascist snipers. On the night of July 18 re-

iJOILS euxue 1111 U iUUUI revolt was spreading to province after province. Soon the two extremes were at each other’s throats. “The Republicans are fighting for ideals of liberty long since secure in j other lands, the Fascists for traditions | venerated for centuries,” wrote “The , Times” special correspondent from Madrid. Spain And The Powers Victory for General Franco in Spain may have important consequences for ' the British Empire and France. i It is generally conceded that Gene- ; ral Franco could not possibly have reached to the stage he has without the help of men, armaments, munitions and aeroplanes supplied from Germany and Italy, and the lack of equal \, assistance to the Spanish Government i ( on the part of Great Britain and j France, who have pursued a oolicv of non-intervention. Last year Italy declared that she I had no territorial and no political aims, and did not seek any privileged economic position in Spain. This statement, however, has never been taken seriously, for the reason that nobody believes that Italy and Germany have rendered General Franco the assistance they have without requiring something of value in return. Germany, it is held, will be satisfied with economic advantages—trading facilities and the iron ores for which Spain is famous. To Italy, Spain is of considerable strategic importance. A Spain, too, untrammelled by foreign influences is vital to France and Great Britain. Spain is a territory flanking one of the main lines of communication between Great Britain and the East. That is the reason why the freedom and security of the Mediterranean are of vital interest to the British Commonwealth. Spain and Spanish Morocco lie icross the western entrance to the Mediterranean, so that a foreign Power in control of these territories would control one of the most important gateways in the world (as important to Britain as anyone else). Such a foreign Power would also be able to threaten communication between Great Britain and Africa in

If Spain is in the hands of a hostile j Power, the problem of Britain’s food ' supply and of Britain’s defences would i be profoundly affected. It is of the | utmost importance to the whole of the , British Commonwealth that Spain and ' her overseas possessions (specially j Morocco) remain in control of the I Spaniards.

| How Will Franco Govern? | If General Franco and his rebel ■ ! forces win what will be his form of j government? At the start of Franco’s rebellion there were in Spain the Falangista Espanola, a Spanish Fascist organization, founded by Jose Primo de Rivera, and the Requetes, or Carlists. Franco merged these groups into a single organization called the Falanga Fspanola Tradicionalista de los Jona, an organization essentially Fascist iu its outlook and aims, and closely re- , sembling its precursors iu Italy and Germany. ‘The Falanga is a movement, not a party.” said a prominent supporter of General Franco. “It is not a State but an inspiration and the nervous system of the State, and guardian of the national revolution. In Germany the party is above the State; in Italy it is j subordinate to the State, but in Spain it is neither. The State is static, but the movement is dynamic and keeps up tension just as the Nazis and Fascists do. It has much the same ends, too, since it represents a permanent revolution. j “The Falanga has not so much a : programme as a point of view. It Is J syndicalist, not socialist. ... It has | members from all classes —peasants.

workers and middle class—and includes many former Socialists and Communists. . . . “The State we purpose to establish will govern national economy through syndicates. When employer and worker come into conflict, the State will intervene and have the last word.” Franco has said that the new Spain will demand a pre-eminent place in Europe, refusing to tolerate international isolation and foreign interference. He pledges that Spain will again become a great maritime Power.