The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain between the Republicans and Nationalists over who would rule the country. It began when a group of generals revolted against the government on July 17, 1936, and attempted to overthrow it. The coup failed, but civil war broke out shortly afterward as both sides tried to gain control of Spain.
In early 1937, General Francisco Franco took control of the Nationalists and united their forces under him as their leader. He then traveled across Spain building up support for his cause and recruiting soldiers from other countries such as Germany, Italy and Portugal (all of whom had fascist governments at this time).
The Republicans’ army was made up mainly of workers who were not well trained or equipped for battle. They were also divided among themselves into different political groups who often disagreed with each other about how best to fight Franco’s army.
Franco’s forces were better trained and had better equipment than those of his opponents, allowing them to win almost every battle they fought during the war until 1939 when they finally took control of Madrid after months of fighting there.
