Civil War & Franco Dictatorship (1936–1975)

The 19th century brought Spain Napoleonic occupation (1808–1814), the loss of almost all colonies (the last — Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines — were lost in 1898), Carlist wars, military coups, and a brief First Republic. The country oscillated between monarchy, republic, and chaos.

The Second Republic (1931–1936)

In 1931, King Alfonso XIII was sent into exile and the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. The Republic attempted radical reforms: land reform, separation of church and state, autonomy for Catalonia and the Basque Country, women's suffrage. But society was deeply divided — landowners, the church, and the military stood against workers, socialists, and anarchists.

The Civil War (1936–1939)

On July 17, 1936, nationalist generals under Francisco Franco staged a coup against the elected government. What followed were three years of civil war — a prelude to World War II, where the fronts of European ideologies clashed.

The Nationalists (military, church, landowners, Falange) were supported by Hitler and Mussolini. The German Condor Legion bombed the Basque city of Guernica on April 26, 1937 — the first systematic aerial bombardment in history. Picasso immortalized the horror in his most famous painting.

The Republicans (socialists, communists, anarchists, Basque and Catalan nationalists) received help from the Soviet Union and the International Brigades — 35,000 volunteers from 50 countries, including writers like Hemingway and Orwell. But the Western powers practiced "non-intervention."

The war cost about 500,000 lives. Another 500,000 fled into exile, mainly to France and Mexico.

The Franco Dictatorship (1939–1975)

Franco ruled Spain for 36 years as an authoritarian dictator. The post-war period was marked by repression, poverty, and international isolation. Regional languages (Catalan, Basque, Galician) were banned, political opponents persecuted, forced laborers were used to build a gigantic monument in the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen).

From the 1960s, Spain opened up economically: mass tourism began on the Costa Brava and the Costa del Sol, industry grew, and a new middle class emerged. Millions of Spaniards emigrated as guest workers to Germany, France, and Switzerland — an experience that shapes the understanding of today's migration.

Franco died on November 20, 1975. His grave was relocated in 2019 from the Valle de los Caídos to an inconspicuous family grave — a symbolic act of democratic reconciliation.