The Spanish
Civil War started on July 1936, when a group of rebel military officers lead by
Francisco Franco raised against the government of what was the second Spanish
Republic. The country had been in a complicated situation for a while, and it
became critical when certain groups within the society felt they were not
represented by the government. This situation, and the government incapability
to control their military forces and officers, helped the uprising, which led
to a violent civil war as the divided military forces and the citizens fought
for their supremacy. The conflict lasted until the year 1939, in which General
Franco became ruler of Spain. Throughout this process, many people were
murdered and executed, and human rights were many times left aside in the name
of an idea or belief. It is not possible to say which side was more brutal, but
it is clear that many human lives were lost in ways that could and should have
been avoided.[1]
The members of
the rebel group were known as Nationalists. The term ‘White Terror’ refers to
acts of politically motivated violence perpetrated by the members of this
group. They included the execution of members of the opposition without any
kind of trial; the execution of schoolteachers for supporting the Republican laicism
in schools (Nationalism was also supported by the Spanish members of the Roman
Catholic Church); massacres of civilians; persecution of Protestants and Basques.
It is estimated that the White Terror’s actions resulted in the deaths of
200,000 people.
The members of
the government and opposition to the Nationalists were known as Republicans
(because they supported the Republic). ‘Red Terror’ is the name given to politically
motivated acts of violence perpetrated by members or followers of this group.
It is hard to know exactly how much damage the Red Terror really produced, as
they were the losing group. Still, some things are clear: they were responsible
for the killing of many members of the Catholic Church, as they were openly
anticlerical; many civilians were executed. It is said that they killed about
38,000 people.
What is much
worse, this ordeal continued after the civil war was over and the forces of
General Franco took control of the country. Members of the opposition were
still murdered and executed without trial, and many personalities had to be
exiled in order to survive.
The belief each
opposing group held, that their point of view and their position was the best
for Spain, led them to fight viciously and with no considerations for the lives
of those who felt different. This led to a brutal fight in which thousands of
lives were lost, most of them only for having a different point of view. No
matter which position was better, neither of them justifies the actions with
which they were defended. No belief should be more important than a human life.
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