The Spanish
Civil War started in 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 Spanish 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. It is not possible to say
which side was more brutal, but throughout this process, many human lives were
lost; people were murdered and executed, and human rights were left aside for
the sake of an idea.[1]
The term ‘White
Terror’ refers to acts of politically motivated violence perpetrated by the
Nationalists, which was the name given to the rebels. 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.
‘Red Terror’ is
the name given to politically motivated acts of violence perpetrated by members
or followers of the government, also known as Republicans (because they
supported the Republic). 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 people had to be exiled in
order to survive. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people died only in
the first years of the regime, as a result of repression, famine and
war-related illnesses. Also, women’s rights were left aside. They were not
allowed to hold jobs if they were married, and those involved in political
actions or related to members of the opposition were publicly tortured and even
executed.
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 held a different opinion or even those without a clear political
position. This led to a brutal fight in which thousands of lives were lost,
most of them only for having a different political allegiance. The numbers
reach hundreds of thousands of victims, many civilians with no possibility of
defending themselves. Human rights were violated in every possible way.
[1] Thesis statement. Expository.
Outline:
Introduction
·
Thesis
Statement: “It is not possible to say which side was more brutal, but throughout
this process, many human lives were lost; people were murdered and executed,
and human rights were left aside for the sake of an idea.”
Suplementary material:
·
The
“White Terror’s” victims
·
The
“Red Terror’s” victims
·
Victims
during the dictatorship
Conclusion:
·
The
conflict caused the loss of all Spanish citizens’ human rights and the deaths
of many innocent victims.
Paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: Introduction.
Paragraph 2: Listing paragraph. Structure: Topic
Sentence + Supporting information + Conclusion sentence.
Paragraph 3: Listing paragraph. Structure: Topic
Sentence + Supporting information + Conclusion sentence.
Paragraph 4: Listing paragraph. Structure: Topic
Sentence + Supporting information + Conclusion sentence.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion.
Bibliography:
Puche
Maciá, Ramón (2008). La Guerra Civil
Española. Retrieved from: http://www.guerracivil1936.galeon.com/
Dictadura
de Francisco Franco. Retrieved from: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictadura_de_Francisco_Franco
