1936 Beginning of the Spanish Civil War

80 years ago, on July 17, 1936, the Spanish Civil War began. On this day, parts of the Spanish army in Morocco rebelled. The next day, the rebellion of the military spread to the Iberian Peninsula. It was caused by dissatisfaction with the policies of the Popular Front government, in particular, the too radical nature of the agrarian reform, the separation of the Catholic Church from the state, the reduction in the number of officer corps, as well as the growth of right and left terrorism in the country.

Although 80% of the army was on the side of the rebels, they failed to capture Madrid and other major cities. The republican government, on the side of which the fleet and air force remained, was overthrown only as a result of a three-year civil war, in which it was supported by the USSR, and the rebels were supported by Germany and Italy.