The Spanish Civil War was fought between the democratically elected left-leaning Republican government and a right-wing Nationalist rebellion.

The Nationalists were led by a coalition of conservative generals, most notably General Francisco Franco.

The war was a brutal conflict that deeply divided Spanish society.

It quickly became an international proxy war, attracting foreign intervention.

The Nationalists received significant military support, including troops and aircraft, from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

The Republicans received some aid from the Soviet Union and international volunteer brigades, like the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

The Western democracies, Britain and France, adopted a policy of non-intervention.

The war was notable for its atrocities, including the bombing of the town of Guernica by the German Condor Legion, immortalized in a painting by Picasso.

The Nationalists, with their superior foreign support and military organization, ultimately won the war.

The victory led to the establishment of a long-lasting authoritarian dictatorship in Spain under Francisco Franco.