The Record of Arms

07 - The Spanish Army on the Eve of the Civil War (1936)

Jan 05, 2020 Episode 7

Mark Seven

The Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 was one of the most significant events in the military history of the 20th century. The Record of Arms begins its examination of this conflict with a look at the military organization that gave rise to the revolt against the Second Republic. Many trends working throughout the 19th century Spanish experience went into creating the situation in which this bloodbath became all but unavoidable. This episode deals with these conditions and the effect they had on the Spanish Army and its organizational culture, as well as the structure and equipment of the fighting units themselves. This will hopefully provide a useful background to upcoming episodes dealing with interesting aspects of this important conflict.