20th Annual Student Research Conference
Social Science
First Blood: Axis Diplomacy, Appeasement and the Spanish Civil War
Thomas W. Lecaque
Dr. David Robinson, Faculty Mentor
The Spanish Civil War opened the era of World War II in 1936, well before Anschluss or Sudetenland. The unprecedented military support provided to Franco by the German, Italian, and Portuguese dictatorships clearly violated international agreements, allowing the Spanish royalist, Nationalist military to fight the legitimate government and to win by 1939. Democracies of Western Europe, led by Britain and France, refused to send aid to the legitimate Spanish government and tried to maintain a Non-Intervention Agreement that the Axis blatantly violated. Of the nations that agreed to non-intervention, only the Soviet Union finally aided the Spanish government, and was accused of spreading communism to Spain. World powers were lured by Axis promises of peace and generally were duped by Axis diplomatic brilliance. The Axis Powers used diplomacy, especially on Britain, to keep the democracies from intervening as they interfered on behalf of the Nationalists.
Keywords: Spanish Civil War, World War II, Soviet Union, Spain, Diplomacy
Topic(s):History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 50-4
Location: VH 1320
Time: 2:00 pm