Spanish coup of July 1936

A military uprising against the Second Spanish Republic that began on 17 July 1936 in Spanish Morocco and spread to mainland Spain the next day. Its failure to seize the whole country began the Spanish Civil War.

Spanish Civil War: A civil war fought in Spain from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican government and Nationalist forces. The coup failed to take Spain quickly, opening the conflict that became this war.
Second Spanish Republic: The republican state established in Spain in 1931 and ended by Nationalist victory in 1939. The uprising sought to overthrow this republic and reverse its political direction.
Emilio Mola: A Spanish general who organized the 1936 military conspiracy against the Second Republic. Mola coordinated the coup’s preparations and regional military commands.
Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War): The coalition of military rebels and their political allies that fought the Spanish Republic in the Civil War. The coup consolidated these forces into the Nationalist camp.
Army of Africa: The Spanish military forces stationed in Spanish Morocco, including the Spanish Legion and Moroccan regulares. Its transfer across the Strait of Gibraltar gave the rebels a formidable force on the peninsula.
Spanish general election of 1936: A Spanish parliamentary election held on 16 February 1936, won by the Popular Front coalition. The election intensified political conflict and preceded the conspirators’ final preparations.
Francisco Franco: A Spanish general who led Nationalist forces and ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975. Franco joined the uprising in Morocco and later became its dominant leader.
Republican faction (Spanish Civil War): The coalition that defended the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The uprising prompted republicans and their allies to organize armed resistance.
Spanish Republican Army: The armed forces of the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The Republic retained loyal military units, but divisions and defections weakened its response.
Spanish military reform of 1931: A reform program that reorganized Spain’s armed forces and sought to reduce military influence in politics. Resentment among some officers toward republican military reforms contributed to opposition.

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