The Popular Front

Left-wing parties socialist, communists, some nationalists and anarchists, formed Popular Front and went together to the elections.

Calvo Sotelo and José Antonio Primo de Rivera, leader of the fascist party Falange Española, were the most important political politicians of the right-wing parties.

The Popular Front won the elections. The new government restarted the reforms and gave freedom to the prisoners of the October revolution. Azaña became the president of the republic.

Problems increased in the streets. There were strikes, churches were “burned”, and there were armed quarrels between “falangistas” and “militantes de organizaciones obreras” which, in a lot of cases, ended in murders. Some military commanders, led by General Mola, started plotting an end to the republic.

On the 12th July 1936, “teniente” Castillo, (left wing), was killed by people from the right. On the next day some Castillos´s friends killed Calvo Sotelo, the right-wing leader.

This gave way to the uprising of the Spanish army in the North of Africa, led by General Franco.