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public buildin Spain divided into two group the Nationalists or tradi­ tionalists, and the Republicans or revolutionarie On the Nationalist side were the Catholic Church, m t of the army, the Palange (a fascist party, which tended toward violence as a lution to problems but was strongly anti-Communist), the Carlists, and the CEDA (a m erate traditionalist party} On the Republican side were the ialists, the Communists, the an­ archists, and the Syndicalists (a li ral group}
In 1933 the CEDA won the election, but andals were uncovered which di redited the party. In 19 the Popular Front, a combination of the leftist oup won the election Under the leadership of rgo Ca­ ballero, they gan attacking the Church, confi ating all religious property. Many priests and nuns were murdered with the connivance of the gov­ ernment On one casion, the leftists put a statue of the Sacred Heart be­ fore a firing uad
As the attacks on the Church increa d and the gove ment came clearly Communist, a group of generals in the army gan planning a rising against the Popular Front, or Reds as the traditionalists called them. On July 13, 19 , Calvo telo, a leader of the traditionalists, was murdered by the gove ment lice. Two generals, Emilio Mola and Franci o Franco, thereu n t the date for a rising of the army against the government On July 18, Franco i ued a pr lamation calling for the re stablishment of authority in Spain
The eatest sup rt for the rising came from the province of Navarra, a stronghold of the Carlists, where the requetes-the military arm of the Carlists-had en holding training ion Franco nt a call to Navarra for men to fight the government In just one day, 40, men answered the call. Throughout the Civil War 1 , requetes were in the field at all times, fighting for the Church, for Spain and for their familie The uprising came to called the Cruz or Cru de, cau it was a holy war against Christ's enemi
Franco and the Nationalists received aid from Nazi Germany and Mu loni's Italy. German planes fought on the Nationalist side, and a ut 14, Italian and 7, German tr ps were involved Franco has en verely criticized for accepting aid from Hitler. But Franco personally had no u for Hitler or Nazism. For example, when World War II broke out, Hitler held a meeting with Franco to persuade him to cupy Gibral­ tar, taking it away from the British and allowing the Germans to use it as a naval ba to bl k off the Mediterranean Sea After the meeting, Hitler i "I would rather have all of my teeth pulled than talk to that man