Republican Divisions

• As the Nationalist advance continued, the Republican war effort was hampered by internal divisions about how best to conduct the war.
• Those on the more extreme left (anarchists and LW socialists) emphasised the desirability of developing revolutionary warfare strategies that would include the use of guerrilla tactics, civilian militia units, stirring up a revolution behind Nationalist lines and the mobilisation of the international working class to fight in Spain. These reflected the anarchist belief that they were fighting a revolutionary people's war in which war and revolution should occur simultaneously.
• More moderate opinion within the republic (as represented by the communists and mainstream socialists) emphasised the importance of a more conventional strategic approach. In this view, discipline, order, hierarchy and conventional tactics were emphasised above the ideological goals of equality and freedom of debate.
• The Republican government favoured the more conventional approach of how to conduct the war. This was strengthened by the increasing communist influence on the government from May 1937. The communists became increasingly important within the government as the republic was almost totally reliant on the USSR for armaments and supplies.
• The Republicans' conventional approach to the fighting was reflected in the way the Popular Army, the government's main fighting force, was organised (strictly hierarchical lines). They also tried to bring independent militias under central control and in doing so ensured they adopted traditional military discipline. The Popular Army's tactics were largely conventional and there was only a handful of guerrilla units operating on the Republican side.
• The Republican government's approach had a political and military basis:

  • Politically, they were wary of social revolution and didn't want to alienate moderate support. They also hoped Britain and France would be more likely to support a moderate regime.
  • Militarily, the government believed that a more conventional approach would be better suited to winning the war.
• In May 1937 the differences of approach caused an open conflict in Barcelona from the militias of the extreme left (anarchists and left-socialists) and militiamen from the more moderate left (socialists and communists). The extreme left believed the social revolution was being neglected by the moderate left who dominated the government who thought pursing it at the same time as fighting a civil war would mean defeat. This 'civil war within the civil war' resulted in the defeat of the extremists.
• After the infighting in May 1937, the PM, Largo Caballero, who had previously spoken out against the communists, was forced to resign. His successor, Dr Juan Negrin, acted to strengthen ties with the USSR and the communists, who became an increasingly influential force in the Republican Popular Army.