Republican International Aid

• In October 1936, the Soviet Union sent the Republicans:

  • 500 tonnes of military hardware
  • 1000 tonnes of ammunition
  • 500 engineers
• The first bits of aid from the Soviet Union helped the Republican defence against the Nationalists' attempt to take Madrid. They continued to send tanks and aircraft to help the support the Republicans until 1939, due to Stalin wanting to avoid being involved in a wider European conflict.
• The International Brigades were volunteers who travelled to Spain to support the Republicans. They were organised by the Comintern in 1936 and approximately 35000 people joined: including 9000 from France, 2800 from the USA and 2000 from Britain. Many supported the Republicans for political reasons as they wanted to stop the spread of fascism. The driving force behind the British volunteers was communism.
• Members of the International Brigades crossed he French/Spanish border on what was known as the 'secret railway'. The first unit of the International Brigades was organised by Joseph Broz from an office in Paris. He sent 500 volunteers via the 'secret railway' on Train 77. Volunteers also found other ways to cross into Spain over the Pyrenees.