Guide to visit the museum

The Civil War

Battle of the Ebro trench (36)

The uprising by the army against the government of the Second Spanish Republic on 17 July 1936 marks the outbreak of the Civil War. The south-eastern part of Spain falls to the rebels, with the support of the most conservative sector. Elsewhere the coup is foiled thanks to the cooperation between the forces of order loyal to the Republic and the trade unions.

The war drags on for three years and has severe effects on the civilian population. Problems of supplies are compounded by confrontations between the different political and trade union forces, as well as the bombing of the civilian population, especially by Hitler’s and Mussolini’s air forces, which support the rebel side led by Franco.

In December 1938, after the defeat of the Republican army in the Battle of the Ebro, Franco’s troops occupy Catalonia. More than 450,000 people are driven into exile across the French border, fleeing repression by the regime. Some find shelter in other countries, but most remain in France. With the outbreak of the Second World War, former Republican soldiers join in the defence of France and thousands of them end up in Nazi concentration camps. They are not acknowledged by the Spanish government. 

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