(If you find any of the videos blocked then download the following video downloader, open the video in youtube then copy the URL to the 4K Video Downloader programme. If you are in boarding you can also use a mobile hotspot)
Spain
How successful was the regime of Primo de Rivera?
In 1936 a devastating civil war broke out in Spain. The causes of the Spanish Civil War begin with the regime of Primo de Rivera. If you are an HL student you should complete this ready-made investigation and finish with an essay question 'Evaluate the successes and failures of Primo de Rivera’s government between 1923 and 1930. 15 marks. Write your own essay before looking at the Word example.
SL student should be aware of the overall events of his regime, to use as a paragrpah in an essay on causes of the war.
Why did civil war break out in Spain in 1936?
Here you have two alternate text books to use for revision and extra notes. At the end of each one is advice on essays and some essay titles to try.....
But we will use this book, you have a paper copy with a scanned version here (sorry ouy will need to turn it around!) ....
Look at the maps powerpoint and discuss. How might Spain's geography and history help to explain 20th century problems?
Use the Word document to gain the chronology of the war.
Watch the video and complete the question sheet.
Read your text book pages 8 - 16. Create a large 'spectrum' diagram showing the forces at work in Spain from left to right, with their key aims.
Now use your knowledge from the video along with this timeline of events, and complete the 'themes' grid.
Then consider the importance of economic causes by completing the activity..
...how about the historiography of the causes of war? Look at these sources and complete the questions...
SO....'Analyse the causes of one war you have studied'....here you have pre-existing conditions that are not solved by Primo, the unleashing of forces and early hopes and failures of the Republic, the widening chasm after the success of CEDA, the reasons why a coup becomes a war........HEY! looks like a plan to me!
Why did the Nationalists win?
SO... Spain descends into Civil War. It is unusual in that the government is left wing, fighting nationalist rebels (Contrast to Russia or China, or the existing governments in the 1930's in Italy, Germany and Japan) The Republic had all the advantages in July 1936 - they held the cities and industrial areas, they kept the police and a number of army units, they had worker support and they were armed, they held the financial centres and gold reserves, they were the legitimate government and should be able to count on international support..........SO Why did the Nationalists win????
First, consider the course of the war. Look at the maps and the timeline and identify key moments and overall issues of strategy for each side.
Now look at the relative strengths and weaknesses of each side. how do the events in Barcelona in May 1937 highlight a key problem for the Republic, seen even before the war began? The web link helps to explain the various key protagonists.
An often neglected area is the economics of war.
The lengthy research paper gives some good insights into key factors for republican failure and nationalist succes.
If you are interested, the two videos explain the issues within the war.
How important was foreign intervention to the outcome of the civil war?
Few Civil Wars are ever confined only to the country they are fought in. The international factor is important and perhaps crucial for understanding the outcome in Spain.
You need to consider the effects of non-intervention, and then why the Soviet intervention might have hindered rather than helped the republic.
On the other side, how crucial was German and Italian help for the nationalists? and what about the International Brigades?.....
Foreign involvement can often be an essay question in its own right. Perhaps work in groups on different areas, to present your findings the rest of the class.
Here is a historians summary of the war, very useful......
So....Analyse the reasons for the outcome of one war you have studied....here is a possible essay plan, but there are other ways to tackle the question, perhaps in order of this section.
Remember too that questions often ask for comparisons. Spain is ideal to compare to China for causes or outcome (or Russia for HL)