Paul Preston - Comrades. Portraits from the Spanish Civil War

1870

21 September

Birth of Julin Besteiro Fernndez in Madrid

1879

5 July

Birth of Jos Milln Astray in La Corua

1880

17 January

Birth of Manuel Azaa Daz in Alcal de Henares

1883

30 April

Birth of Indalecio Prieto Tuero in Oviedo

1886

23 July

Birth of Salvador de Madariaga Rojo in La Corua

1892

4 December

Birth of Francisco Franco Bahamonde in El Ferrol

1895

9 December

Birth of Dolores Ibrruri Gmez in Gallarta

1898

Defeat of Spain by USA; loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Philippines

1903

24 April

Birth of Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera in Madrid

1907

4 November

Birth of Pilar Primo de Rivera in Madrid

1917

August

Socialist general strike Besteiro arrested and sentenced to death

1923

13 September

Military coup led by General Primo de Rivera

1930

30 January

Primo de Rivera replaced by General Dmaso Berenguer

1931

14 March

Foundation of fascist newspaper La Conquista del Estado by Ramiro Ledesma Ramos

14 April

Departure of King Alfonso XIII and the foundation of the Second Republic

Provisional government under premiership of Niceto Alcal Zamora with Manuel Azaa as Minister of War, Indalecio Prieto as Minister of Finance

26 April

Foundation of Catholic authoritarian party Actin Popular

10 October

Foundation of fascist party Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista by Onesimo Redondo and Ramiro Ledesma Ramos

14 October

Alcal Zamora resigns as prime minister, replaced by Azaa

11 December

Alcal Zamora elected President of the Republic

14 December

Azaa forms new government, retaining Ministry of War; Prieto moves to Ministry of Public Works.

15 December

Foundation of Alfonsine monarchist society and journal Accin Espaola

1932

10 August

Failed military coup by General Jos Sanjurjo

1933

8 January

Police and Civil Guard massacre anarchist villagers at Casas Viejas (Cdiz); Azaa is blamed

28 February

Accin Popular unites with other legalist rightist groups to form the CEDA Confederacin Espaola de Derechas Autnomas

1 March

Accin Espaola creates political front organization, Renovacin Espaola

29 October

Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera launches Falange Espaola

19 November

Election victory for coalition of Radicals and CEDA

12 December

Alejandro Lerroux forms an exclusively Radical government with the parliamentary support of Gil Robless CEDA

1934

11 February

Falange Espaola merges with the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista to become FE de las JONS

4 October

Lerroux forms a new cabinet including three CEDA ministers

6 October

General strike, left-wing uprising in Asturias and brief declaration of Catalan independence, both crushed by army

1935

6 May

Radical CEDA coalition government under Lerroux with Gil Robles as Minister of War, Luis Lucia as Minister of Communications

1936

16 February

Popular Front wins elections

19 February

Manuel Azaa forms Left-Republican government without Socialist participation

14 March

FE de las JONS outlawed and its leadership, including Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera, arrested

7 April

Niceto Alcal Zamora removed from the Presidency of the Republic

10 May

Azaa elected President of the Republic

11 May

Largo Caballero uses his control of the PSOE parliamentary group to prevent Prieto accepting an invitation from Azaa to form a government

12 May

Azaas party colleague, the weak Santiago Casares Quiroga, forms a government

1 June

Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera commits the Falange to the military uprising

5 June

Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera transferred to Alicante prison

13 July

Assassination of monarchist leader Jos Calvo Sotelo

17 July

Military uprising in Spanish Morocco

18 July

Military uprising on Spanish mainland; Civil War starts; Franco flies from Canary Islands to Morocco to lead Army of Africa

19 July

Jos Giral forms Republican cabinet

29 July

Italian and German transport planes begin airlift of African Army from Morocco to Seville

2 August

Francos African columns leave Seville to start their march on Madrid

19 August

Assassination of Federico Garca Lorca in Granada

4 September

Francisco Largo Caballero forms a Popular Front government with participation of Republicans, Socialists and Communists

27 September

March on Madrid interrupted for Franco to relieve the siege of the Alczar of Toledo

28 September

In Salamanca, the rebel generals elect Franco Head of the Government of the Spanish State

6 October

Francos march on Madrid resumed

19 October

With rebel troops on the outskirts of Madrid, Azaa evacuated to Barcelona

4 November

Four Anarchist ministers join Largo Caballero government

6 November

Largo Caballero government evacuated to Valencia; defence of Madrid left to Junta de Defensa under General Jos Miaja

mid-November

Fierce fighting in Madrids University City and northern suburbs

20 November

Execution in Alicante of Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera

23 November

Franco abandons his attack on Madrid

15 December

Franco tries to close the besieging circle around Madrid with attacks on Boadilla del Monte

1937

22 January

General Batet executed by the Nationalists

6 February

Beginning of Battle of Jarama; Republicans and International Brigaders withstand, at great loss, a Nationalist offensive to the north east of Madrid