[ed. note: The Spanish Civil War is an incredibly complex historical event, and a worthy subject for scholarly research. Our goal here is highlight the similarities between the events leading up to the war, the war itself, and the ensuing dictatorship, then reflect on the current political situation in America. We are not scholars, but promise to portray as accurately as possible our findings.]
Among other sources, we relied on George Levrier-Jones’ concise history: Spanish Civil War – History of a Battle for Europe’s Soul – Spain’s Great War.
A Little Background
The Second Republic began in 1931 following a lot of turmoil and goofy power-sharing schemes. There was an ebb and flow of coalitions, but the reformist Republicans took power and instituted many new laws, but deep divisions in the country prevented actual implementation. There were many extreme factions on both sides. The Republicans had centrists, but also communists, socialists, and anarchists, with different agendas and timetables. This greatly weakened the coalition government, and opened the door to the parasitic Nationalist opportunists to stage a coup attempt and civil war in 1936.
It was the classic battle: One side wanted to preserve the traditional way of doing things (the Nationalists), the other side wanted reform (the Republicans).
The “traditional way” meant protecting the wealth, land, and privilege of the powerful, allowing the Catholic Church to control the public education system, a return to a monarchy, and weakened unions.
The side advocating for reform wanted secular schools, labor reform, suffrage for women, a democracy (rather than a monarchy), social progress, and a restrained military.
Let’s look at the Catholic Church’s influence in public education and the parallels between these two situations:
Catholic Church’s control of education in Spain prior to the Spanish Civil War
The current situation in America, with the Republican support of home schooling and charter schools and the backing of Christo-nationalists and other pseudo-Christian sects.
In Spain….
By the early 20th century, around 60-70% of the primary schools in Spain were operated by the Catholic Church. This control extended not only to primary education but also to secondary education and universities. The Church’s extensive involvement in education meant that a substantial proportion of Spanish children received their education in Catholic institutions.
The government’s efforts to secularize education during the Second Spanish Republic aimed to reduce this percentage by promoting public, secular schools. However, the exact figures might vary depending on the region and specific local circumstances. The struggle over control of education was a central issue in the broader conflict between conservative and progressive forces in Spain.
Conservatives and right-wing factions in Spain supported the Church’s involvement in education, viewing it as a means to maintain traditional values and social order.
Liberals, socialists, and other left-wing groups opposed the Church’s control over education. They saw it as an impediment to modernization, secularism, and social progress.
After the Nationalists’ victory, Franco’s regime restored the Catholic Church’s influence over education. Religious education once again became a central part of the curriculum in Spanish schools.
Elder G
Who did Jesus condemn, time after time? Hypocrites.
The Vatican recognized Francisco Franco’s regime in Spain on August 3, 1937. This recognition came relatively early, even before the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939.
Elder G
Hypocrites, continued….
The Trail of Queens: Joanna the Mad (Juana la Loca)
We are following the trail of Queens, beginning in 1492, that ultimately led up to the time of the Spanish Civil War.
What queen followed Isabella I of Castile?
After Queen Isabella I of Castile, her daughter Joanna, known as Joanna the Mad (Juana la Loca), followed her as the Queen of Castile. Joanna became queen in 1504 after Isabella’s death, although her mental health issues led to her son, Charles I (also known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor), effectively taking over the governance and eventually becoming the king in his own right.
Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad (Spanish: Juana la Loca), was the nominal queen of Castile from 1504 and queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Joanna was married by arrangement to the Austrian archduke Philip the Handsome on 20 October 1496. Following the deaths of her elder brother John, elder sister Isabella, and nephew Miguel between 1497 and 1500, Joanna became the heir presumptive to the crowns of Castile and Aragon. When her mother died in 1504, she became queen of Castile. Her father proclaimed himself governor and administrator of Castile.
The marriage contract of Joanna and Philip (1496). Quite the pre-nup. I wonder if it spells out who gets control of the thermostat?
Johanna and Philip
Joanna was educated and formally trained for a significant marriage that, as a royal family alliance, would extend the kingdom’s power and security as well as its influence and peaceful relations with other ruling powers. As an Infanta (princess), she was not expected to be heiress to the throne of either Castile or Aragon, although through deaths she later inherited both thrones.
Joanna’s academic education consisted of canon and civil law, genealogy and heraldry, grammar, history, languages, mathematics, philosophy, reading, spelling and writing. Among the authors of classical literature she read were the Christian poets Juvencus and Prudentius, Church fathers Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory, and Saint Jerome, and the Roman statesman Seneca.
In 1496, 16-year-old Joanna was betrothed to 18-year-old Philip of Austria, in the Low Countries. Philip’s parents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his first wife, Duchess Mary of Burgundy. The marriage was one of a set of family alliances between the Habsburgs and the Trastámaras designed to strengthen both against growing French power.
Joanna the Mad Holding Vigil over the Coffin of Her Late Husband, Philip the Handsome. Juana la Loca de Pradilla by Francisco Pradilla Ortiz, 1877.
As a young woman, Joanna was known to be highly intelligent. Claims regarding her as “mad” are widely disputed. It was only after her marriage that the first suspicions of mental illness arose. Some historians believe she may have had melancholia, a depressive disorder, a psychosis, or a case of inherited schizophrenia. She may also have been unjustly painted as “mad” as her husband Philip the Handsome and her father, Ferdinand, had a great deal to gain from Joanna being declared sick or incompetent to rule.
