Fear and Loathing in the Second Spanish Republic - A 1933 DH Full AAR

[GSR]

Fear and Loathing in the Second Spanish Republic
"Considering the circumstances in which the country finds itself, the most conservative thing is to be a revolutionary."
- Francesc Cambó i Batlle

(Government of the Second Spanish Republic c. 1933)


The year is 1933. The Second Spanish Republic approaches her second anniversary. The last two years have not been easy for the nascent Republic and her governing Republican-socialist alliance. Every step along the way, a coalition consisting of the Catholic Church, reactionary elements within the armed forces, and the entrenched elite of old have made it their mission to bring ruin to the Republic. In spite of this, great strides forward have been made.

The Republic faces enemies on all sides. In 1932, the Sanjurjada, an attempted military coup spearheaded by the monarchist generals Emilio Barrera and José Sanjurjo, was narrowly thwarted, and less than two months ago the Republic faced an anarchist insurrection in Andalusia.

At first glance, the governing alliance appears strong, but cracks are beginning to show, President Alcalá-Zamora appears to be making moves of his own, Lerroux and the Radicals are no longer content to sit by quietly, and the once decimated conservative opposition is growing in strength with each passing day.


The Republic endures, but for how long?

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Table of Contents:

Introduction (Part 1 - Who's Who in the Second Spanish Republic?)
Introduction (Part 2 - State of the Nation)
Introduction (Part 3 - All the King's Men)

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Welcome one and all, and apologies for the lack of detail! This was only meant be a draft post, but I may have gone ahead and published it by accident.

As for what to expect: I'll be playing with a modified version of DH Full. Nearly all of the modifications relate to the vanilla Spanish content, which I've extensively overhauled. New ministers, new leaders, new events, etc; both historical and ahistorical. Things definitely won't be following a strictly historical path, but don't necessarily go expecting an early civil war either. Only time will tell just what path Spain will be taking...
​

 

[NarcomancerPL]

So what are you aiming for? Democratic, Communist or Soviet (i.e. Moscow operated) Spanish Republic?

 

[GSR]

Introduction - Part 1:
"In Madrid nonsense takes root better than acacias."
- Manuel Azaña Díaz

Now before we go any further, perhaps we should familiarise ourselves with our dear Republic? Let's take a look at the current government of the Republic.

(Beautiful, isn't she?)

As of March 1933, the 'Conjunción Republicano-Socialista', the electoral alliance which swept the 1931 elections, continues to govern. The alliance has largely held strong, with the exception of the Radical Republican Party (PRR) having withdrawn its support for the administration in December 1931. Now, just who are these ministers?

President of the Republic:

The current President of the Republic is the elder statesman and constitutional monarchist turned republican agitator Niceto Alcalá-Zamora. Alcalá-Zamora previously served as President of the Provisional Government before resigning in opposition to articles 24 and 26 of the draft constitution (concerning religious freedom), and currently serves as leader of the Progressive Republican Party (PRP).
[Market Liberal]


President of the Council of Ministers:

The office of President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) is currently held by the author and leader of the Republican Action (AP) Party Manuel Azaña. Azaña has served as head of government since Alcalá-Zamora's resignation as President of the Provisional Government in December 1931 and is concurrently serving as Minister of War.
[Social Liberal]


Minister of State:

The office of Minister of State (Foreign Minister) is held by the diplomat and educator Luis de Zulueta. Although an independent member of the Congress of Deputies, Zulueta is a close associate of both Prime Minister Azaña and Melquíades Álvarez, leader of the Republican Liberal Democratic Party (PRLD).
[Social Liberal]


Minister of Finance:

The office of Minister of Finance is held by the Catalan Jaume Carner. A businessman and lawyer by trade, Carner is a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and previously represented a number of Catalan regionalist parties prior to the advent of the Republic.
[Social Liberal]


Minister of Governance:

The office of Minister of Governance (Minister of the Interior) is held by Santiago Casares Quiroga, leader of the regionalist Galician Republican Party (PRG). Serving together in the provisional government, Casares and Azaña quickly developed a close friendship.
[Social Liberal]


Director General of Security:

The Republic possesses no dedicated intelligence agency, civilian or military. What few intelligence activities that are carried out are generally the responsibility of the police force. The current Director General of Security, the official responsible for the Republic's police, is Artillery Captain and former Madrid Chief of Police Arturo Menéndez López. Captain Menéndez' older brother Leopoldo also serves as an advisor to Prime Minister Azaña.
[Social Liberal]


Chief of the Central Army Staff:

General de División (Major General) Carlos Masquelet is the current Chief of the Central Army Staff. General Masquelet was appointed Chief of Staff following the dismissal of his predecessor General Goded. Shortly after his dismissal, General Goded took part in the Sanjurjada and was expelled from the army as a result.
[Market Liberal]


Chief of the Central Navy Staff:

Vice Admiral Francisco Javier de Salas González is the current Chief of the Central Navy Staff. Salas, the most senior Admiral willing to serve the Republic, has served in his post uninterrupted since his appointment by the Provisional Government in 1931.
[Social Conservative]


Director General of Military Aeruonatics:

Captain Ángel Pastor Velasco is the current Director General of Military Aeronautics. Prior to the establishment of the Republic, Captain Pastor Velasco was involved in the failed Cuatro Vientos Aerodrome Uprising, along with fellow aviator Ramón Franco and Brigadier General Gonzalo Queipo de Llano.
[Market Liberal]


Other Ministers:

Two other key ministers not represented in game are Minister of Labour Francisco Largo Caballero and Minister of Public Works Indalecio Prieto, the leaders of the radical and moderate factions of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) respectively. Largo Caballero currently controls the party apparatus, serving as President of the PSOE and General Secretary of the affiliated General Union of Labourers (UGT).
[Left-Wing Radical] [Social Democrat]

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Now, there's our first info dump. I wanted there to be at least something in this thread. Next time, we'll be taking a look at the current situation in the Congress of Deputies and the state of Armed Forces, and then, hopefully, we'll be jumping right into 1933! And if you've got any questions about anything, please don't be afraid to ask!
​

 

[GSR]

So what are you aiming for? Democratic, Communist or Soviet (i.e. Moscow operated) Spanish Republic?

Now that would be telling! I'll be keeping my mouth shut for now, but what does happen may surprise you!

 

[GSR]

Introduction - Part 2:
"The path of duty runs opposite to the path of selfishness."
- Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Torres

Now, as promised, we'll be taking a look at parliament. The Spanish Republican Cortes (parliament) consists of a single unicameral chamber, the Congress of Deputies. The first and only elections to the Cortes were held on 28 June 1931, two months after the proclamation of the Republic—elections swept by the Conjunción Republicano-Socialista. As per the constitution, the next set of elections to the chamber are to be held no later than 27 August 1935—60 days after the Congress of Deputies' 4 year mandate expires.

(The Congress of Deputies, March 1933)

A spreadsheet for your convenience! Parties in dark green support the administration and have at least one member in the cabinet. Parties or groupings in the lighter green may not support the administration as a whole but have at least one member in the cabinet.

The Azaña government currently holds a small but comfortable majority. On top of that majority, the administration also has the support of most other smaller Republican and socialist parties in the chamber, though only time will tell how long this continues to last. As you can see, the makeup of the Cortes has largely remained the same over the last two years, with a few notable exceptions.

The Conservative Republican Party:

(Miguel Maura)
[Social Conservative]

The most noticeable development in the chamber is the collapse of President Alcalá-Zamora's Progressive Republican Party (PRP). In January 1932, the party's deputy leader Miguel Maura and 12 other deputies from the party's right wing broke ranks and established the breakaway Conservative Republican Party (PRC). The split was largely a result of Maura's more hard-line stances on religious issues (insisting on a new concordat with the Catholic Church) and Catalan autonomy.


The Traditionalist Communion:

(Alfonso Carlos de Borbón, Carlist pretender to the throne, and the Count of Rodenzo, General Secretary of the Tradionalist Communion)
[Paternal Autocrat] [Paternal Autocrat]

The Carlist Traditionalist Communion (CT) gained one further seat as a result of the re-integration of the breakaway Traditionalist Catholic Party (PCT) in late 1931. 1932 also saw the re-integration of the Integrist Party (PI). Though the Integrist party lacked any elected representatives, the reunification of the two parties notably marked the end of a 44 year long schism that had long divided the Carlist movement.


The Social Revolutionary Party:

(Ramón Franco and José Antonio Balbontín)
[Social Democrat] [Left Wing Radical]

The small Social Revolutionary Party (PSR) quickly faded into obscurity with the loss of both deputies representing the party. By March 1933, the aviator, republican activist, and former Jefe Superior of Military Aeronautics Ramón Franco had left the party to sit with the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC); and former party leader José Antonio Balbontín had affiliated himself with the Communist Party of Spain (PCE)—becoming the party's first ever deputy.
(And yes, Ramón is related to that Franco)

Acción Popular:

(José María Gil-Robles and Antonio Goicoechea)
[Paternal Autocrat] [Paternal Autocrat]

José María Gil-Robles' Acción Popular (AP) is the most recent party to have been divided by internal strife. In January 1933, the party's deputy leader Antonio Goicoechea left to establish the openly monarchist Renovación Española (RE - Spanish Renewal) party. However, the party's 5 deputies refused to follow him and continue to stand by Gil-Robles and Acción Popular's accidentalist position.

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Just barely managed to get this out within a week of my last post. No promises, but I am aiming to have that look at the armed forces up this weekend. ​

 

[der Kriegsherr]

And yes, Ramón is related to that Franco

Yeah, he was his little brother, interestingly enough.

 

[J_Master]

The first and only elections to the Cortes were held on 28 June 1931

>first and only
ominous...

 

[GSR]

Introduction - Part 3:
"The defence of internal peace and order constitutes the sacred mission of a nation's armed forces..."
- Francisco Franco Bahamonde


The Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) is divided is divided into eight infantry divisiones orgánicas (organic divisions), one independent cavalry division, the departments of Military and Naval Aeronautics (officially attached to the Navy), the forces of the Army of Africa, and two island military commands.

Whilst fairly modern in terms of equipment—the legacy of the late Miguel Primo de Rivera's attempts to ensure the military's loyalty, the Spanish Army is a deeply flawed institution. An archaic system of promotions and a resistance to change has left the officer corps bloated and inefficient. Oftentimes officers have seen no combat since the conclusion of the War of 1898, instead rising through the ranks by seniority alone. The exception to this rule is the Army of Africa. Though the war in Morocco may be over now, the Army of Africa remains Spain's most decorated and most modern fighting force; with many upcoming young generals having reached their present ranks as a result of their service in the Moroccan Protectorate.

In his capacity as Minister of War, Prime Minister Azaña has introduced a number of wide-reaching reforms in an attempt to force out decadent and disloyal officers, but he would be wise to tread carefully—lest he face another Sanjurjada. Without the loyalty of the Army, there can be no Republic.


Ejército de Tierra de la República Española:

(The Spanish Armed Forces as of March 1933)

Major General Carlos Masquelet - Headquarters of the General Staff Office (Madrid)
Major General Virgilio Cabanellas - 1st Organic Division (Madrid)
Major General Cristóbal Peña Abuín - Division of Cavalry (Madrid)

Major General Miguel Núñez de Prado - 2nd Organic Division (Seville)
Major General José Riquelme - 3rd Organic Division (Valencia)
Major General Domènec Batet - 4th Organic Division (Barcelona)

Major General José Sánchez-Ocaña - 5th Organic Division (Zaragoza)
Major General José Fernández de Villa-Abrille - 6th Organic Division (Burgos)
Major General Juan García Gómez-Caminero - 7th Organic Division (Valladolid)


Major General Félix de Vera Valdés - 8th Organic Division (La Coruña)
Captain Ángel Pastor Velasco - Military Aeruonatics (Madrid)
Rear Admiral Ramón Fontenla- Naval Aeronautics (Valencia)

Major General Agustín Gómez Morato - Headquarters of the Army of Africa
Brigadier General Gregorio Benito Terraza - Western Command (Army of Africa)
Brigadier General Leopoldo García Boloix - Eastern Command (Army of Africa)

Brigadier General Francisco Franco - Military Command of the Balearic Islands
Major General Enrique Salcedo - Military Command of the Canary Islands


Armada de la República Española:

The Navy too has seen better days. Largely neglected in favour of the Army, the fleet has seen little expansion in recent years. Of Spain's three España Class dreadnoughts, only two remain; the first ship having (rather embarrassingly) ran aground whilst shelling rebel positions during the war in Morocco. However, change is on the horizon. The implementation of the ambitious Naval Plan of 1928, approved by the late Miguel Primo de Rivera, is currently being carried out under the watchful eye of Minister of the Navy José Giral. Notably, the Plan includes the construction of two British designed heavy cruisers, Baleares and Canarias, intended to replace the ageing España dreadnoughts.

Read Admiral Indalecio Núñez Quixano - Ferrol Naval Base
Vice Admiral Miguel Mier del Rio- Ferrol Flotilla
Rear Admiral José Gámez Fossi - Cadiz Naval Base

Captain Francisco Bastarreche - Naval Artillery School (Cartagena)
Captain Ramón Navia-Ossorio - Destroyer Flotilla (Cartagena)
Captain Francisco Guimerá Bosch - Submarine Training School and Division (Cartagena)

Captain Isidro Sáiz Corratgé - Mahón Submarine Division (Majorca)
Rear Admiral Antonio Azarola - Transport Flotilla (Murica)

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There we go! With introductions out of the way, we can start get into the real meat of things (actual gameplay!). Might take me a bit longer to get started though; there's still a lot of modding to be done on my end. By the way, don't tell anyone, but the naval setup is actually from 1936; I'm no military historian. That said, the commanders of the army should all be accurate for 1933. Oh, and if you have any questions about our lovely officers, just ask. I'm sure you all recognise at least one certain general. ​

 

[GSR]

>first and only
ominous...