Into the Heart of the Fire: A European Civil War

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Into the Heart of the Fire: A European Civil War

(A Note: This AAR will be my first after a long break from HOI, so be gentle Although it may seem that this AAR will purely be focused on the Spanish Civil War, you would be very much mistaken to make that assumption. Rather, i am setting the scene for a much larger conflict that you probably wouldn't be expecting. I hope you will enjoy what is to come; my next update will be coming very shortly.)

The First World War changed the political and geographical map of Europe. Four years of devastation ensured that nothing could ever be the same again, four years of appalling human and material losses intensified the movements of protest which had not existed before 1914. After the war, traditional rulers soon discovered that it was impossible to put back the clock. The armistice of 1918 did not put an end to struggle in the continent, it only changed its appearance. The armed conflict was over, but a new kind of ideological warfare had just begun. After it's success in Russia in November 1917, Bolshevism found a ready audience among war-weary populations and began to spread westwards initiating the richest period of revoltionary activity since 1848. In the meantime the Right was biding it's time. By 1920 the revoltionary thrust was exhausted, with the Red Army halted at the gates of Warsaw, and the labour movement hopelessly divided. The Right felt confident that it's hour had finally arrived. Liberalism and constitutionalism were discared as valid political forms, instead, authoritarian solutions were now advocated. The establishment of a dictatorship in Hungary, and the destruction of the Left in Italy after Mussolini's seizure of power represented the beginning of a period of virtually uninterrupted working-class defeat and advance of the radical Right. Military dictatorships were established in Spain, Portugal and Poland in the 1920's; in 1933 Demoncracy was annihilated by Hitler in Germany and within one year Austria had met a similar fate. Thus when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 it was only the latest and fiercest battle in a European Civil War that had been under way since 1917. - Fransisco J. Romero Salvadó

1898 (December) Spain loses remnants of overseas Empire (Cuba, Puerto Rico and Phillipines) after war with United States.
1914 (August) First World War breaks out. Spain remains neutral.
1917 (August) Aborted General Strike.
(November) Bolshevik takeover in Russia.
1918 (November) End of First World War.
1921 (July) Colonial disaster at Annual (Morrocco)
1922 (October) Fascist seizure of power in Italy.
1923 (September) Successful military coup led by General Primo de Rivera.
1930 (January) Primo de Rivera resigns.
1931 (April) King Alfonso XIII leaves the country and the Second Republic is established.
1932 (August) Aborted coup led by General Sanjurjo.
1933 (January) Hitler becomes Chancellor in Germany.
(November) Electoral victory of the Radical Party and the CEDA.
1934 (October) Revolt of the left is crushed.
1936 (February Electoral victory of the Popular Front.

Detailed Chronology (1936)​

July 12
Police lieutenant José Castillo is murdered by four fascist gunmen who awaited the recently married lieutenant in the afternoon hours in front of his house. He was a member of the UMRA, an antifascist organization for military members, and also worked with socialist youth.

July 13
In retaliation, around 3am, Calvo Sotelo, leader of the right-wing monarchist party, is murdered by police officers. Only a few hours after the assassination of Castillo, his close friend Police Captain Fernando Condes and other police officers, acting on their own initiative, arrest Calvo Sotelo in his house. Driving with him in a police car of the Assault Guard (Guardia de Asalto) police officer Luis Cuenca shoots him in the back of the neck.

July 14
Shootout between Police Assault Guard and fascist militias in the streets surrounding the cemetery of Madrid, where the burials of José Castillo and Calvo Sotelo are taking place. Four people killed.

July 17
Army uprising in Morocco. Military uprising of the Foreign Legion in Morocco. General Manuel Romerales, commanding officer of the East Army, murdered by rebels, who also imprisoned commanding General Gomez in the late afternoon. Loyal police troops from the Guardia Civil and Guardia de Asalto hold the cities Tetouan and Larache, but are under heavy attack by the rebels. General Franco orders the killing of his nephew, a major in Tetuan, for standing loyal to the government. By late evening, all of Morocco is in the hands of the rebels. From the Canary Islands, Franco declares a "state of war" for all of Spain. Prime Minister Casares Quiroga spends the whole day telephoning different regional military administrations to clarify the situation. Pamplona, Saragossa, Oviedo, Salamanca, Avila, Segovia, and Cadiz are already in rebel hands.

July 19
Franco flies from the Canary Islands to Tetuán and takes command of the army in Africa. Santiago Casares Quiroga resigns as chief of the Republican government. Diego Martínez Barrio tries to form a new government, but cannot obtain broad enough parliamentary support. José Giral forms a government, which orders that arms be issued to the general populace. Seville, one of the most important cities in the south, is unsuccessfully defended by local police troops and a poorly armed workers' militia. While the heaviest weapons police possess are machine guns, the rebel General Queipo de Llano sends in artillery and heavily armed troops. Seville falls to the rebels.
This is the day the People's Olympiad was scheduled to open in Barcelona, as a protest against the official 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. The games have now been cancelled due to the war.

In Barcelona, heavy streetfighting breaks out between police, workers militias and loyal troops on one side and around 12,000 rebel soldiers on the other. After it becomes obvious that Civil Guard, Assault Guard and City Police would not be enough to keep control of the city, the Generalitat (regional government of Catalonia), decide belatedly to arm the people.

 

[unmerged(17581)]

Wow, another Spain AAR!

 

[Sir Humphrey]

Nice start.

 

[unmerged(47162)]

ooo interesting! larger conflict that is unexpected? hmm...

 

[Jape]

Do more nations in Europe intervene than in OTL in the SCW or does the intense ideological struggle awaken the proletariet to rise up and cast off their oppressor in the face of fascist and reactionary opposition?

Good start so far

 

[unmerged(18239)]

More Spain, very very good.

 

[unmerged(46739)]

anonymous4401 Heh, something like that

Sir Humphrey Thanks mate, not to sound cheesy, but i'm a big fan of your work.

lifeless Quite so!

Jape I can tell you're not going to be easily surprised by the twists in this story Something along those lines anyway, death to the bourgeois!

Singleton Mosby Spain is very important in this, i won't deny that.

Next update will come this evening, then this can start properly.

 

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Cuartel de la Montaña, Madrid, July 20, 1936

"Women take part in battle for Montana Barracks in Madrid."

Inside the isolated barracks, General Fanjul and some 2,000 rebel troops had barricaded themselves against the baying mob outside, kept at bay only by indiscriminate machine gun and rifle-fire from within the building itself. Juan Rodriguez was horrified, the now abandoned square opposite the barracks was littered with corpses, men, women and even children - shot down as the Rebels made their attempt to seize power from the authorities. They had failed, checked by policemen, factory workers and peasants armed only with rifles and a few dozen old Maxims; the rebel soldiers were trained fighters, but look at them now - they are trapped, beaten by a rabble! Juan was forced to duck as a bullet shot past his head, hitting the ground with a thud he quickly shouldered his rifle and returned fire - as did the dozen or so militiamen around him. The rebels answer was to wheel out a machine gun, suppressing Juan and his comrades until the barrel overheated and the rebels were forced to stop firing. The situation had not changed for several hours, both the Rebels and the Loyalists were at an impasse; personally he was not fond of the idea of storming the barracks, earlier attempts were met with a hail of bullets from inside, and a courtyard filled with bodies as a result. He cursed himself, for as he spared a glance behind him he could see an Assault Guard Captain with the Militia Commanders spurring forward a mob of peasants to attack the rebel stronghold. There was nothing for it, if they were going to attack, then perhaps this time there was a chance they would be able to breach the gatehouse. Cries of "Arriba Espana!" echoed across the square, and no sooner had the mob (for that is what it amounted to) rounded the corner on which Juan was positioned, that the terrible sound of machine gun fire reverberated from the rebel positions. "Forward! Forward and death to the traitors!" the cry from the Captain came, but not before he himself was shot down. Dozens fell with him, their cries lost in the racket of gunfire, and the shouts of the charging militamen. Despite the carnage, for all Juan could tell, they were gaining ground - the rebels were throwing grenades now, adding to the mindless slaughter. It was too late for them now, though - the Loyalists had managed to force a way inside, carrying the fight to the confined interior of the barracks. The gunfire did not subside, despite the white flags that appeared through the smashed windows of the building, no quarter was being given now - not after the way these soldiers had acted earlier in the day. Victorious shouts now emerged from the barracks, along with the wounded from the attack, both loyalists and rebel troops who were being led away, probably to be shot or imprisoned. Juan did not spare a thought for them, it had not taken long for news of the uprisings in other cities, indeed, the uprising had gripped Spain and the Colonies entirely - this was not an isolated incident. The Army, fighting the People? What justice was in that? The sound of gunfire from within the barracks was dying down, and the numbers of prisoners being led out into the courtyard increased one of the prisoners looked to be of an important rank, a colonel? The great cheer of the Loyalists confirmed that the man was General Fanjul himself, being led away by a group of Assault Guards, the disgraced General did not look upon the destruction his men had caused upon his own people - rather he stared at the ground, ignoring the jeering mob. Juan could breathe a sigh of relief, if the revolts could be put down in the other cities then the rebellion would be doomed to failure, surely it cannot succeed with the popular support for the government? He set off to find out what was happening, and to get a drink - of something strong.

July 20
Start of the Siege of the Alcázar de Toledo. Rebels defeated in Madrid and Barcelona, but they take Majorca. In Madrid, around 10,000 citizens, among them police officers and soldiers, attack the Montana Barracks, held by rebel General Fanjul and around 2,500 soldiers. Some soldiers in the Barracks want to surrender and wave a white flag. The crowd moves towards the barracks, while the soldiers who wanted to surrender are overwhelmed by the rebels. The rebels then immediately fire heavy machine guns and grenades into the masses, leaving many wounded or dead. The crowd storms the Barracks and massacres the defenders. General Fanjul is among the few captured alive. Barcelona: The combined forces of local police troops, workers' militias and citizens gain back control over the city in a dramatic two-day barricade fight. Majorca: After heavy resistance, especially at the Air Base, the rebels gain control over Majorca. The official leader of the uprising, General Sanjurjo, dies in an air accident in a small airplane bringing him back to Spain from his exile in Portugal. He had insisted, against the advice of the pilot, on taking all of his possessions with him. The overloaded airplane crashed taking off.

"Rebels trapped as Government Militia close in on ruined headquarters."

July 21
The Nationalist insurgents have control of the Spanish zones of Morocco, the Canary Islands, the Balearics (except Minorca), the part of Spain north of the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Río Ebro (except Asturias, Santander, the north of the País Vasco (Basque Country), and Catalonia). Among the major cities, the insurgents hold Seville, but the Republicans retain Madrid and Barcelona. Toledo: After three days of street battles against forces loyal to the government, about 1000 Civil and Assault Guards, Falangists (comparable to the German S.A.), and a handful of infantry cadets, under the leadership of Colonel Moscardo, retreat into the Alcázar de Toledo, a stone fortress set on high ground overlooking the Tagus River and the city. They take with them their own families, plus a few hundred women and children as hostages, most of them families of well known leftists.

"State of Spain after the initial insurrection."

July 22
Vallehermoso, Santa Cruz de Tenerife in La Gomera, a village of 4,000, is the last place in the Canary Islands to fall to the rebels. Police Officer Francisco Mas García organized the hopeless resistance. The actual battle for the town lasted several hours. The councilor, the police officers and the leader of the local workers' council were condemned to death. In the hour before his execution, police chief Don Antonio wrote to his wife: "I die calm, because I believe in the justice of God". The navy and air force remain loyal to the government. Thanks to the initiative of noncommissioned officer Benjamin Balboa, most of the Navy stayed loyal to the Republic. He was on duty in the central military radio station. As soon as he got notice of the uprising he informed the Naval Ministry and arrested his commanding officer, Captain Castor Ibáñez, then spent the night informing navy ships about the uprising. The soldiers on the ships formed councils and gained control of the ships, despite heavy resistance from the officers. Spain lost three quarters of its navy officers that night, but the Navy was saved for the Republic. The officers of the Spanish Air Force are traditionally very Republican, but the air force has only a few obsolete planes.

July 23
The Nationalists declare a government in the form of the Junta de Defensa Nacional, which meets for the first time in Burgos.

July 24
Start of French aid to the Republican side. For the moment, the help only involves sending a handful of obsolete airplanes for the Spanish Republican Air Force, but the very fact that France seems willing to help is eminently morally important for the supporters of the Republic. The Durruti Column, around three thousand men, mostly workers, led by Buenaventura Durruti are the first volunteer militia to leave Barcelona, heading for the Aragon front.

July 28
First arrival of German and Italian planes in aid of the Nationalist side. The German and Italian planes carry troops from Morocco to Iberian Spain.

 

[unmerged(47162)]

ooo nice update! well a few obsolete planes are better than nothing right?

 

[unmerged(46739)]

ooo nice update! well a few obsolete planes are better than nothing right?

I'd rather not be flying in one of these contraptions

 

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Aragon, Republican Spain, Late July 1936

The Spanish Revolution of 1936 began during the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Much of Spain's economy was put under worker control; in anarchist strongholds like Catalonia, the figure was as high as 75%, but lower in areas with heavy socialist influence. Factories were run through worker committees, agrarian areas became collectivized and run as libertarian communes. Even places like hotels, barber shops, and restaurants were collectivized and managed by their workers.

"I had dropped more or less by chance into the only community of any size in Western Europe where political consciousness and disbelief in capitalism were more normal than their opposites. Up here in Aragon one was among tens of thousands of people, mainly though not entirely of working-class origin, all living at the same level and mingling on terms of equality. In theory it was perfect equality, and even in practice it was not far from it. There is a sense in which it would be true to say that one was experiencing a foretaste of Socialism, by which I mean that the prevailing mental atmosphere was that of Socialism. Many of the normal motives of civilized life--snobbishness, money-grubbing, fear of the boss, etc.--had simply ceased to exist. The ordinary class-division of society had disappeared to an extent that is almost unthinkable in the money-tainted air of England; there was no one there except the peasants and ourselves, and no one owned anyone else as his master."

The communes were run according to the basic principle of "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". In some places, money was entirely eliminated, to be replaced with vouchers. Under this system, goods were often little more than a quarter of their previous cost.

Le Assemblée Nationale, Paris, August 1, 1936

Léon Blum collected his thoughts, wiping the sweat from his brow as he walked down the long marbled corridor of the old Bourbon Palace. Blum was a deeply worried man, as if his position as Prime Minister was not hard enough as it was? A Jew, with Marxist ideals, in a country full of anti-semite aristocrats. It was not long into his tenure as Prime Minister that he had been dragged from his automobile by a mob of thugs, and very nearly beaten to death. A shiver escaped him, despite the stiffling heat. He was worried for a number of reasons, the hostility of his fellow countrymen was surprisingly a trivial issue compared to the political minefield that he found himself in. Spain had erupted into Civil War less than two months before, with a military uprising attempting to depose the democratic government. Both sides in Spain, the Republican Loyalists, and the so-called Nationalists immediately looked abroad for diplomatic and military support, knowing that the outcome of the war would be decided outside of Spain. The Republican government turned for aid to the sister French Popular Front - Blum had been quick to provide aid to the Republic, sending artillery and aircraft within weeks of the war breaking out - herein the problem arose, opposition to this move from abroad, in the form of the British and from within his own government created a dilemma for the French Prime Minister. The British Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden was due to meet him within the hour, with regard to a reaching an agreement over the war, it was common knowledge the distate which the British felt for the French support of the Republic. Surely Eden, and the British government were fully aware that the Germans and Italians would not let up supplying Franco and his Fascists? Blum sneered at the prospect, the madness of the situation - how could France, and indeed Britain allow a democratically elected government fall prey to a Fascist rebellion?

It was the opposition from his own cabinet which disturbed him more than anything else. The Radical-Socialsts being the most vocal, threatening to bring down the government if the support of the Republicans continued. As much as Blum would enjoy to see the backs of the meddling fools, the Popular Front would not be able to continue without them - Daladier had made that clear himself. He could not see any other avenue to follow however, the Radicals would have to be cowed into agreement, for the stability of the French Republic it would be imperative that the Loyalists in Spain succeed, with France at the fore of the resistance to the Fascist rebels. Perhaps it would be prudent to strengthen ties with Marx Dormoy's Communists, their support of their comrades in Spain being all too apparant. It was a risk he would have to take, he would make arrangements to meet with Dormoy, and then the Military Chiefs. Blum could only hope that he was not leading France to disaster, history would not forgive him if he made the wrong decision.

 

[unmerged(47162)]

ooo interesting...france going communist?

 

[aussieboy]

We want a conservative Spanish Republican government! Death to the rebels, both fascists and leftists!

Very good, makes it look like a history book in some parts, a novel in others! continue the good work.

 

[unmerged(17581)]

France might be going LWR...

 

[unmerged(46739)]

lifeless the Popular Front Government was a socialist government, just like in Spain. It included the the French Communist Party (PCF), the Socialist SFIO and the Radical and Socialist Party - what you see happening here is a shift further to the left, which of course is going to ruffle more than a few feathers

aussieboy thanks, thats the style i'm trying to achieve; you'll notice the lack of HoI2 screenshots - i won't include them in the AAR until around 1939, for reasons you will appreciate. Everything until then can be considered the prologue

anonymous4401 nothing changes there, hah.

Thanks for your comments, hopefully i'll be able to post the next installment later.

 

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Sorry for the lack of activity, been at work all day The update will come tommorow!

 

[GeneralHannibal]

This looks very, very good.

 

[unmerged(46739)]

This looks very, very good.

Thanks a lot, the feedback so far has been really positive, so i won't delay in bringing you the next update.

Edit: ARGH my pc was restarted, and i lost everything i had typed up

 

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August 1st
Despite increasing British pressure, France does not stem the tide of arms to the Republican government; although formally agreeing to the Non-Intervention Committee, none of the signatories have any intention to abide by the agreement made in London. At the pleading of the Marqués de Viana and the exiled ex-king of Spain, Alfonso XIII, Mussolini sends airplanes in support of the rebels. Mussolini wants money for this help; the Spanish billionaire Juan March pays for the Italian airplanes. Because Franco has no air personnel or pilots, Mussolini sends the airplanes with Italian pilots. After two of the airplanes crash on their way in French Morocco, the world becomes aware of this clear breach of nonintervention. Córdoba Rebel militia are overwhelmed by Loyalist forces, and the Rebel Commander surrenders after a bloody fight. Loyalist forces are able to turn their attention to checking the Nationalist advance from Sevilla.

August 2nd
Troops of the rebellious Spanish Foreign Legion, led by Colonel Asensio and Major Castejón, start their advance from Seville towards Madrid, Loyalist forces supported by French and International volunteers succeed in blunting the Nationalist offensive on the Córdoba road, the arrival of a French armoured brigade breaks the deadlock allowing the Republicans to reclaim the suburb of San Pablo before the end of the days fighting.

"Government militia advancing to attack Rebel positions, south of Córdoba."

August 4th
Despite a heroic resistance, Loyalist forces around Oviedo are overcome, and are pushed back. Under the cover of Republican airpower, the Basques are able to withdraw to San Sebastian and prepared positions to the west of the town. As of August 4th, the Nationalist advance in the region is halted, although the presence of Italian troops in Oviedo indicates that a major offensive is planned.

August 5th
With the promise of further French support, Government forces in the North-East gamble on a large offensive aimed at denying the Nationalists a massive area of support. With no less than eight divisions at the disposal of the Republic, the unorganized Rebel resistance will be swept aside, allowing for the Loyalists to concentrate on stabalising the Madrid, San Sebastian and Sevilla fronts respectively. Catalonia has seen an influx of French, and indeed international volunteers willing to fight against Fascism in the war for Spain.

"Republican troops begin the largest Loyalist offensive of the War."

August 7th
Pressure is mounting on Léon Blum's government after a squadron of French Cruisers out of Oran shelled the Nationalist stronghold of Melilla on the Morrocan coastline, this comes at the end of a week which saw considerable intervention from outside forces in this supposedly "Spanish" War. Relations between Paris and the Rome-Berlin Axis have chilled considerably as a result. General Franco, now de-facto leader of the Nationalist movement was quick to condemn the French attack, winning a major political coup by isolating the French government from her erstwhile allies in Britain.

"Melilla harbour after the French naval bombardment. The rebel Cruiser "Dato" burns in the background."

The Spanish War: The International Dimenson

By July and early August, 1936 the British government was deeply disturbed by the escalation of French support to the Spanish Republic, fearing the "hand of Moscow" behind the influx of International Fighters flocking to Spain to help bury Fascism under the rubble of the institutions of the old Ancient Regime. The underlying fear being that should the Republic survive in any form, then Communism would have won a major victory in Western Europe, and the involvement of the French government overtly in this conflict would not spare it from the repercussions of such a victory. Indeed, the very election of the Popular Front in France had not escaped notice in Whitehall, the French were again proving their inability to retain a stable demoncratic government, falling prey to revolutionary sentiments. Fascism, like Communism, was a disturbing prospect - even for Spain, but unlike Communism, the Fascists respected property - Britains commercial interests in the Iberian peninsula would not be threatened by rapid nationalisation of industry and commerce should Franco and his Nationalists succeed. Whereas should the Communists be the victory, the ensuing economic instability would be undesirable to say the least. The intellegence service was hard at work clamping down on the so called "Waldorff Exchanges", influencial Republican sympathisers attempting to purchase arms on the black market from within London itself had initiated a witch-hunt of sorts within the British Government, the sales had to be stopped, before it became common knowledge of a British breach of the Non-I
ntervention committee. Despite the obvious breaches by the other prominent signatories of the useless document, Britain could not be seen to be involved in any way. This of course would not prevent Nationalist sympathisers from aiding the Rebel cause, indeed, it was a British chartered plane that flew Franscisco Franco to Spanish Morroco at the start of the rebellion in July.

"Hitler and Mussolini, the Jolly Dictators ( )."

The Germans and Italians had no such reservations, to bother Hitler and Mussolini it was simple - the Nationalists had to be shored up by any means, the assistance of the Rebel cause with arms, munitions and volunteers en masse. Both were intitially caught by surprise by the outbreak of the Spanish conflict, but neither would pass up the opportunity to make a massive political statement, any Nationalist victory in Spain would have their names stamped all over it. In Hitler's decision to support Franco, strategic and economic considerations were essential. Spain's raw materials were a blessing to a Germany bent on rearming. Furthermore, the Spanish war represented the perfect testing ground for men and equipment as well as the occassion to stir up trouble in the west of Europe. while planning to expand eastward. Ideological reasons accounted much more for Italian intervention. Mussolini took seriously his position as founder of Fascism. He considered the fall of Primo's regime and it's replacement by a hostile left-wing Republic as a personal defeat. Unlike Hitler, the Duce kept in contact with different anti-Republican groups helping their activities with training and money. There was, however, an important degree of opportunism in his final decision.

While the Western Allies, with the unique exception of the French Popular Front Government, chose to ignore the plight of Spanish demoncracy, thousands of workers and intellectuals, realising that Republican resistance constituted a last stand against the wave of political reaction weeping across Europe, decided to leave everything behind, go to Spain and fight Fascism. Their initiative forced Stalin's hand. Hitherto the Russian dictator had been extemely cautious. In 1936 Russias' main objective was to break years of isolationism and seek an alliance with the Western Powers against the growing German threat. The Spanish war presented Stalin with a dilemma. He could not consent to emergence of another Fascist state. Yet a Republican victory could lead to social revolution in the peninsula, with the result of driving the Allies to side with Germany against the Soviet Union. Hence Stalin initially welcomed Non-Intervention, but it's continuous flouting by Germany and Italy made him adopt a more active strategy. The Comintern began to organise the transport of international volunteers to Spain and also weapons from Russia.

Not to be resigned to passive abandonment of the Spanish Republic, the French government found herself isolated from those other Western Democracies that would have no involvement in salvaging Spanish democracy from the clutches of Fascism. Blum's continued support of the Republic led to the eventual splintering of the French National Government, and in early August 1936, the French Popular Front split apart. Blums fears had been realised, and the Centrist Radicals stormed out of the National Assembley, leaving a void that could only be filled by the French Communist Party - something Blum was not opposed to, but naturally led to a massive swing to the left, something that caused a storm in the conservative French press. The political situation quickly devolved into violence on the streets of paris, and in scenes that were akin to the Fascist Riots of 1934, sympathisers of the far-right openly clashed with those of the left. The authorities seemingly crippled by inaction eventually clamped down on the unrest, only after the Army had been called in to deal with the threat. The arrest of Xavier Vallat, a high-profile member of Action Française during riots in Marseilles, led to calls for the government to ban the far-right party, initially the calls were rebuked, but following a foiled bomb attempt on the lives of Blum's cabinet the government was left with no choice. On August 8th, 1936, Action Française and all other far-right politicial parties in France were banned entirely. The situation however did not improve, rather than helping the situation it served as further provocation - by the second week of August workers strikes, general unrest and a campaign of assassinations of key figures on both the left and right led many to predict the imminent and total collapse of the government. Indeed, the menacing prospect of civil war was not out of the question, unless somehow the situation was brought to a quick conclusion, which with every passing day seemed less and less likely to happen. And so, by August 13th, the French Republic faced it's biggest threat since Prussian troops began their siege of Paris in 1871.

 

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Amazing stuff tom, civil war in france and spain, if things go well Western Europe will end up as a communist stronghold