Questions about the Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War was a national democratic revolutionary war fought by the Spanish people against domestic fascist military rebellion and foreign armed intervention. On February 16, 1936, the Popular Front won the general election and formed a coalition government including the Democratic Party, the Socialist Party, and the Communist Party. Forces such as monarchists, big landowners, capitalists, senior monks, Falangists and reactionary military officers hated the new government. On July 18, 1936, with the support of German and Italian fascists, Franco launched an armed rebellion. On October 1, the Spanish Civil War began.

In the early days of the civil war, the Spanish Revolutionary Army, with the support of the people, prevented the rebels from advancing in the south and controlled all large industrial and political centers, major seaports, and transportation trunk lines in the country. The rebels were in a critical situation. But at this moment, the German and Italian fascists began to intervene. Not only did they help transport the rebels from Morocco to Spain, they also sent 50,000 and 150,000 troops respectively to Spain to assist the rebels in fighting. In the name of the "non-interference" policy, Britain, France and other countries imposed a blockade on the Spanish government. International progressive forces actively support the Spanish coalition government, and approximately 35,000 volunteers from 54 countries form an international corps to fight side by side with the Spanish people.

On November 6, 1936, Franco's rebels and interventionist forces launched a war aimed directly at Madrid. By March 1937, the rebels had launched four large-scale attacks on Madrid. Under the leadership of the Spanish Communist Party and others, the Madrid defenders and people repelled the rebel attack and defended the capital. After that, the rebels turned their focus to northern Spain. In April 1937, the main force of the rebels pushed towards Bilbao, carried out air raids on undefended towns and villages, and occupied Bilbao on June 20. Then march to Santander and Gijon. Although the Japanese and Japanese troops conducted two large-scale strategic offensives during this period, they failed to save the crisis in the north. Then, the rebels turned to the eastern front. In March 1938, they broke through the Japanese and Japanese defense lines and seized the strategic initiative on the eastern front. On July 25, the Japanese army won the Battle of the Ebro River, partially reversing the military situation. However, the signing of the "Munich Agreement" encouraged German and Italian fascists to support Franco's attack on the Republic of Germany. On December 23, the rebels and interventionist forces began a full-scale offensive. In the context of the great disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, partisan differences have emerged within the Communist Party of China, and its strength has weakened. On March 28, 1939, Madrid fell, the Republic of Korea overturned, and Franco established a dictatorship. More than 1 million people died in the civil war, and thousands of people fled to France. The Spanish Civil War was one of the most bloody wars in Europe before World War II and brought huge losses to the Spanish people.

Materials: The beginning of the war:

After the Popular Front won the election on February 16, 1936, the contacts between the Spanish reactionaries and the German and Italian fascists became active. In March 1936, General San Juljo went to Berlin and stayed at the "Kaiserhof" hotel where guests of the German government often stayed. The general conducted negotiations in Berlin regarding Germany's assistance to Spanish counterrevolutionary military organizations, and agreed to purchase a large amount of military equipment from German commercial banks.

While the reactionaries and fascists are making military preparations, the big capitalists are also carrying out economic sabotage. Business owners provoke labor conflicts and then blame everything on the Communist Party and the country. Landowners prefer to leave unharvested crops in the fields, leaving thousands of farm laborers in dire straits. The enemies of the Communist Party of China are doing everything they can to cause chaos in the country's economic and political life and undermine the prestige of the left-wing Communist Party government. To achieve this goal, they have adopted strikes, acts of terrorism, demonstrations and riots. Within two months (May 15 to July 15) there were 95 general strikes and more than 200 partial strikes. The chaos in economic and social life frightened certain sections of the petty bourgeoisie and the middle class, thus causing them to oppose the Communist Party and the country. The turmoil and chaos also attracted some conservative-minded intellectuals to the reactionaries. Many people had happily welcomed the victory of the Popular Front on February 16, but a few months later, they became indifferent to the Communist Party.

By the summer of 1936, preparations were in place for rebellion, and everything indicated that insurrection was imminent. On July 12, Assault Guard Lieutenant José del Castillo, an anti-fascist, was killed in Madrid. The next day, his friends killed one of the main organizers of the rebellion, José Calvo Sotelo.

José Díaz warned in Congress on July 15: "Everyone, beware! The reactionaries are preparing to rebel!" In Madrid, Barcelona, ??Bilbao and many other cities, ranks of workers It was guarded day and night, waiting for the fascists to attack. The clash between the two camps foreshadowed a desperate battle. It was impossible to prevent this. Both hostile camps were confident of victory. The democratic forces believe that they can put down any rebellion by the reactionaries. Warlords and reactionary forces are expected to quickly destroy Japan and the country. Spain entered one of the most tragic periods in its history.

The fascist armed rebellion began in the Spanish region of Morocco on July 17. After brutally routing isolated resistance, the rebels captured the cities of Melilla, Ceuta and Tetouan. Officers who insisted on being loyal to the Communist Party of China were shot on the spot.

The armed forces of the rebels in Morocco number about 35,000 officers and soldiers, of which 11,000 are "Foreign Legion" and 14,000 are Moroccan mercenaries.

On July 18, rebellion suddenly broke out in the main garrison and in Spanish cities. 80% of the armed forces - 120,000 officers and soldiers and most of the National Guard - side with the rebels. In Navarre and other provinces, the rebels were joined by armed detachments of "requets" and Falangists. The leader of the rebellion was originally General San Juljo, but he died in a plane crash under extremely unusual circumstances while flying back to Spain from Portugal on July 20. In order to lead an armed rebel group in Morocco, General Franco flew from the Canary Islands to Tetouan on a British plane on July 19. After San Juljo's death, he became the leader of the rebellion.

The events developed at lightning speed. The army rose up against Japan and the country. Fighting took place in almost every city in Spain. The barracks was attacked. The people were armed. Executions and executions were everywhere. Civil war engulfed Spain, and the heroic resistance of the people disrupted the rebel plans.

All the working people of Spain have taken up arms. Squadrons, brigades and columns of militia volunteers were established in factories, cities and villages. In the first days of the rebellion, more than 300,000 men and women reported to the assembly point in the hope of receiving rifles. Each man was armed with what he could find—revolvers, shotguns, old rifles, knives, forks, grenades, explosive charges. People took out from cellars and attics the rusty weapons that their ancestors had probably wielded during the First World War and took to the barricades and trenches. Many unarmed men stepped into the firing line, waiting for the rifles of the wounded or dead to become free. This was what José Dias called the "romantic period of war."

Mass heroism, infinite bravery, indomitable spirit, unprecedented enthusiasm - this is the portrayal of the defenders of the Communist Party of China. The Communist Party's slogan "Nopasalan!" ("They will not succeed!") roused thousands of anti-fascists to fight.

The people stormed the barracks almost with their bare hands, and on July 19 in Madrid, the armed guard's rebellion was put down. In Barcelona and across Catalonia, workers defeated the warlords in two days of bloody fighting. Asturias was in the hands of the people: Oviedo was surrounded, while the barracks of Gijon were taken by a charge of city residents and miners.

Fierce battles began in Andalusia and Estremadura. The workers of Seville, the peasants and farm laborers of Badajoz and Cáceres fought to the last bullet. Only with the support of Moroccan troops were the fascists able to capture Seville. Fishermen and workers in Galicia, A Coruna, Vigo and other cities put up heroic resistance against the army and the National Guard for several days.

In Malaga, Valencia, Bilbao, Santander and many other cities and provinces, the rebel plans failed. The Air Force and almost the entire Navy remained on the side of Japan and China. Sailors and junior commanders moved most of the warships and submarines into the Republic of China's ports.

The outcome of the first days of fighting left the rebels in a difficult situation. The country's main industrial centers remain in the hands of the people. The Communist Party of China has the support of the people across the country. The fascists could only gain a foothold in the provinces of Cádiz, Huelfa and Seville in the south, and in the regions of Galicia, Navarre, Old Castile and Aragon in the north.

The rebels were divided into two parts by the province of Badajoz; the northern forces under General Mora and the southern forces under Franco.

In the territory of the Republic of China, the working people have become the real masters of economic, political and military life. On July 19, the government of Jose Hilal (one of the leaders of the left-wing Communist Party and the Communist Party) was established. This government firmly advocated continuing the struggle until victory. Factories everywhere were put under workers' control, and in the countryside armed peasants seized land from fascist landlords. By that time, the Spanish Communist Party, which had more than 100,000 members, was a huge political force and mobilizing force. In Madrid, Catalonia and Asturias, the Communists immediately set about establishing combat units: the "Maxim Gorky Battalion", the "Karl Marx Battalion" and the famous Fifth Regiment.

*** He Guo has enough troops to stop the rebellion from spreading and then put it down. However, the Communist Party and the camp are not united enough, lack unified military command, and the weak militia forces hinder the organization of resistance. A serious obstacle is the differences of opinion among the various political factions within the Popular Front. It was necessary to establish a unified armed force of Japan and the country from the first day. But the result was that each party set out to form its own ranks and armies. Military operations among various regiments and columns are often inconsistent and uncoordinated. Although many battalions in the militia fought bravely, they fought independently without any clear military purpose, and they had no idea what the situation was like in areas adjacent to the front line. Moreover, several governments were established on the territory of the Republic of China, including the Central Government in Madrid, the Government of Catalonia, the Basque Government, and the Council of Asturias and Leon.

Catalonia's anarchists have caused huge damage to the organization's efforts to defeat the rebels, with thousands of armed people under their control doing nothing on the home front, Catalonia Sub-anarchist indiscipline and poor leadership resulted in important regions like Catalonia being late in joining the fight against the rebels. Catalan industry is far from adaptable to the demands of the tense situation. On the front lines of Catalonia and Aragon, where anarchists have a huge influence, anarchists usually fail to win wars because they do not abide by the minimum rules of military discipline and act purely in an anarchist way.

The situation in the Basque Country is not good either. Here, the political power actually falls into the hands of the Basque National Party headed by Aguirre, and Aguirre is terribly afraid of the initiative of the working people. , this party represents the interests of the bourgeoisie. Although it enjoys a certain prestige among some people in the working class, it makes the Basques less willing to accept revolutionary reforms.

As a result, the fascists were able to buy time, persist and mobilize all their forces until they received military assistance from Italy, Germany and Portugal. The war dragged on and the situation in the Spanish Republic worsened.

The Spanish War immediately attracted the attention of the world. All progressive humanity stands with the Spanish people and the French Republic. The entire international reactionary and imperialist group opposes the Spanish Revolution. Spain's open and explicit enemies (fascist countries: Germany, Italy and Portugal) immediately began to aid the rebels. In the first days of the rebellion, German and Italian aircraft transferred more than 14,000 soldiers and a large amount of military supplies from Morocco to the peninsula. The first batches of German machine guns, artillery, tanks and military technicians were immediately shipped to Lisbon and other Portuguese ports. Salazar's Portugal opened its borders to General Franco. During the first days of the war, Portuguese weapons and even individual units of the Portuguese army were shipped from Portugal to areas held by the rebels. Thanks to this support, the rebels were able to capture Badajoz in mid-August and join the northern group in Old Castile, León, Galicia and Navarre.

German and Italian aid rescued General Franco and his army. Without the armed intervention of Italy and Germany, the Republic of Korea would have been able to put down the fascist rebellion in a relatively short period of time. But the balance of power between the communists and the rebels soon developed in favor of the latter. This trend was encouraged by the stance taken by the ruling establishments in England, France, and the United States toward the Spanish War. The governments of these countries deprived war-torn Spain of what it needed most - weapons. On August 2, France's Léon Blum government proposed "non-interference" in Spanish affairs, although the idea for this non-interference agreement was British.

At the end of August, France proposed the establishment of a non-interference committee to assume the task of supervising the implementation of the agreement. On September 9, this committee began its work in London. 27 European countries participated in the London Committee.

The non-intervention agreement prohibits the export and transfer of weapons and military supplies to Spain. Although the United States did not participate in the London Committee, it actually fully supported the "non-interference" policy. The U.S. government declared itself neutral and also prohibited the export of arms to Spain.

The "non-interference" policy adopted in the Spanish war was actually correct to a certain extent if it could be strictly followed. It is true that the Spanish Republic has lost its legal right to purchase weapons from abroad, but the rebels will inevitably fail without foreign aid. Starting from this point, the Soviet Union participated in the non-intervention agreement on August 23 to prevent the expansion of the Spanish War and prevent it from developing into a world war. At the same time, the Soviet Union participated in the Non-Intervention Committee in order to use this international forum to safeguard the interests of the Spanish people when necessary. Using the principle of unanimity, Soviet representatives were able to prevent the London Committee from adopting decisions that would attack the interests of the Spanish Communist Party.

In fact, the "non-interference" policy of the Western powers turned out to be a cover for Italian and German armed intervention in Spain. Its purpose was to slowly strangle the Spanish democratic revolution and national independence with the help of fascist countries. . This policy also had the purpose of covering up the intentions and hopes of the British, French and American ruling groups to direct fascist aggression against the Soviet Union. The increasingly aggressive intervention by Germany and Italy met with no resistance from the governments of Britain, France and the United States.

The coast of Spain, which was under the control of ***, was bombarded by German warships, and Italian pirate submarines were operating in the Mediterranean. In November 1936, Germany established the "Condor" Corps, first led by Shi General Pell, later commanded by Generals Richthofen and Volkmann. The legion has powerful air defense facilities, mechanized troops, tanks and armored vehicles. Its total combat personnel exceeds 6,000, and the Air Force had eight bomber and destroyer groups and one seaplane group when it was first established. Fascist countries signed secret mutual assistance and cooperation agreements with the rebels. German and Italian monopolies strengthened their position in the Spanish economy. There was a "W" special staff to assist the rebels in Berlin. In August 1936, a government commission for armed intervention in Spain was established in Italy.

In the view of the military staff in Berlin and Rome, Spain is a suitable strategic base for future wars and a training ground for testing its own military technical equipment and tactical potential. Spain is also economically advantageous as a source of raw materials and as a location for investment. Germany and Italy needed Spanish tungsten, mercury, iron, and agricultural products for military preparations. The intervention of Italy and Germany also pursued a goal: to end the democratic and revolutionary development process in Spain and to establish a fascist dictatorship on the other side of the Pyrenees.

Germany and Italy spare no effort to realize their plans. According to rough information, Italy's aid is 14 billion lire (not including the value of 1,000 aircraft). Franco received from Mussolini approximately 2,000 cannons, 10,000 automatic weapons, 240,000 rifles, 900 tanks, 12,000 cars, 800 tractors, 2 submarines, 4 destroyers and many other military equipment. Germany provided no less weapons assistance to the rebels than Italy did. There were 150,000 Italian regular troops and 50,000 Germans participating in the war against Japan. The Italian air force has three regiments and two groups of bombers, and one regiment and two groups of destroyers. 600 Italian pilots successively participated in the air combat in the Spanish War. Italian casualties were: 6,000 killed and 11,000 wounded.

In order to study the tactics of total war, the Germans tried out the "Junkers-87" dive bomber and the "Messerschmitt-109" destroyer in Spain. German instructors trained more than 50,000 rebel officers. It cost 232 million marks to maintain the "Condor" Army Corps.

Behind the open armed intervention of Germany and Italy in the Spanish Republic, the imperialist groups of Britain, France and the United States were secretly assisting the rebels. British trading houses supplied the rebels with ancient oil and aircraft. Franco received weapons and ammunition from the British military base in Gibraltar. France's "Renault" secretly sells aircraft and cars to the rebels. The whole French policy towards the Spanish Republic was appalling.

Leon Blum's government passed a decision on July 25, 1936 to ban the sale of arms to the Soviet Union and Spain, thereby destroying the Spanish-French trade agreement signed in December 1935. According to this agreement, Spain The Communist Party of China has the right to purchase weapons worth 40 million francs from France. The rebels received substantial aid from American monopolies. More than 75% of the oil they need is supplied by American oil companies. Almost all the military technical equipment in the armies of Franco and the armed interventionists ran on American fuel.

The armed intervention and "non-intervention" policy of Italy and Germany soon caused the balance of power to develop in favor of the rebels. The struggle of the Spanish people transformed into a national revolutionary war. The leader of the Spanish Communist Party, Dou Ibarulli, pointed out: "The reason why it is said to be a national war is because the people oppose foreign armed intervention. This interference has made Spain a colony of Italian and German imperialists." The reason why it is called a revolutionary war is that the Spanish people fought to maintain, consolidate and develop the democratic freedoms they won in the long and brutal struggle against the Spanish reactionaries."

The fascist rebellion caused The country fell into civil war, and the war became a great national tragedy in Spain. Never before had so much blood been shed on Spanish soil as during these three years of war, and the forces of international fascism and reaction were pressing down on the Spanish people. The manner and scale of repression, killings, revenge and hatred are appalling.

The heroic resistance of the Spanish people became the first international war of peaceful democratic forces against fascism. After the Great October Socialist Revolution, the Spanish War was the most powerful mass revolution and struggle against reactionary forces in Europe. The launch of democracy. In their struggle for freedom and democracy, the Spanish people have set to the whole world an unprecedented example of heroism, courage and inspiring sacrifice.

The Spanish War had a huge impact on the creation of the young generation in the 1930s. Anti-fascists and democrats around the world not only admire the heroic struggle of the Spanish people, but also learn from their spirit of fighting reactionaries and fascists. The three years of the Spanish War were a severe test for all anti-fascists in the world. The front lines of the Spanish War divided not only Spaniards but all mankind into two worlds: on the one hand, the world of fascism and reaction, on the other, the world of democracy and freedom. For almost three years, Spain was the dividing line between the forces of war and fascism and the forces of peace and social progress.

The historical significance of the Spanish people's national revolutionary war is of great significance. The Spanish War disrupted the aggressive plans of German and Italian fascists for a long time and delayed the outbreak of World War II. Spain, which was under communist rule, made its due contribution to the victory over fascism and Nazi Germany.

The Soviet Union and the democratic forces of the world cannot remain indifferent to the Italian and German fascist attacks on communist Spain. In September, the Soviet Union was still adopting a wait-and-see attitude, waiting to consider whether to remain neutral in the Spanish War. But when Germany and Italy began to openly violate the non-intervention agreement, the Soviet Union began to provide active material assistance to Spain, which was under dictatorship.

On October 7, the Soviet government publicly stated: "If this violation of the non-interference agreement does not stop immediately, the Soviet government will no longer be bound by the obligations stipulated in the agreement." October On the 12th, Soviet representatives in the London Committee proposed strict control of Portuguese ports and specific measures to prevent breaches of the agreement.

The Soviet Union’s attitude towards the Spanish people’s struggle is very clear. The Soviet Union decided not only to provide moral support to the Spanish Republic, but also to provide material assistance. ; The Soviet government reiterated in a note of October 23 that it "cannot consider itself to be more bound by this agreement than any other country participating in the non-interference agreement." Concrete actions by the Soviet government made its statement even stronger. The first Soviet cargo ship carrying weapons arrived in war-torn Spain on October 13.

The Soviet Union’s diplomatic support and material assistance to the Spanish Republic is immeasurable. At all meetings of the Non-Intervention Committee and in the League of Nations, Soviet representatives defended the legitimate rights of the Soviet Union and Spain and angrily exposed the armed intervention of Italy and Germany. A huge wave of solidarity with the Spanish people swept across the Soviet Union. On August 3, 1936, more than 100,000 working people in Moscow walked to the Red Square holding placards reading "No interference in revolutionary Spain!"

The nation watched with uneasiness the progress of military operations in distant Spain. The first few Five-Year Plans were a very difficult period for the Soviet Union, but it still provided huge material assistance to Spain, which was under dictatorship. Based on the initiative of the workers of the "Sanshan Textile Factory", donations were collected across the Soviet Union to assist the Spanish people. Twelve million rubles were raised within a few days. By the end of October, it had exceeded 47 million rubles. The working people of Spain will never forget that the Soviet Union extended a helping hand to them in those difficult days.

The international proletariat and all anti-fascists in the world stand with the Spanish Communist Party. Mass movements in support of the Spanish people have been launched on all continents of the world, and associations of Friends of the Spanish Republic have even been established in the farthest corners of Latin America, Africa and Asia. In Paris, London, New York and other cities around the world, democratic forces demanded aid for the Popular Front Spain. The Spanish Embassy receives thousands of donations and donations. Tens of thousands of people were preparing to go to Spain to join the anti-fascist struggle. The international movement to support the Spanish Republic has reached unprecedented scale. In order to coordinate the efforts, a special international committee to assist the Spanish Republic was established in Paris. Warlock Spain received all kinds of aid through this committee - from ambulances and medicine to condensed milk for children. A large donation was raised by the International Committee. Within two years of the war, the Committee raised 800 million francs from 17 countries alone. People of all political stripes came out to defend the Spanish people. This is a powerful international anti-fascist front. Advanced intellectuals - people who supported democracy and opposed fascist barbarism played a huge role in this. Those who loudly advocated for the Spanish Revolution include: Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Theodore Dreiser, Albert Einstein, Leon Feuchtwanger, Thomas Mann, Ernest Hemingway, Joliot Curie, Langevin, Picasso, Diego Rivera and many other famous people from around the world.

The formation of the famous International Brigade is the highest expression of solidarity with the Spanish people. Volunteers from 54 countries joined this organization. Coming to Spain is not easy. But some of the volunteer freedom fighters walked, some took trains, ships or fishing boats, and took planes, and some openly or secretly managed to reach Spain. Everyone was united by one thing in common - hatred of fascism and the desire to aid the Spanish people. The fascist propaganda machine spread rumors that all those fighting in the International Brigade were communists. In fact, those fighting in the International Brigade included Communists, Catholics, independents, Communists, liberals and socialists; representatives of workers, clerks, farmers and intellectuals; The U.S. ambassador to France and Spain wrote that most of the International Brigades' fighters were "nothing more than anti-fascists." The oath of the members of the International Brigades ends with: "I am here voluntarily, and if necessary, I will give all my blood, up to the last drop, to save the freedom of Spain and the freedom of the world."

The General *** established 7 international columns. The *** had 24 battalions and 1 international battalion incorporated into the Spanish 86th Column. There are hundreds of International Column volunteers working in the air force, artillery units, engineering units and ambulance depots. The first International Column, the Eleventh International Column organized according to the *** and military designations, was established at the end of October 1936. Participating in this column were Germans, French, Belgians, Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Czechs, Yugoslavs and Austrians. The Twelfth International Column was established in early November and was basically composed of Italians, Germans, French and Slavs. Between December 1936 and January 1937, the Thirteenth Column was formed, mainly composed of representatives of Slavic nationalities: Poles, Bulgarians, and Yugoslavs. A 14th Column composed of Belgians and Frenchmen was also formed at that time. Americans, British and Canadians joined the Fifteenth Column, which was formed between January and February 1937. Later, in the summer of 1937, the 150th Column was formed. Later, the 129th Column was established at the end of the year. By this time, due to heavy casualties, most of the members of the International Column were composed of Spanish soldiers.

Each battalion of the International Brigade usually uses famous fighters for freedom and democracy such as Garibald, Th?lmann, Chaboyan, Mickiewicz, Dombrovsky, Henry Babise, Dimitrov, Named after Lincoln and others.

During the entire war, the total number of International Column volunteers reached 35,000. France sent about 9,000 volunteers to conquer and conquer Spain, Poland - 5,000, Italy - about 3,500, the United States - 2,800, and the United Kingdom - 2,000. Also participating in the International Brigade were 1,000 Canadians, 1,200 Hungarians, 1,200 Yugoslavs, 3,000 Germans and 2,000 Austrians. More than 7,000 volunteer soldiers of the International Column gave their lives in the struggle against fascism for freedom. Among those who died on the battlefield in Spain was the commander of the 12th International Column and the Hungarian writer Mattei Zarka (known to everyone in Spain was the name he used for General Lukács), Hans Beimler, member of the Central Committee of the German Communist Party, Ralph Fox, British Battalion political commissar, author and historian, British Communist Party Central Committee member George Brown, Italian Communist Party Central Committee member Nino Nanetti, Thirteenth International Column political commissar and Yugoslav Communist Party Central Committee member Blagoje Parovich. Among the names of those who died on the Spanish battlefields were the battalion commander Georgi Dimitrov, the Bulgarian Grebenarov, the Frenchman Alfred Bruges, a construction worker from Paris, and The names of the journalist Gui de Travese, the Jewish poet Isaac Joffe, the Cuban Pablo De La Toriente Blau and many other anti-fascist heroes who were excellent reporters of the revolution. .

Fighting in the International Brigade are also Austrian communist General Kleber (Manfred Stern), Polish General Walter (Carol Sverce) Schindler), the famous German writer Ludwig Renn, Italian workers’ leaders: Luigi Longo, Giuseppe di Vittorio, Pietro Nanni, Vittorio Vittorio Dalí, French Communist Politburo member Francois Bju, Hungarian Ferenc Minnich and some other famous activists of the international democratic movement and labor movement.

The outstanding American writer Ernest Hemingway worked as a military reporter in war-torn Spain for almost the entire war. He is a close friend of the Republic of China and the Spanish people. Most of his creations are related to Spain, which he truly loved. He wrote a very good book about the Spanish War called For Whom the Bell Tolls, which is a powerful, brave and true book.

The number of Soviets who participated in the Spanish War was relatively small, but their help was great. They helped to establish the Japanese Army, trained Spanish pilots, tankers, and infantry, and participated in Formulate the military action plan of the Japanese Army. The total number of Soviet volunteers on the Spanish battlefield is about 600: 23 military advisers, 49 instructors, 29 artillery officers, 141 pilots, 107 tankers, 29 sailors, communications experts, engineers and technicians, and medical personnel 106 personnel. There are more than 70 translators and various service personnel.

Those who came to Spain to serve as consultants and military experts include R.Y. Malinovsky, G.M. Shtern, Y.F. Smushkevich, N.G. Kuznetsov, Bartov, Ky. A. Meretskov, N. N. Voronov, Y. Y. Rodimtsev, etc. Soviet pilots who fought bravely in Spain include: A. Serov, Smirnov, Yakushin, Minaev, Terhor, Uglovatov, Holizunov, etc. The Soviet tankers who made contributions in the battle to defend the Republic of Korea include: Krivosheying, Novikov, Eugene, Arman, etc.

Soviet sailors on ships such as the "*** Youth League", "Neva", "Kuban", and "Turkish Railway" risked their lives and bravely completed the journey to * **Navigation in Japanese ports. The outstanding political commentator Mikhail Koltsov, the writer I. Ellenborg, the journalist Savage, the cinematographer Ro Carmen and many others dedicated all their strength and talents to the defense of the Spanish government and the country. The name of the Soviet cause is inseparable from the Spanish War.

The Soviet Union and all democratic forces provided assistance to Spain at the critical moment when the Republic of Korea needed them most. On October 10, 1936, the capital of the Republic of Korea faced serious danger from fascist rebels and armed forces. The interventionists were eager to capture Madrid. The first and greatest battle between democracy and fascism came.