Women in the Popular Front in the Spanish Civil War

It took the creation of the Popular Front to persuade the left to encourage women to mobilize in large numbers in support of the Republic.

Despite playing a key role for the Republican side as members of the Popular Front, the legacy of these women has largely been ignored.

The Popular Front was a coalition of leftist parties created during the Second Spanish Republic ahead of the 1936 elections as a way of ensuring a left wing majority in the Congreso de Diputados.

With the Republic largely maintaining control over its Navy, Franco and others in the military successfully convinced Adolf Hitler to provide transport for Spanish troops from North Africa to the Iberian peninsula.

[19][16] Franco's initial coalition included monarchists, conservative Republicans, Falange Española members, Carlist traditionalists, Roman Catholic clergy and the Spanish army.

a few days later, on 18 July 1936 in Madrid while broadcasting from the Ministry of the Interior's radio station, saying, "It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

[12][13] It took the creation of the Popular Front to persuade the left to encourage women to mobilize in large numbers in support of the Republic.

[14] For the remaining political parties, labor groups and government organizations, women's rights and feminists goals were not among their major concerns.

[24][25][26][27] In general, the PSOE began espousing a more militant approach to combating right-wing actors inside Spain, continuing this thinking as the history of the Second Republic chugged along in the face of increasing numbers of labor conflicts and male leadership quarrels.

Her support of universal suffrage, feminist goals and divorce had made her an anathema to the male dominated party leadership.

In general, the PSOE began espousing a more militant approach to combating right-wing actors inside Spain, continuing this thinking as the history of the Second Republic chugged along in the face of increasing numbers of labor conflicts and male leadership quarrels.

[32] The October 1938 CNT congress in Barcelona saw Mujeres Libres locked out, with the fifteen women strong delegation barred from entering.

[30] Older members were often critical of younger ones, whom they viewed as being too hesitant to act and over their perceived obsession on issues like sexuality, birth control and access to abortions.

[26] In June 1937, the Franco regime and the Communists in control of Republican areas both declared POUM illegal, leading to the dissolution of the group.

[26] Asociación de Mujeres contra la Guerra y el Fascismo underwent a second name change in 1936, shortly after the start of the Civil War.

[34] During the Civil War, Ibárruri earned herself the nickname La Pasionaria as she traveled the country to speak in opposition to Francoist forces.

[36] Pàmies would also be responsible for isolating POUM's youth organization, Juventudes Comunistas Ibéricas, in such a way that it would leave blood on her hands.

[37] During the Civil War, broader problems that pre-dated it continued, and meant socialist groups tended to lack female participation.

PSOE also refused to send women to the front, perpetuating the sexist belief that a woman could best serve the war effort by staying at home.

[27] While the national branches of Communist Party supported sending foreign fighters to Spain to fight in the Civil War in the International Brigades, they often opposed their female members from going.

[35] The first Spanish Republican women to die on the battlefield was Almeria born JSU affiliated miliciana Lina Odena on 13 September 1936.

[35][9][27][39] With Nationalist forces overrunning her position, the unit commander chose to commit suicide rather than to surrender at a battle in Guadix.

With Nationalist forces threatening her with the potential of being raped by Moorish soldiers if she does not surrender, Republicans were able to cast her as an innocent who chose death rather than to be debased and lose her honor.

Beyond that, Falangist propaganda implied Odena had been guilty of murdering a Catholic priest a few weeks prior, with her suicide was a way of escaping punishment.

[11] Shortly after the start of the Civil War, around 1,000 Spanish women volunteered to serve on the front lines of the Republican side.

[27] Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) was one of the only major actors on the left to immediately reject the idea of women participating in combat.

The idea was too radical for them, and they believed women should serve as heroes at home, providing support to civilian populations well behind the front lines.

What is most likely is that various political and military leaders made their own decisions based on their own beliefs that led to different groups of female combatants gradually being withdrawn from the front.

Swiss aid worker Elizabeth Eidenbenz arrived to the camps on the frontier in December 1939, and immediately set about improving maternity services.

[11] Another reason the role of Spanish women on the Republican side in the Civil War has been ignored is there is a lack of primary sources.