Spain at the Beginning of the Second World War

A Reaction to the German Invasion of Poland. International Relations and Press of a Neutral Country

Abstract

During the Spanish Civil War, the victorious government of Francisco Franco established close political and military co-operation with Nazi Germany with the objective of combatting Communist influence. This alliance was to be furthered by the establishment and active development of cultural and scientific collaboration between the two countries, and a Spanish-German cultural agreement was elaborated for this specific purpose. However, the draft of the document caused great anxiety amongst Spanish conservatives and the Catholic hierarchy. The agreement was due to have been ratified in September 1939, but following Hitler’s aggression against Poland the Spanish government refused. This proved to be the first step towards a gradual weakening of ties between Madrid and Berlin, and indeed towards Hitler’s alliance with Stalin (the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact); ultimately, the Third Reich’s invasion of predominantly Catholic Poland caused General Franco’s cabinet to establish closer relations with the Anglo-Saxon powers. For Franco, these developments became a decisive argument against involving Spain in the Second World War, which fact was of importance for the final result of the conflict.