At the Fringes of the New Order

Spain and Poland, 1939–1940

Abstract

In Continental Europe, Spain and Poland were at the geographic extremes of the ambitions of the Third Reich in 1939 and 1940. To Germany, the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 with the Nazi-supported victory of the regime of General Francisco Franco brought with it expectations of trade and military collaboration against the Western powers, even if Hitler would later be frustrated in both these areas. In the East, Poland was the most consistent opponent of German diplomatic and military expansionism, even though the Western Allies and the Soviet Union were all eager to make deals with Hitler to avoid war. Despite these differences, Spain and Poland did share a number of common elements, including Catholicism, rising disenchantment with the Western powers, and a deep mistrust of Soviet Communism, the latter belief held across multiple parties and sectors, even including Spanish Republicans opposed to Franco. Using primarily Spanish records, this paper will examine the reaction of Spanish and Polish leaders to the outbreak of the Second World War, and also their attempts at identifying and developing common ground between Spain and Poland – even if for Spain an expression of sympathy for the plight of the Poles could have jeopardized relations with Germany.