“The Spanish Civil War was essentially a domestic matter that rapidly became an international issue.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

INCLUDE EVERTHING BELOW IN THE ESSAY:

The causes of the Spanish war were mainly domestic issues. They included: separatism; the wealth and privileges of the nobility and the church, which contrasted with

peasants and urban poverty. This poverty in the countryside, and in the town with the growth of new industries and its labor problems, led to strikes and unrest; many

wished to overturn the existing order. Government extremes within the Republic, formed in 1931 after the departure of Alfonso XIII; polarization of politics; army

revolt led by various generals with Franco emerging as the Nationalist leader by September 1936.

The actual conflict (1936-1939) did become a European and an international issue. The former developed with the attempt to limit the conflict to Spain, with the

failure of the policy of Non-Intervention pursed by Britain and France. Germany and Italy supported the Nationalists, and the USSR and the International Brigades

supported the Republicans. European issues were fought out in Spain. Germany and to a lesser extent Italy, used it as a “ dress rehearsal” for a larger conflict; it

was also perceived to be a conflict between Communism and Fascism.

INCLUDE 4 QUOTES FROM HISTORIANS TALKING ABOUT THIS TOPIC