Anticlericalism: The Dilemma of Nationalist Revival in the Spanish Civil War (1931-1939) (original) (raw)

For many years, the historical impact of national movements in Europe has caused a stir and continues to be an issue of major importance. Historiographically, nationalism poses a threat to one’s views and aspirations for the nation leading to a deeply rooted sense of radical patriotism. The Spanish Civil War was a fight between the left-leaning Republicans, allied with the Anarchists and Communists, and the conservatives fought by the Nationalists, the Carlists, the Catholics, and a group of aristocrats led by the Spanish general Francisco Franco. The authoritarian conflict caused by the Second Spanish Republic was a high period of political idealism and a struggle between democracy and fascism in Europe. Using Hobsbawm’s framework on nationalism can the reader get a true grasp of the context of historicizing anticlericalism. In the same way, by doing so, the perspective of the study doesn’t just intend to internalize anticlericalism. It also hopes to examine the external factors in Modern European history advocating for the liberal left-wing and the conservative right-wing parity to arise during the Spanish Civil War.