How the Spanish Civil War Became Europe's Battlefield

Between the two World Wars that would change the course of modern history, a smaller yet deeply impactful conflict took place. The Spanish Civil War was fought from 1936 to 1939. On the one hand, it was a local conflict on the margins of Europe. On the other hand, the conflict can also be seen as a microcosm of war in the 20th century. Not only did the Spanish Civil War foreshadow the global conflagration to come, but it also had its roots in the modern era’s central divides: urban versus rural, religion versus secularization, rich versus poor, progress versus tradition, democracy versus fascism and communism.