Spanish People Quotes

The Spanish Military Dictator Francisco Franco had supporters despite his Civil War that was the destruction of democracy in Spain and the slaughter of many of Franco’s opponents. He allied with Nazi Fascist Germany and Italy and allowed the German Air Force to test the aerial bombing of populated cities for the first time in history. The Spanish Aristocracy and the Roman Catholic Church were strong supporters of Franco while volunteers came from every other country in Europe to try and defeat the Fascists as WWII was around the corner if they were not stopped. An entire brigade of Americans—the Abraham Lincoln Brigade—came to support the Spanish Republicans but Franco and his Fascist allies had much more modern weaponry including total air supremacy thanks to Nazi Germany.

In the Spanish Civil War the Germans intervened on the side of the Fascist Royalists and bombed Republican troops and cities. Anti-Fascist volunteers from many countries of the world came to Spain and formed the International Brigades.

The Spanish Civil War was in retrospect the first battle of WWII. Hitler, contemplating a European takeover, provided the Franco Fascist’s with German Air Support, using aerial bombing, not to destroy military targets but to terrorize civilian population centers. The successful tactic was used by the Germans against Warsaw, Amsterdam, London and many other cities.

Ortega sought to bring Spain closer to Europe and was an influential intellectual of “The Generation of ’98.” This quote is taken from his book, Invertebrate Spain.