The Spanish Civil War Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Spanish Civil War Quiz
Image: FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty

About This Quiz

As a revolution gripped the country, Spanish citizens took up arms against one another and mercilessly slaughtered their neighbors. How much do you know about the Spanish Civil War?
The Spanish Civil War pitted the Republicans against which group?
Communists
Nationalists
Democrats
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A military revolt started the war, which quickly escalated.

Which side was assisted by Nazi Germany?
Republicans
Nationalists
neither
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Nationalists had a fascist streak that endeared them to the Nazis.

In what year did the Spanish Civil War begin?
1934
1935
1936
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And it dragged on until 1939.

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Which side was made up of mostly Roman Catholics?
Nationalists
Republicans
neither side
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They were dead-set against social reforms and many had prominent roles in society.

About how many foreign volunteers fought with the Republicans?
about 5,000
about 8,000
about 30,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It included men from all over the world who had Communist leanings.

How did the United Kingdom react to the outbreak of the war?
They didn't want anything to do with it.
They secretly helped the Nationalists.
They immediately assisted the Republicans.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The U.K.'s official policy was just to try and stay out of the messy affair.

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Which side mounted a vicious repression of anyone who didn't agree with their ideology?
Republicans
Nationalists
both sides
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Both sides dehumanized political opponents and savagely tortured and killed them.

How did Franco take control of the Nationalists?
No one else wanted the job.
He was elected.
He killed his rivals.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Two months into the conflict, he was elected and then never relinquished his leadership.

Which country was the first to publicly announce its support for the Republicans?
Cuba
France
Mexico
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mexico refused to commit to non-intervention agreements and very much wanted the Republicans to win.

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The Republican side was mostly made up of what?
Hippies
the working class
middle-class suburbanites
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The war essentially pitted workers against the privileged, but there were plenty of other political nuances at work, too.

During the war, nearly 7,000 Catholic clergy were killed in violence nicknamed what?
Red Terror
The Holy Horror
Crucifixion of the Church
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The leftists killed tens of thousands of people, including many religious leaders; the church had sided against leftist reforms.

In total, about how many people died during the war?
about 250,000
about 320000
about 500,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Another half a million people fled the country in a desperate bid to survive.

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In the early stages of the war, what caused most deaths?
executions
Spanish flu
Arson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Politically-motivated executions (without trial) killed untold thousands of people.

Which country did NOT support the Nationalists during the war?
Germany
USSR
Italy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Communists did side with the Republicans, though.

Historians often note the war for which extraordinary characteristic?
Atrocities
the use of chemical weapons
the amicable ending
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ordinary humans treated each other like animals, leading to mind-numbing brutality.

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How did the Republicans convince the USSR to help them fight the Nationalists?
They paid them.
They threatened them.
They begged them.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spain sent off most of its gold reserve to Moscow in exchange for military help.

At the beginning of the military coup, which major city did the Nationalist rebels capture?
Madrid
Barcelona
Seville
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The city provided Franco a way to move his troops in from northern Africa.

After the war, what sort of government was Spain left with?
a dictatorship
a republic
a democracy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Franco seized control of the country and didn't let go.

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How many nations promised not to intervene in the war?
12
19
27
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Only Mexico and the USSR publicly supported the Republican side; Germany and Italy were prominent supports of the Nationalists.

After the war ended, for how long did Francisco Franco rule Spain?
three years
13 years
36 years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He ruled with force, killing hundreds of thousands of Spanish citizens.

Why did both sides seek out foreign military aid?
They were both financially destitute.
They were both too puny to win.
They wanted to spark a world war.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They realized early on that they needed more military might to fight for victory.

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As the war settled in, the Nationalists basically adopted a policy based on what?
terror
financial equality
fairness
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They employed horrific violence as a means to their ends.

About how many French men fought in the International Brigades?
about 10,000
about 20,000
about 30,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But France didn't support the Republicans, publicly out of fear that it might spark a revolt on French soil.

During the war, a town named Guernica became famous for what?
Nationalists set the town on fire.
Civilians were targeted by aerial bombardment.
Nazi troops massacred hundreds of people.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a time when air power was relatively new, the bombing was considered an outrage; it inspired one of Pablo Picasso's most famous paintings.

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How many people died in the bombing of Guernica?
1,600
800
no one knows
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

High estimates were at more than 1,600, and lows were at just more than 100; either way, it allowed the Nationalists to take over the town.

How long did Nationalist forces lay siege to Madrid?
three days
three months
three years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Franco attacked the city multiple times and, to his frustration, failed.

Why did Italy's Mussolini decide to join the Nationalists in the war?
Hitler told him to.
He hated Stalin.
He had extra bombs nearing their expiration dates.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hitler convinced him that it was a good idea; about 50,000 Italians fought at one point or another.

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After the war, about how many people died as Franco exacted revenge against his political opponents?
400,000
100,000
No one knows.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At minimum, 30,000 people were executed, but the number may have reached six figures.

What opportunity did Hitler see by sending forces to the war?
He was testing his military might.
He thought Spain might be a good place to start World War II.
He wanted Spanish weapons.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was consciously practicing for the next big event … World War II.

How did Franco reward Hitler's help when World War II began?
He remained neutral.
He joined the Allies.
He joined the Nazis.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Spain, battered by its internal conflict, never officially joined the Germans in their fight.

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FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty