Spain's Pre-War Years, speaks of why the years before the Spanish Civil War of 1936 so confusing and unstable, resulting in the need for a totalitarian leader?

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Hypothesis: The years before 1936 in Spain were unstable due to the polarization of the left- and right-winged ideologies in Spanish society which caused debilitating confusion.

Spain has always been a land of diversity: not just in geography but in ideology. So many different points-of-view were present in 19th and 20th century Spain that it's a wonder Spain did not self-destruct, with all the potential for conflict. Spain almost did collapse through several civil wars, finally coming to a head at what historians call the Civil War, in 1936-1939. Only after this Civil War (and for a period before it) did Spain see lasting peace; but both those times were ruled by totalitarian rulers: General de Rivera in 1923-1930 and General Franco in 1939-1975. The other years saw terrorism, assassinations, violence and innsurrections. This didactic essay will demonstrate the Spaniards' inability to rule themselves, and their need for a totalitarian leader.

The Coming of Change

Ever since Napoleon's takeover in 1808 and the War of Independence in 1814, Spain has been divided between liberals and conservatives, revolutionaries and reactionaries, or more generally, the left and the right wings. The 19th Century was one of great upheaval for Spain, and politics during most of that time usually involved struggles between two kinds of people: those who wanted change and those who didn't. Napoleon's rule and the War of Independence was a struggle between the French and Spanish patriots(with a lot of help from the British). The abolition of the Spanish Inquisition was between the powerful Church and the liberal, Jacobinistic government at the time. The Carlist Wars were between Church militants (the Carlists) and liberal monarchists. The many, many army coups, or pronunciamentos, were Army generals against any of the governments in power, wether it be liberal or conservative.1

The rise...