1936–1939
In July 1936, General Francisco Franco led a military coup against Spain's elected Republic, splitting the nation into two warring zones and drawing in the great powers of Europe. Hitler and Mussolini backed Franco's Nationalists with troops, tanks, and bombers — the Condor Legion destroyed Guernica on a market day, inspiring Picasso's defining painting of fascist terror — while Stalin supplied the Republicans with arms, advisors, and the insidious influence of the NKVD. Volunteers from 54 countries formed the International Brigades and rushed to defend the Republic, crying "No pasarán!", but Franco's final victory in April 1939 established a dictatorship that lasted until 1975 and cast a long shadow over the coming World War.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.