In the first half of the twentieth century, Spain served as the stage where one of the most consequential wars in modern history was to play out. Sometimes called the “last of the great causes”, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a bitter, internecine conflict that would ultimately foreshadow horrors of the Second World War. It was here that the defenders of the Second Spanish Republic, ill-equipped and abandoned by their supposed allies, were condemned to being the forlorn hope in the first great battle against fascism. As the capital of one of the most staunchly republican regions in the country, Barcelona is the perfect place to learn more about this half-forgotten chapter in modern history.
‘The Last of the Great Causes’ is a tour that has been specially designed to provided an in-depth look at this world-historical event left and scars it has left on the city. The route begins at the Arc de Triomf, where you will get a an idea of what it was like to live during the Halcyon days of the Catalan Renaixença before anyone had begun to notice storm clouds gathering on the horizon.
It will then pass through the Parc de la Ciutadella, where you will discover how even at the time of Barcelona’s triumphant Universal Expo there were tensions simmering beneath the surface. From there, you will head to the Plaça Sant Jaume and stand in the very square where the Second Spanish Republic was announced to the Catalan people, getting a sense of the bliss it was in that dawn to be alive.
As you continue through the dark, narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, however, you’ll learn how those underlying tension soon began to break the surface during the ‘Bienio Negro’, reaching their apogee with the tragic events 6 d’Octubre 1934. On the city’s famous Ramblas, you will hear how the Popular Front swept to power as a last-ditch opportunity to defend the republic from the forces of reaction, before passing through the Plaça George Orwell to hear about how the social revolution unleashed by the attempted coup d’etat of 1936 inspired painters, poets and writers from all over the world to throw in their lot with the imperilled republic. Then, having ascended the slopes of Montjuic, you will learn about the tragic fate of Spanish democracy and the bloody consequences of the fascist victory.
From there, you will wind your way back into the old town, through the Plaça del Milicià Desconegut and finally reach the Plaça Sant Felip Neri to contemplate one of the most vivid reminders of this sombre history.
This tour is ideal for small groups of people interested in understanding the forces which shaped one of the great upheavals of the twentieth century. What’s more, if you’ve already seen the most renowned monuments that Barcelona has to offer, the tour is a great way to get a glimpse of the half-buried history which underpins some the city’s greatest edifices.
Whatever your interests, the route will give you a sense of the country’s past and how these events continue to shape the politics of today.
