Poetry for Students, Volume 31

The Spanish Civil War
The second Spanish Republic was formed in
April 1931 when King Alfonso XVII left the
country on holiday. Spain had been in turmoil
since 1930, when General Primo de Rivera’s dic-
tatorship ended. Yet the years immediately fol-
lowing the establishment of the second republic
were peaceful and prosperous. Spain’s 1931 con-
stitution established the separation of church
and state, gave women the right to vote, allowed
easier access to divorce, and provided for free-
dom of speech and association. That peace, how-
ever, was short-lived, and the January 1936
parliamentary elections were hotly contested,
with candidates divided among the parties who
formed the Popular Front and those who formed
the Nationalists. The socialists, communists,
and republicans formed the Popular Front,
while the fascist Falange Espan ̃ola formed the
Nationalist Party. The Popular Front won the
elections, taking power in the parliament, but
violence between the two parties continued to
increase over the ensuing months. By July 12 of
that year, antifascist lieutenant Jose ́Castillo was
assassinated, and the Popular Front responded
the next day by having fascist leader Jose ́Calvo

Sotelo killed. By July 17, the fascist regime car-

ried out a military coup d’e ́tat, and Nationalist

troops led by General Francisco Franco

attacked Spain from Morocco. The ensuing

civil war lasted until April 1, 1939, with the

Nationalists claiming victory and establishing a

fascist dictatorship under Franco, one that

lasted until Franco’s death in 1975. The years

during the civil war were filled with the assassi-

nation of citizens believed to be a threat to the

fascist cause. Lorca was only one such victim.

Critical Overview.

‘‘Lament for Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as’’ was deemed

soimportantthatitcirculatedasastand-alone

piece, much as an epic poem would. Yet the

poem was no epic; it was only a long elegy. Widely

popular in Spain at the time of its release, the

poem was also highly topical, dedicated to the

1934 death of the famed Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as.

The celebrated matador, a friend of Lorca’s, was

gored to death in the bullring, and the country

Bullfight ring and spectators(Image copyright Vinicius Tupinamba, 2009. Used under license from Shutterstock.com)

Lament for Ignacio Sa ́nchez Mejı ́as