How a Political Killing of a Hated Rightist Government Figure in Spain Led to a Horrific Civil War in 1936, and How It can Apply to the Aftermath of the Killing of Charlie Kirk in the US now
By Roberto Eduardo Fiad
September 11, 2025
Spain’s Dark Turning Point
On July 13, 1936, José Calvo Sotelo, a prominent and outspoken
right-wing leader in Spain’s Second Republic, was abducted, shot dead in the head
while tied up and riding as a hostage in the back of a truck, by socialist
militiamen in Madrid, then his body was dumped unburied in some obscure cementery.
This brutal political murder was carried out in retaliation for an earlier
killing and marked the deadly tipping point in Spain's volatile political
climate. The Republican government refused to investigate or punish the
perpetrators, further tearing apart an already fragile nation.
The Spark That Lit a Civil War
Calvo Sotelo’s assassination
shattered any hope for peace and pushed hesitant military leaders, including General
Francisco Franco, into rebellion. Franco, initially loyal to the Republic, was
drawn in by the escalating violence and the government’s failure to act.
Secretly aided by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Franco launched a military
uprising that plunged Spain into a brutal civil war lasting three years and
costing hundreds of thousands of lives.
A Warning Across the Decades
Today, in the United States, the
shock of the killing of Charlie Kirk—an influential conservative voice
fervently opposed by the radical left—resonates with the tragic events in 1936
Spain. Though investigations of Kirk’s killing continue, evidence strongly
suggests it was politically motivated by extremist left-wing hatred, mirroring
the same dangerous forces that murdered Calvo Sotelo.
Doors Opened to the Unknown
Those who on the left incite
hatred and violence against political opponents risk opening doors to very dark
and dangerous rooms. For decades, they may have been fortunate that violence
has not turned back against them in full force. But as Fox News host Greg
Gutfeld grimly warned, “We have been f---ing awakened.” The consequences of this
awakening are unknown, but history’s lessons are clear: political violence
breeds chaos and bloodshed.
The Call to Reflection and Peace
The assassination of Calvo Sotelo
and the ensuing Spanish Civil War provide a painful lesson about what happens
when polarized hatred, left unchecked, erupts into violence. America stands at
a perilous crossroads. It is a time for all Americans—regardless of political
preference—to reject violence, insist on justice, and commit to preserving
civil, respectful discourse.
References:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_José_Calvo_Sotelo
2. https://www.nytimes.com/1936/07/14/archives/monarchist-chief-murdered-in-spain-17-police-arrested-avenging-of.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Calvo_Sotelo
4. https://spartacus-educational.com/SPcastillo.htm
5. https://vscw.ca/en/node/801
6. https://spartacus-educational.com/SPsotelo.htm
7. https://webhispania.info/calvo-sotelo-and-the-assassination-that-precipitated-a-war/
8. https://alba-valb.org/resource/the-military-uprising/
9. https://enrs.eu/news/spanish-coup-of-july-1936-beginning-of-the-civil-war
No comments:
Post a Comment