Friday, September 12, 2025

A Cautionary Tale

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

10. https://doi.org/10.12987/yale/9780300110654.003.0015

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