Spanish Civil War
While many nations refused to become involved in the Spanish Civil War, notably Britain and France, troops were sent by both Hitler and Mussolini to aid the Spanish nationalists, which included those with fascist leanings. It would prove to be a precursor to many of the tactics and methods employed in the Second World War, such as the test bombing of Guernica, which aimed to see how effective the Blitz would be. Spain was non-belligerent during World War II, but the civil war division of fascism (Germany and Italy) versus democracy (volunteers from neutral countries joined the fight against the nationalists) and communism (the USSR) was repeated.
Read more about this topic: Events Preceding World War II In Europe
Famous quotes related to spanish civil war:
“Stiller ... took part in the Spanish Civil War ... It is not clear what impelled him to this military gesture. Probably many factors were combined—a rather romantic Communism, such as was common among bourgeois intellectuals at that time.”
—Max Frisch (1911–1991)