The Politics of the Spanish Civil War

Nationalist violence was by far the most severe during the early months of the conflict. In almost half of the total number of civilian victims of republican violence, which was probably just under 40,000, would be killed before the winter of 1936. This was very clear and very potent propaganda for the Nationalists who were able to use it on the international stage. These accounts also played into the pre-existing concerns in many areas, like Britain, where the populace were already predisposed to be greatly concerned about the possibility of communism spreading around western Europe.