Sovietic Aid

The movement of aiding the Republic by the Soviet Union have many criticits, but the most of the students of this period reach the same position, the moral superior of the USSR.

In the beginning of the conflict the public opinion impulse a campaign of solidarity that moved people of the worldwide.Declassified records and documents shows how the surrounding of the USSR in the Republic change the movement of all the world to close the influence of the communist in Spain. This became official when the Soviet Union declare to fight for the rights of the Republic, this make that this internacional aid decreased from 18 million francs to only aid of USSR. The Comitern also tried to get influence in Spain after the war to move the masses, like what happens in France with the Popular Front (supported by USSR).

The Comitern inicieted a conference in Paris at the end of October to organize practival relief for the Spanich women, children and families, which has a propaganda operation within trying to move the internacional proletariat and democratic forces of all states, developing an activism of brotherly to the Spanish people.

In spite of all of this tries, six months of war the ECCI suggested to intervention to explote all the posibilities.

Many measure were token by the sovietic government to move all the country, but one curious term of the aid part said that:

“ a.Aim of the campaign:
The aim of the campaign is to put a stop to the aid being rendered Franco.
Forms of the Campaign:

1. In non-fascist countries: mass meetings, meetings at factories, demonstrations, action in Parliament, municipalities and in the Labor press.
2. In fascist countries: all forms of protest no matter how insignificant they may seem at times—chalking walls, pasting up small placards, scattering leaflets at places where large numbers of people gather, i.e. market places, theatres, cinemas; small flying meetings, utilization of the illegal radio, open letters of relatives of soldiers serving in Spain, organizing the expression of sympathy with them, etc.
   Everywhere, both in fascist and non-fascist countries, collections should be organized at the factories.... ”

This catch the intention of the sovietic, that wanted a feedback of the war and of the all invesments.

In the Red Square there were many demostrations defended the Spanish Republic, orators, speeches, singing, chanting and declarations of some revolutionaries.This demostrations spread out to many Sovietic cities.

Viriatos (Portuguese intervention)

 Viriatos, named after the Lusitanian leader Viriathus, was the generic name given to Portuguese volunteers who fought with the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.

 Emblem of Portuguese volunteers Viriatos.

 

 In the first weeks of the war the Portuguese Army tried to form this expeditionary army to aid the right-wing insurgents in Spain. The Legion was disbanded before any recruitment drive could take place after pro-Republican incidents in Portugal convinced the government that direct intervention on the side of the Nationalists could cause many unrest in the country. Due to the widespread publicity given to the Viriatos Legion all the Lusitanian volunteers enlisted in the Nationalist armies were known as Viriatos. 

 Portuguese volunteers marching.

 According to historian experts, among 8,000 and 12,000 Portuguese participated. The objectives were to protect the interests of Portugal and to collate information on the lessons learned in the Spanish Civil War.