Battle of the Ebro

The Battle of the Ebro (Spanish: Batalla del Ebro, Catalan: Batalla de l'Ebre) was the last great Republican offensive in the Spanish Civil War. By 1938, the Second Spanish Republic was in dire straits. The Basque Country had fallen, the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM) had been crushed by the Stalinist Communist Party of Spain, and many foreign governments felt it was only a matter of time before the question of who would rule Spain ... more

The Battle of the Ebro (Spanish: Batalla del Ebro, Catalan: Batalla de l'Ebre) was the last great Republican offensive in the Spanish Civil War. By 1938, the Second Spanish Republic was in dire straits. The Basque Country had fallen, the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM) had been crushed by the Stalinist Communist Party of Spain, and many foreign governments felt it was only a matter of time before the question of who would rule Spain would be settled in favour of the Nationalists. In response to the situation, Spanish premier Juan Negrín approved a plan by Vicente Rojo Lluch to launch attacks against the main Nationalist forces advancing through Valencia. The purpose of the attacks was to relieve the pressure on Valencia and Catalonia. Another purpose of these actions was to show European governments that the Republican government was still a viable alternative. Critics (such as Antony Beevor) have argued that Negrín's "active war policy"—attacking rather than adopting... less