The Republic And Civil War In Spain
In July 1936, most of the army, led by General Francisco Franco with the support of the monarchists
, conservatives, the clergy and the right-wing Flange, rose against the Madrid government. Ranged on the government's side were the republicans, liberals, socialists, communists and anarchists. The ensuing Civil War was fought with a great deal of savagery and bitterness. Support for both sides came from outside Spain. Many people, frequently unaware of the particularly Spanish origins of the struggle, saw it as a contest between democracy and dictatorship, or, from the other side, between order and Red chaos.
Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany backed Franco's Nationalists, while the Soviet Union supported the government (although less towards the end). The war lasted three years; the dead were uncounted but estimates range up to one million. At the start, Menorca declared for the republic, and stayed with it to the bitter end. Mallorca was seized by its garrison for the Nationalists, as Franco's forces were known. Early in the war, the republicans used their one battleship to support an invasion of Mallorca, but it ended in failure. A decisive factor was the presence at Palma ofltalian air squadrons, that were used to bomb republican Barcelona.
Exhausted, Spain was able to remain on the sidelines during World War II and began to recover under the continuing tough lawandorder regime of Franco. There had been a foretaste of foreign tourism in the 1920s, though of a rather exclusive variety. So the tourist trade that began in the 1950s and exploded into an annual rush by millions of sun seekers was a new phenomenon, with a profound impact on the economy and the people. One effect was a rash of building on the coastline, at first with scant regard for tradition or aesthetics. Less visible, though perhaps more significant, was the influx of foreign influences into Franco's once hermetically sealed Spain.
Franco named as his successor the grandson of Alfonso XIII, who was enthroned as King Juan Carlos 1 when the dictator died in 1975. There were dire predictions of a short reign, of violence, even of a renewal of civil war. Tn complete contrast to most of his forebears, the king proved to have a genius for reconciliation and common sense. To the dismay of Franco diehards, he managed brilliantly the transition to democracy, and then stood back to allow it full rein. After many years of repression, a great deal of autonomy was granted to the Spanish regions, including the Balearics, and their languages and cultures enjoyed a renaissance.
More a part of Europe than ever before, Spain joined the European Community in 1986, giving a further boost to her booming economy. The new dawn brought a realization that unrestricted growth of mass tourism had damaging conse-quences. There developed a new emphasis on quality and, especially in the Balearics, on safeguarding the environment. That, after all, was largely why people had wanted to visit in the first place.
Whether you're in Palma, a coastal resort or an inland village, you can reach any point on Mallorca in half a day, and Menorca is even more concentrated. Tour companies offer excursions by road or in combinations with a boat trip, to see the mountain and coastal scenery of the northwest, the beaches, the spectacular caves near the east coast, and various purpose-built attractions. At these sights you'll inevitably be part of a crowd, especially in high season.
Hiring a car lets you go where you like some of the least known places are the most delightful or you could use the buses or rent a bicycle.
In the height of summer you should travel in the cool of the early morning or make use of the long evenings. We start our journey in and around Palma, then make the tour of Mallorca in a clockwise direction, taking in all the highlights and plenty of diversions before finishing up in the centre. You can join in at any stage, and head back to where you're staying when you have had enough. Menorca rates its own section.We don't try to mention every village or every beach: it would take a lifetime of holidays to see them. You'll need several visits just to cover the selection here. For more ideas see also our list of beach highlights.
by: Adrian Vultur
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