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Vive Le Front Populaire!


President Manuel Azana of Spain, and Prime Minister Leon Blum of France, leaders of the Popular Fronts in their respective states at the outset of the Spanish Civil War.
By July 1936 social tension in the Second Spanish Republic had reached a breaking point. The military leadership was in the final stages of planning a coup against the leftist Popular Front government (elected in February). The date chosen was July 24th, to capitalize on the distraction caused by the People's Olympiad in Barcelona.[1] Secrecy was tight, and the uprising launched with complete surprise. The rebel generals seized control of Morocco, and the large army stationed there, by nightfall. Fighting soon broke out in cities and garrisons across Spain.


Olympic Stadium in Barcelona
The People's Olympiad was conceived as a protest to the games of the XI Olympiad soon to begin in Nazi Germany. To complement its boycott of the Berlin games Spain invited athletes from a range of countries to compete. Most competitors, as well as spectators, were from trade unions or leftist parties. The competition was quite good, even if fewer records were broken than in the official Olympiad.

At the outset of the uprising the rebel officers in Barcelona marched their troops to the stadium, citing various incidents with the Olympic crowd to allege an anarchist conspiracy. Though initially successful with their attack into the city, military forces were halted, and then pushed back, by a spontaneous coalition of loyalist Assault Guards, Anarchist militia, and hastily organized Olympic attendees. Though the Republicans win control of the city by the next day, their initial surprise has led to heavy casualties, particularly among civilians.

While the battle for Spain rages, the news media assembled for the People's Olympiad spreads the news across the world, framing the initial international reaction to the war in a pro-Republican light. In France in particular the pressure on Prime Minister Leon Blum to send aid to Spain is immediate. Blum also has reason to fear a military uprising, and agrees to only a small shipment of surplus arms to the Spain. While not much at first, this official aid provides cover for significantly larger unofficial assistance. Soon the first brigade of international volunteers to cross the border into Spain.

[1] The POD is that the initial Spanish coup launches one week later than in OTL, allowing it to coincide with the originally cancelled Olympoc protest games.
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