Assassination of Calvo Sotelo

Jose Calvo Sotelo He was a Spanish politician and was the Minister of Finance during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship between 1925-1930. He stood out for being one of the leaders of the Spanish Renovation party through which he intended to impose the establishment of a corporatist authoritarian monarchy. Next, in this lesson from a TEACHER, we offer you a brief summary of the murder of José Calvo Sotelo, occurred on July 13, 1936, an immediate event that caused General Francisco Franco to give the coup d'état, giving rise to the Spanish Civil War.

When the general Cousin of Rivera took over the power, Calvo sotelo, who was general director of the Local Administration, was able to provide the Spanish municipalities with greater financial capacity, so much so that In 1925 he was appointed Minister of Finance, creating among other things what he called extraordinary budget, destined to the cost of public works, and seize the state oil monopoly (Campsa). In 1930, he resigned from that position because he did not know how to deal with the fall of the peseta.

With the arrival of the Second Republic, Calvo Sotelo was forced into exile in order to prevent him from being tried for each and every one of the responsibilities that he had as finance minister during the years of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. He emigrated to France and there he was engulfed by the ideas of Italian fascism and the French monarchists. Two years later, in 1934, Calvo Sotelo returned to Spain after the amnesty of the Samper government, joining his seat.

From his seat in the Republican Parliament, this became one of the staunchest adversaries against the Republic. He had several controversies in the Courts because he asked the Government to restore public order and that if they were not able to confront them, he would entrust this function to the Army.

This, made him gain great popularityThere were those who supported his decisions, but he also won the opposition of many others, including the Spanish Falange and the CEDA, which was willing to adapt to the Republic.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we will discover the parties that ruled in the Second Spanish Republic.

The murder of José Castillo It was July 12, 1936. Socialist militant and lieutenant of the Assault Guard, he made many fellow police officers of this, as well as countrymen belonging to the socialist militias, meet in the Pontejos barracks showing his outrage at the latest murders that were taking place, among which we highlight the murder of Captain Faraudo, by gunmen right-wingers.

Faced with this situation, they complained to Juan Moles, who, at that time, was the minister of the government, and from whom they asked permission to arrest several of the Falangists who were still in hiding. Juan Moles, accepted, under the concept that they would only arrest those who already had files.

Several police vans with a group of Assault guards and affiliates of the socialist militias, among which we have to highlight Santiago Garcés, Luis Cuenca and Fernando Cuts.

Among his objectives was a Falangist who they never found because the address that appeared on the card was false. Another was the leader of the Spanish Renovation, Antonio Goicoechea, who was not at his house either. Gil-Robles was another excluded from the list, as he was on vacation in Biarritz. And on that night watch, one of the members of the militia, when passing through Velázquez street in the city of Madrid, he remembered Calvo Sotelo, who also belonged to the Spanish Renovation party.

It was around 3:00 in the morning of a July 13, 1936 when they knocked on his door and under the pretext of making a search, they entered his home, also asking him to accompany them to the General Directorate of Security, Sotelo, surprised, did not know the reason why he was arrested, demanding an explanation, - I am a deputy and the Constitution protects me! What way are these to enter my house? He said. Fernando Condés, at that time, identified himself as an officer of the Civil Guard, which ended up reassuring Sotelo in part, and agreeing that he be taken by them.

Before leaving his home, he said goodbye to his wife and daughter and promised to call “if before these gentlemen do not kill me”, But that call was never received, because a few more than having traveled 200 meters, two shots ended the life of José Calvo Sotelo.

According to the theses of historians specializing in the contemporary history of Spain such as Gabriel Jackson, Paul Preston, and Ian Gibson agree that the perpetrator of the shots was Luis Cuenca.