What was it doing in World War II, the only world power that did not participate in the war, covering five continents?
September 1, 1939 to September 3, 1945, was the time of the outbreak of World War II, during which people all over the world suffered. In World War II, nearly 2 billion people were involved, and 61 countries and regions were voluntarily or involuntarily involved in the war. The combat area reached 22 million square kilometers, and this war gathered almost all the great powers and powers in the world at that time, the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany, China, France, Japan and so on.
These countries either joined the Allies or joined the Axis powers, and the neutral countries were basically small countries, such as Sweden. But there was such a former power, it was also a temporary hegemon, but in World War II, it did not directly participate in the war. The country is Spain, and the name has appeared frequently in books on modern history. So why didn't it participate in World War II?
Spain, located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, is just on the border between Europe and Africa, and it is flanked by Portugal. On January 2, 1492, Spain completed the Restoration Movement and achieved unification. From this point on, it embarked on the path of maritime power, Colombia discovering the Americas and the West Indies. The Spanish colonist began the conquest of Latin America, first expanding its territory to the other side of the Atlantic and the Philippines.
At its peak, there were countries under its command on five continents, and Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Asia all had its colonies, and Spain was at a time when the spring breeze was triumphant. Arrogant enough to sign the Treaty of Tordesillas with Portugal in 1494, they tried to divide the world in two, which was ambitious enough. The name "The Sun Never Sets" was also once on its head, but it was not always invincible, and in 1588 the Armada was defeated by the British.
The Empire went into decline, and decay was only one reason, and the other was the civil war that broke out in 1936. On July 17 of that year, Franco rebelled. It sparked a three-year-long Spanish Civil War, which was mainly divided into two factions. Franco had German, Italian, and Portuguese support, and the anti-fascists had Soviet, Mexican, and international columns, which has always been considered a prelude to the outbreak of World War II.
During the Spanish Civil War, aircraft bombed cities, causing peace everywhere in Spain. They beat themselves hard enough, and when they caught prisoners, they would torture and kill, and even civilians would hurt each other. Finally, Franco won in April 1939, just a few months before the outbreak of World War II, which also meant that Nazi Germany behind Franco won. To this end, Franco secretly signed an agreement with Hitler to become a member of the Axis powers.
However, after the start of World War II, Spain declared neutrality, and remained neutral throughout World War II. There is a very important reason for not participating, that is, the economy, Spain is not the same maritime power it was then. After three years of civil war, the economy fell sharply, buildings were mostly destroyed, and starvation was widespread. Franco's political situation was not as solid as expected, and at least half of the Spaniards were his enemies.
These enemies of his ostensibly obey him, but in fact from time to time small wars break out with him, and no matter how to suppress them, it does not matter. Franco's own personal safety could not even be guaranteed, and participating in World War II could be said to be powerless. Then there is the fact that Hitler may not dislike him, a poor country that cannot help but always wants benefits can only drag hitler's feet.
Not helping did not mean that Spain was completely neutral, and did not give Hitler any help on the surface, but tacitly allowed a voluntary army of young people to follow the Nazi army. Franco was also quite impressed, and as soon as Germany lost the front, the Spanish volunteer forces began to retreat. Franco went from not giving help to refusing Hitler's request to cross Spain, and of course, in the end, it escaped defeat. In fact, there are no eternal friends and enemies, and interests can determine everything.