The story is not a collection of independent events, but is instead an account of various causes and their effects. The Second World War was not an isolated event. It was the product of numerous events in Europe that included the Spanish Civil War. Spain before the Second World War was an area of ​​crucial political and strategic importance. By analyzing the events of the Spanish Civil War, it is possible to understand the events of the Second World War in more detail. Hitler's confident foreign policy, France's rapid surrender, the creation of unlikely alliances, and the changing ideological state present in Europe can be understood more fully by looking at the Spanish Civil War. The events of the Spanish Civil War changed the political atmosphere of Europe; these events influenced the start of World War II. To understand the effects of the Spanish Civil War, it is necessary to also understand the atmosphere of Spain before 1936. Spain, unlike the great European powers, never experienced a bourgeois revolution and was therefore still dominated by a significant aristocracy . However, Spain has gone through several civil wars and revolutions, making violence one of the most common tools for change. Furthermore, it had undergone several rounds of reforms, opposition reactions, and reversals with military uprisings led by a dictator before 1936 (Preston 18). The Second Spanish Republic was founded on April 14, 1931 with popular support. However, between 1931 and 18 July 1936, politics quickly became highly polarized to the left or right. In the 1933 general elections, the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right), founded by Gil Robles after fascist models formed coalitions and gathered the greatest consensus support. (Preston 18, 62) In 1934... half the paper... Italy led to its rapid defeat. Italy and Germany developed a strong alliance while Russia moved closer to France and Great Britain. The diversity of political thought inspires many from World War II to today. Changes in the political atmosphere of Europe altered international relations to the point of influencing the start of World War II. Works Cited Goldstein, Tom. "Nazi Germany and the Spanish Civil War: Continuities in Hitler's Foreign Policy". Janus. Janus; the University of Maryland Journal of Undergraduate History, February 2002. Web. February 4, 2014. Orwell, George. Homage to Catalonia. Orlando: Harcourt, 1980. Print.Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War: reaction, revolution and revenge. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2007. Print.Rocker, Rudolf. The tragedy of Spain. New York: Freie Arbeiter Stimme, 1937. Print. "Spanish Civil War." Don Quijote. Np, nd Web. 4 February. 2014.