Santiago, the Spanish ships in the city’s
harbor had to move out to sea. Then the
U.S. Navy quickly defeated them. The
Spanish surrendered on July 17.
Results
The United States and Spain signed a
peace treaty in Paris, France, in Decem-
Soldiers in the Spanish-American War
stand ready to defend their camp.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Spanish-American War 157
ber 1898. Spain gave up Cuba, which
became an independent country. Spain
gave the United States control of Puerto
Rico (another Caribbean island) and the
Pacific Ocean island of Guam. The
United States paid Spain 20 million
dollars for control of the Philippines.
The war made Theodore Roosevelt a
national hero. He was elected vice president
in 1900. He became president
when President McKinley was assassinated
in 1901.
#More to explore
Cuba • Guam • McKinley,William
• Philippines • Puerto Rico • Spain
• United States
Spanish Civil
War
From 1936 to 1939, two opposing
groups of citizens waged a bitter fight
for control of Spain. The Spanish Civil
War decided Spain’s government until
the 1970s.
Background
In the decades afterWorldWar I (1914–
18), politics in Spain became deeply
divided. One group wanted things to
stay as they were. This was the ruling
class made up of wealthy landowners,
businesspeople, military leaders, and
conservative Roman Catholics. On the
other side were those who wanted social
change. This group included farm workers,
labor union members, and educated
middle-class people.
In 1931 King Alfonso XIII allowed elections
to be held. When the people voted
to set up a republic, the king fled the
country. The people soon became dissatisfied
with the new government, however.
There were many demonstrations
and protests. On February 16, 1936,
elections were held to choose a new government.
The groups that were pressing
for reforms banded together as the
Popular Front. They won the election.
War
But the people who had been the ruling
class were not willing to give up control
of Spain. They became known as
Nationalists because they wanted to
preserve the nation as it was. On July 17
they launched a military uprising against
the government. General Francisco
Franco led the uprising. This soon
turned into war.
Franco got help from the governments
of Italy and Germany. The Republican
side (those who supported the Popular
Republican troops and supporters stand
behind a roadblock during the Spanish
Civil War. The Spanish Republicans fought
a group called the Nationalists.
158 Spanish Civil War BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Front) got help from the Communist
government of the Soviet Union. The
Republicans also had the aid of about
40,000 individuals from other countries.
Groups of these foreign fighters became
known as the International Brigades.
The Nationalists had two big advantages.
They controlled the military, and
they were united under Franco. The
Republicans did not have enough weapons.
They also began to fight among
themselves.
The Nationalists steadily won territory
in the north and south. In the spring of
1938 they moved east toward the Mediterranean
seacoast. On March 28, 1939,
they marched into Madrid, the capital
city, without even having to fight. General
Franco then had control of the
entire country.
Results
The Spanish CivilWar was very bloody.
Between 500,000 and 600,000 people
may have died, not counting those who
starved or died from diseases. The foreign
supporters of each side in the war fought
each other again inWorldWar II. That
war started later in 1939, but Franco kept
Spain out of the war.He ruled Spain as a
dictator (ruler with unlimited power)
until his death in 1975.
#More to explore
Spain
Sparrow
Many types of small, brownish or grayish
songbird are called sparrows. They
are among the best-known birds in the
world. They live in a wide range of
places, including cities, farms, grasslands,
woodlands, and marshes. Sparrows
eat mostly seeds and insects.
Many types of sparrow look fairly similar.
They all have cone-shaped bills,
which they use to crush seeds. They all
are small birds with various patterns and
streaks. For instance, the house sparrow
is about 5 to 6 inches (12 to 15 centimeters)
long. It has brown or reddish
brown upper parts and a gray underside.
The male has black on the throat and
around the eyes. The song sparrow is
about the same size or slightly larger. Its
wings and tail are reddish brown. Its
breast is white with many dark streaks,
often with a dark spot in the center.
Despite their similarities, not all sparrows
are closely related. There are two
main groups of sparrows: OldWorld
sparrows and NewWorld sparrows.
These groups belong to separate bird
families.
OldWorld Sparrows
OldWorld sparrows come from Europe,
Asia, and Africa. However, some types
have spread to other areas. For instance,
the house sparrow is an OldWorld sparrow
that is now common nearly all over
the world. It is also called the English
sparrow. Many people consider this
tough, noisy bird a pest. It takes the
nesting sites of bluebirds and other
songbirds. Other OldWorld sparrows
include the Eurasian tree sparrow and
the chestnut sparrow.
The dusky seaside
sparrow
