Answer:
In the Spanish Civil War, the Republicans represented the democratically elected government.
Explanation:
The Spanish Civil War was the civil war in Spain that went on from 1936 to 1939 and ended with Francisco Franco coming to power as a single dictator.
The war began with a group of conspiratorial high-ranking soldiers making a revolt against the Republic and the incumbent parliamentary government. The rebel side was made up of conservative, nationalist and fascist forces that had different goals and ideologies, for example the Carlisters wanted to reinstate the monarchy while the Spanish phalangists opposed the monarchy. During the course of the war, however, Francisco Franco managed to gather all the different groups behind him and thus the nationalists were formed. The Catholic Church had a significant role as a unifying force for the nationalists.
The other side, the Spanish Republic, was proclaimed in 1931 after Alfons XIII of Spain had abdicated. The last elections were held on February 16, 1936 and resulted in a clear majority for the front of the Spanish working class: communists, socialists and syndicalists. Liberals who opposed the monarchy also joined the Republican side. At the start of the war, the republican liberal forces had the greatest influence in the government, while the communists were considerably weaker than the anarchists. During the war, however, the Communists gained increasing influence as a result of the Soviet Union's involvement and had a dominant position at the end of the war.
