The Spanish Civil War 1936–39 (2)The Spanish Civil War was the curtain raiser to World War II and involved a complex collection of forces, particularly on the Republican side. The Spanish Civil War 193639 (2) illustrates how diverse the Republican forces were, drawn from loyal elements of the Spanish army that rejected the appeal of the rebel generals, a wide range of volunteer regional units and political militias, and supported by volunteers from many other countries, including