Editing Indalecio Prieto (section)

==Spanish Civil War==
After the beginning of the Civil War, when news of the ruthless and systematic executions of Loyalists by the Nationalists, as part of [[General Mola]]'s policy of instilling terror in their ranks, began to filter to the areas held by the government,  Prieto made a fervent plea to Spanish republicans on 8 August in a radiocast:

{{blockquote|Don't imitate them! Don't imitate them! Surpass them in moral conduct; surpass them by being generous. I do not ask you, however, that you should lose either strength in battle or zeal in the fight. I ask for brave, hard and steely breasts for the combat,... but with sensitive hearts, capable of shaking when faced with human sorrow and being able to harbour mercy and tender feelings, without which the most essential part of human greatness is lost.<ref>{{Harvnb|Redondo|1993|p=43}}; {{Harvnb|Cabezas|2005|pp=333–34}}</ref><ref>''¡No los imitéis! ¡No los imitéis! Superadlos en vuestra conducta moral; superadlos en vuestra generosidad. Yo no os pido, conste, que perdáis vigor en la lucha, ardor en la pelea. Pido pechos duros para el combate, duros, de acero, como se denominan algunas de las milicias valientes—pechos de acero—pero corazones sensibles, capaces de estremecerse ante el dolor humano y de ser albergue de la piedad, tierno sentimiento, sin el cual parece que se pierde lo más esencial de la grandeza humana."'' [https://es.wikiquote.org/wiki/Indalecio_Prieto Wikiquote, Indalecio Prieto]</ref>}}

However, a couple of weeks after those words, the [[Cárcel Modelo massacre|Modelo Massacre]] took place in Madrid, much to the dismay of many Popular Front leaders. Saddened, Prieto is recorded as expressing his pessimism with these words: "with this brutality we have lost the war".{{Sfn|Redondo|1993|p=43}} However, historian  Julius Ruiz argues that Prieto was not necessarily a steadfast moderate, as he held that Republican victory would require stripping the Church, capitalists and army of their power as they were deemed collectively responsible for the rebellion. In August 1936, Prieto also stated that Republican terror was unnecessary because their internal opponents were already cowed and that Nationalist terror was because of their relative weakness.<ref>Ruiz, Julius. The 'Red Terror' and the Spanish Civil War: Revolutionary Violence in Madrid. Cambridge University Press, 2014, page 146</ref>

In September 1936, after the fall of [[Talavera de la Reina (Toledo)|Talavera de la Reina]], in [[Toledo Province]], to the rebels, Largo Caballero became the head of the government, and Prieto became Minister of Marine and Air.<ref>Beevor, Antony. ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939''. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p. 146</ref>

After the May 3–8, 1937 events in [[Barcelona]] in which the [[communists]] and the government forces tried to establish control over the [[Workers' Party of Marxist Unification]] (POUM) and the [[anarchism in Spain|anarchist]] [[Confederación Nacional del Trabajo]] (CNT), the government of Largo Caballero was replaced by that of [[Juan Negrín]], with Prieto being Minister of Defense.<ref>Beevor, Antony. ''The battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939''. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p. 271</ref> Lacking support from the [[democracy|democratic]] powers, such as [[France]], the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]], the Spanish Republic was subject to severe [[international isolation]] during Prieto's last ministry in Spain. Maritime access for [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] material aid was effectively cut off by the attacks of [[Kingdom of Italy#Fascist regime (1922–1943)|Italian]] [[submarines]],<ref>Beevor, Antony. ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939''. Penguin Books. London. 2006. pp. 289–90</ref> and the French border remained closed.

After the defeat of the [[Spanish Republican Armed Forces]] on the northern front in October 1937, he offered his resignation, which was rejected.<ref>Beevor, Antony. ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939''. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p. 302</ref> Prieto finally left the government after the March 1938 defeat on the [[Aragon]] front<ref>Beevor, Antony. ''The Battle for Spain. The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939''. Penguin Books. London. 2006. p. 336</ref> after an escalating dispute with the communists.