Spanish coup of July 1936

The Spanish coup of July 1936 was a military uprising against the Second Spanish Republic launched on 17–18 July 1936 by a coalition of conservative, monarchist, and far-right officers and civilians. Planned chiefly by Generals Emilio Mola and José Sanjurjo and joined by Francisco Franco, it was intended to overthrow the Popular Front government and replace it with an authoritarian regime. Instead of securing a rapid transfer of power, the coup only partially succeeded and precipitated the Spanish Civil War.

The rebellion began in Spanish Morocco on 17 July and spread to mainland garrisons the following day. It triumphed in parts of northern, western, and southern Spain, but failed in key political and industrial centres including Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. Because neither the rebels nor the government secured an immediate nationwide victory, Spain was divided between Nationalist and Republican zones. The government's decision to arm workers' organisations helped defeat the uprising in several major cities while also accelerating revolutionary change in parts of the Republican rear.

The failed coup transformed a political crisis into the Spanish Civil War, which lasted until 1939. It ended with the defeat of the Republic, the victory of Franco's Nationalists, and the establishment of the Franco dictatorship, which ruled Spain until 1975.