Diego Hidalgo y Durán (1886–1961) was a Spanish intellectual and politician, who was appointed minister of war during the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 ...

(1931–1936).

Biography

Born in

Los Santos de Maimona Los Santos de Maimona is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest ...

(

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

) in a family of aristocratic descent, Diego Hidalgo had to make a living early as his family had no lands and his father died when he was young. After studying law, he passed the state exam to become a notary, and started supporting his mother and four siblings. Hidalgo was a Republican (even though he had rights to two titles of Marquis, Alvarez Junco (J.), Espadas Burgos (M.), Lopez (E.), Muñoz Tinoco (C.), ''Diego Hidalgo: Memoria de un tiempo difícil'' Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1986. given up by his grandfather, Diego Hidalgo y Solís). One of the drafters of the Constitutions of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, and a member of the

Radical Republican Party The Radical Republican Party ( es, Partido Republicano Radical), sometimes shortened to the Radical Party, was a Spanish Radical party in existence between 1908 and 1936. Beginning as a splinter from earlier Radical parties, it initially played a ...

presided by

Alejandro Lerroux Alejandro Lerroux García (4 March 1864, in La Rambla, Córdoba – 25 June 1949, in Madrid) was a Spanish politician who was the leader of the Radical Republican Party. He served as Prime Minister three times from 1933 to 1935 and held severa ...

, Hidalgo became

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

in 1934. When serving as Minister, Hidalgo chose Francisco Franco (who was later going to be lead nationalist Spain during the civil war and be the

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; osp, cabdillo, from Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise definition of ''caudillo'', which is often used interchangeably with " ...

for nearly 40 years) as one of his advisers. Hidalgo ordered Franco to stop the

asturian miners' strike of 1934 The Asturian miners' strike of 1934 was a major strike action undertaken by regional miners against the 1933 Spanish general election, which redistributed political power from the leftists to conservatives in the Second Spanish Republic. The str ...

. Although Franco would later reveal to be ideologically different from Hidalgo, he kept affection for him, and Hidalgo was one of the only people who could speak freely with Franco. During the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

(1936–1939), Diego Hidalgo had to flee from Spain, where he was threatened both by

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

and Republicans. He spent most of the war in France where he married Gerda Schnur, the daughter of German industrialist David Schnur. Back in Spain in 1938, Hidalgo continued his activities as a lawyer, notary, and writer. Notably, he saved 39 Republican political prisoners from being executed, proving their innocence. Hidalgo was also a member of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

. Diego Hidalgo y Durán was the father of the Spanish intellectual and philanthropist

Diego Hidalgo Schnur Diego Hidalgo Schnur (born 5 November 1942) is a Spanish philanthropist, intellectual and businessman. He is the son of Diego Hidalgo y Durán (1886-1961), who was a prominent jurist, author, intellectual and Minister of War under the Second Span ...

Major writings by Diego Hidalgo y Durán

*''Un notario español en Rusia'', 1929. *''¿Por qué fui lanzado del ministerio de la guerra?: diez meses de actuación ministerial'', 1934. *', 1947. *''José Antonio de Saravia: de estudiante extremeño a general de los ejércitos del Zar'', 1936.

Notes

References

Books on Diego Hidalgo y Durán *Alvarez Junco (J.), Espadas Burgos (M.), Lopez (E.), Muñoz Tinoco (C.), ''Diego Hidalgo: Memoria de un tiempo difícil'' Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1986. *''Muñoz Tinoco, Concha. Diego Hidalgo : un notario republicano / Concha Muñoz Tinoco.'' Badajoz : Departamento de Publicaciones, Diputación Provincial, 1986. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hidalgo Y Duran, Diego 1886 births 1961 deaths People from Zafra-Río Bodión Radical Republican Party politicians Government ministers of Spain Members of the Congress of Deputies of the Second Spanish Republic Politicians from Extremadura 20th-century Spanish lawyers Exiled Spanish politicians Government ministers during the Second Spanish Republic