Germany–Spain relations
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Germany–Spain relations (; ) are the diplomatic relations between
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Both nations are members of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
,
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
,
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.


History


Antiquity

In ancient times, both
Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...
and the western and southern parts of present-day Germany were under
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
rule. After the
Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...
of the
late antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...
, German tribes also dominated areas on the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
, creating the Kingdom of the Suevi (from 409) and the
Visigothic kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths ( la, Regnum Gothorum), was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic peoples, Germanic su ...
(beginning with the second half of the 5th century). From 711, much of Spain came under Muslim Rule. Only
Karl Martell Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesma ...
, king of the
Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
, which at that time included French and German territories, was able to stop the Moorish advance from Spain into south-west France with the Battle of Tours. Only in the north of the Iberian peninsula were Christian rulers able to assert themselves. From there, in 722, began the Spanish
Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
.


Alfonso X.

Also Alfonso X., King of León and Castile from 1252 to 1282, led a crusade against the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...
. This ruler was from 1257 to 1273 also
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Counter-king of
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
, which was related to his mother: His descent from the German family of
Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
through his mother Elisabeth, a daughter of the king Philipp von Schwaben, gave him the right to represent the Swabian line. The election of
Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...
in 1257, after the death of William of Holland in 1256, in which he received the same number of votes (both three votes) as the opponent Richard of Cornwall, seduced him to aim for the prestigious
Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for "emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly ap ...
crown through the Roman-German kingship; However, this was never realized, because he could not raise the necessary money for a Romzug. In order to get money, he worsened the coins and then tried to control the price increase by an idiosyncratic tax system. The retail trade in its territory was ruined, and the citizens and peasants were badly damaged. The unanimous election
Rudolf I of Habsburg Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which h ...
to the Roman-German King in 1273 actually meant Alfons' deposition as king of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
.


Karl V: "In my kingdom the sun never sets"

The Reconquista was completed by the Catholic Monarchs, Queen
Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as List of Aragonese royal consorts, Queen consort ...
and King
Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...
in 1492. In the same year, the sailor
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
reached America and laid the foundation stone for the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
. The heir of Isabella, who died in 1504, was her son
John, Prince of Asturias John, Prince of Asturias and Girona ( es, Juan; 30 June 1478 – 4 October 1497), was the only son of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, and heir-apparent to both their thrones for nearly his entire life. Early lif ...
. He married Margaret of Burgundy in 1496, the daughter of the later German
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself El ...
, but died in 1497 without heirs. His younger sister Joanna married in 1497 the Habsburg Philip I of Castile (1478-1506), who was also a son of
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself El ...
, also Duke of Burgundy. However, after showing signs of "madness" in the eyes of her contemporaries, Ferdinand took over. With the death of Ferdinand, the eldest son of Joanna's marriage
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
fell to the Spanish heritage. To secure the heritage, Charles concluded the
Treaty of Noyon A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
in 1516 for understanding with France. In 1519, after his grandfather Maximilian had died, he was also struck by the Austrian -
habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
inheritance. He was elected
Roman-German King King of the Romans ( la, Rex Romanorum; german: König der Römer) was the title used by the king of Germany following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German k ...
and assumed the title "Chosen Emperor" at his coronation in 1520. Francis I of France and
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
of England also applied for Maximilian's succession, and finally Friedrich von Sachsen, and Karl's brother Ferdinand was at times as a candidate in the conversation. The decisive factor was the financial support provided by the
Fugger The House of Fugger () is a German upper bourgeois family that was historically a prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and vent ...
. The total cost of the election was 851,918 guilders, of which the Fuggers alone raised 543,585. In Spain, the Comuneros Uprising broke out against the reign of Karl, a foreigner, who had raised taxes to finance his wars. The insurrection was mainly supported by the bourgeoisie of the cities of Castile, in particular oledo He found support in parts of the clergy and the nobility. His goal was to limit the royal power in favor of Cortes. In the
Kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
he came to a social revolutionary movement, the
Germania Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north- ...
. The rebels under Juan de Padilla were defeated at Villalar in 1521, the rebellion finally suppressed in 1522. After securing power, Spain became a central power base of the emperor.


Wars with France and the Ottomans (1521-1556)

At European level, the fighting between France and the Habsburgs was of great importance. For the Emperor it was dangerous, as the Pope and Venice tended increasingly to the side of France. In 1525 Charles' troops captured Francis I in the Battle of Pavia (1525). But Karl joined the proposals for a moderate peace. This led to the signing of the Treaty of Madrid in 1526, in which France relinquished its claims in northern Italy, Karl hoped to be able to persuade Franz to fight together against the Ottomans and against the Lutherans. But after Franz was released, he revoked the contract. He managed to win with the Holy League of Cognac from the Pope, Venice, Florence and finally even Milan allies.


Division of the Habsburg Empire, Philip II (1556-1598)

When Charles V put down the government in 1556, Spain lost the Austrian possessions of the House of Habsburg and the imperial crown, but retained the Netherlands, the Franche-Comté, the Duchy of Milan, and the kingdoms.
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
and
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
. In 1570 his son and successor,
Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...
, married
Anna of Austria (1549-1580) Anna of Austria (2 November 1549 – 26 October 1580) was Queen of Spain by marriage to her uncle, King Philip II of Spain. During her last days of life she was also briefly Queen of Portugal. Life Anna was the eldest daughter of Maximilian II, ...
, the mother of the heir apparent
Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
. In the 16th century, the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
was an expansive major power. Venice and Spain sent a common fleet into the eastern Mediterranean, which defeated the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571. Although Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was not part of the
Holy League Commencing in 1332 the numerous Holy Leagues were a new manifestation of the Crusading movement in the form of temporary alliances between interested Christian powers. Successful campaigns included the capture of Smyrna in 1344, at the Battle of ...
, its Commander-in-Chief
Juan de Austria John of Austria ( es, Juan, link=no, german: Johann; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the natural son born to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V late in life when he was a widower. Charles V met his son only once, recognizing him in a secret ...
, an extra-marital son of Emperor Charles V. and the bourgeois
Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
he Gürtler s daughter
Barbara Blomberg Barbara Blomberg (1527 – 18 December 1597) was the mother of Don John of Austria. Blomberg was born in Ratisbon (modern Germany), the eldest daughter of Wolfgang Plumberger or Blomberg, a burgher, and of his wife Sibilla Lohman. A singer, in ...
.


Spanish Succession War (1701-1714)

The extinction of the Spanish Habsburgs in 1701 triggered the
Spanish Succession War The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
. The Hague Great Alliance around the
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
-
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
, the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
fought against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and its allies Kurköln,
Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...
and the Electorate of Bavaria. The war took an unfavorable turn for Habsburg with the death of Joseph I., but it also shook the forces of France. The Austrian house Habsburg had become under Leopold I. and Joseph I. nevertheless to the European great power. In the end, France succeeded in establishing
Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...
as king of Spain. Thus the dynasty of the Bourbonen, which reigns today, was founded in Spain. Almost all the powers involved in the war had achieved at least partial successes at the end of the war.


19th century

Leopold von Hohenzollern: Spanish succession disputes lead to the Franco-Prussian War. In 1869, the Spanish
Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of N ...
proclaimed a new constitution that envisaged a parliamentary monarchy as a form of government. A promising royal candidate was
Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen , title = , image = LeopoldHS.jpg , image_size = 180px , caption = , succession = Prince of Hohenzollern , reign-type = Tenure , reign = 2 June 1885 – 8 June 1905 , predecessor = Karl Anton , successor ...
, scion of a Catholic branch line of
Hohenzollern The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenb ...
. He was persuaded in the spring of 1870 by
Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
to accept the candidature. Soon Leopold resigned from his candidacy, as France threatened war. The French objection to Leopold or the French demand "that S. Maj. The russianking committed himself for all future, never to give his consent again, if the Hohenzollern should come back to their candidature" - as that of Otto edited by Bismarck and thus deliberately pointed Emser Depesche, led to the German-French War. The victory of Prussia and its allies resulted in 1871 in the German Unification. Reich Chancellor Bismarck described the German Reich as "saturated" in order to be able to insert the new power factor in Europe's center into the Concert of the Powers but
Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
, German Emperor from 1888 to 1918, demanded "a place in the sun" for the Germans. This world power policy brought Germany came into conflict with Spain in the Asian Pacific region over its plans to colonize some Micronesian islands claimed by Spain, even though it was a declining power and had already lost most of its American colonies in the
Spanish American wars of independence The Spanish American wars of independence (25 September 1808 – 29 September 1833; es, Guerras de independencia hispanoamericanas) were numerous wars in Spanish America with the aim of political independence from Spanish rule during the early ...
. With Spain's loss in the
Spanish American War Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
they ceded their last American colonies (Cuba and Puerto Rico) to the United States along with the Asian colonies of the Philippines and Guam island. In 1898 the Spanish Empire tried to recover from the war by selling its remaining Pacific island colonies to the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
, ending with the German–Spanish Treaty by which Spain relinquished the Carolines, the northern
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
and
Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...
to Germany. These
South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
areas became part of German New Guinea.


20th century

In
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914-1918), Spain remained neutral, while Germany and the other
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
lost the war against the Triple Entente. This led to the abdication of all German monarchs. A side effect of the German defeat was that Germany failed as a rival of Spain in the struggle for colonial possessions in Morocco. The brothers Mannesmann had possession in the Moroccan Rif area, which corresponded to about one-eighth of the territory. In the Rifkrieg (1921-1926) the Spaniards tried to extend their rule to the entire colonial territory in northern Morocco. It was at the initiative of the king who wanted to exterminate the Rif Kabyles, Dirk Sasse: French, British and Germans in the Rifkrieg 1921–1926. Speculators and sympathizers, deserters and gamblers in the service Abdelkrims.'' It was not until July 1927 that they had subjugated the entire area.'' The inter-war period was associated with great uncertainty and instability for most European countries. Democratic ideas were threatened on the right by
fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
and on the left by
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
ideologies. While in the Versailles Treaty hard-hit Germany, the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...
fought for its consolidation, it came in Spain to dictatorship under General Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923-1930) and 1931 to proclaim 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 Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...
. After the July 1936 semi-failed coup d'état in Spain that led to the start of the 1936–39
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Nazi Germany (along Fascist Italy) sided with the rebels and supplied them with money, munitions and manpower, including the intervention of the Condor Legion.


Spanish Civil War

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...
, including Germans, fought against Franco's forces. The
Edgar André Edgar André may refer to: * Edgar André (politician) * Edgar André (footballer) {{hndis, Andre, Edgar ...
and the Edgar-André-Battalion or the "Hans-Bataillon", the Hoffmann-Group
came from Germany Group around comrades Hoffmann the Thaelmann Group (group around Arthur Pfeiffer) and the Centuria Thälmann, formed by Hans Beimler, unit in the Maxim Gorki Battalion,
PSUC The Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia ( ca, Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, PSUC) was a communist political party active in Catalonia between 1936 and 1997. It was the Catalan branch of the Communist Party of Spain and the only party n ...
- Division Carlos Marx (later
Thälmann Battalion The Thälmann Battalion was a battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. It was named after the imprisoned German communist leader Ernst Thälmann (born 16 April 1886, executed 18 August 1944) and included approximately 1,50 ...
). Members of the international POUM militia also fought for members of
Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
, left-socialist and opposition communist groups such as the German
SAP Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...
and KPO. Famous personalities like
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
and the later Social Democrat Member of Parliament
Peter Blachstein Peter Blachstein (30 April 1911 – 4 October 1977) was a German journalist who became a politician. During the middle 1930s he spent time in the Hohnstein Concentration Camp, but he was released and participated in the Spanish Civil War on the ...
fought in the POUM militia units. In the
Málaga–Almería road massacre The Málaga–Almería road massacre, also known as the ''Desbandá'', was an attack on the republican-dominated city of Málaga, Spain and its citizens on 8 February 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The city was penetrated by Nationalist force ...
on the fleeing population of the city in February 1937 about 10,000 people were murdered. In the concentration camps, medical experiments were also carried out on the prisoners with National Socialist support. In February 1939 there were nearly 500,000 civil war refugees. They were initially interned mostly in the south of France. More than half returned to Spain in the next few months. In France remained about 150,000, many of them were sent as prisoners of war in different
main camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...
and since August 6, 1940 in the Mauthausen concentration camp. More than 7,000 Spanish prisoners lived there, 5,000 of whom died. Some Spaniards were extradited to Franco by the
Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
, others, such as the former head of government Francisco Largo Caballero, were deported to various German concentration camps. When the last Republican forces had given up, Franco proclaimed victory on April 1, 1939, the rancoist Francoistdictatorship prevailed throughout Spain.


Non-belligerent during World War II

Although Franco unquestionably had sympathy for the fascist regime in Italy and for the National Socialist regime in Germany, in practice the solidarity with his alleged ideological allies was limited. He was more likely to associate business relations with these regimes than an ideological community of fate. Spain joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in March 1939. Franco declared in July 1940 that his country was not neutral but merely a war leader. In a letter dated 6 February 1941, Hitler told Franco "that we three men, the Duce, you and me, are bound together by the hardest compulsion of history that is possible, and that thus we in this historical analysis ought to obey as the supreme commandment the realization that in such difficult times, not so much an apparently wise caution as the bold heart, rather, can save nations." Characteristic of Franco 's attitude to the Axis, however, is his behavior in Hendaye in 1940 (thus at the height of Nazi power in Europe) on the occasion of his only meeting with Hitler, when Franco not only demanded French colonial territory for Spain's entry into the war, but also refused to allow German troops into his country. According to his own statements, Franco is said to have even told Hitler that Spain will fight every invader to the last man, wherever he comes from. In addition, Franco demanded the supply of raw materials such as
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
and
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...
, which Germany could hardly deliver. Franco, in spite of his superficial approval, finally closed Hitler's suggestion to occupy Gibraltar, which had long been demanded by England, because that would have meant Franco's entry into the Second World War. His condolences finally consisted in sending the '
División Azul The Blue Division ( es, División Azul, german: Blaue Division) was a unit of volunteers from Francoist Spain within the German Army (''Wehrmacht'') on the Eastern Front during World War II. It was officially designated the Spanish Volunteer Di ...
' 'to the Eastern Front, 47,000 Falangist volunteers under General
Agustín Muñoz Grandes Agustín Muñoz Grandes (27 January 1896 – 11 July 1970) was a Spanish general, and politician, vice-president of the Spanish Government and minister with Francisco Franco several times; also known as the commander of the Blue Division between ...
, but which he withdrew in 1943 after the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
there again. In addition, Franco provided Germany, inter alia, submarine bases and news material. Adolf Hitler was dissatisfied with Franco's policy and in July 1942, in a small circle, began to consider "finding a suitable personality for the settlement of the Spanish political situation." He particularly thought of General Muñoz Grandes and said that the Blue Division might "play a crucial role in the settlement of the current Pfaff system." In December 1943, Franco issued his position to the German ambassador saying that "the attitude of the Spanish government towards Bolshevism and Communism would not change, and that this struggle would continue at home and abroad, as well as against Judaism and Freemasonry " More about the repression of Jews in the early Franco period see Bernd Rother: Of these Sephards, some had descendants of 1492 displaced Jews in the 1920s who can accept Spanish citizenship. Franco's involvement was limited to those Sephards, which were relatively small with 4,500 of 175,000 sephards. At the latest since 1944, Franco had been informed in detail about the extermination of the Jews in
KZ Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
and it turns out that he knew the exact extent of the annihilation. The American historian
Stanley G. Payne Stanley George Payne (born September 9, 1934) is an American historian of modern Spain and European Fascism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He retired from full-time teaching in 2004 and is currently Professor Emeritus at its Department ...
already sees withdrawal movements of Spain from Germany and Italy, even before the turn in Russia, as already at this time an article of a Falangist leader, in which Spain was differentiated from the totalitarian regimes, was allowed to print. In 1943, this idea became common knowledge, so that by the time the Second World War came to a close, Spain was well advanced on the path of transition from a partially mobilized, semi-fascist state to a Catholic, corporate and increasingly demobilized authoritarian regime."When Franco's defeat loomed around 1943, Franco withdrew from the Axis powers. He declared Spain neutral this year and, in exchange for allied oil supplies, largely cushioned Germany's material and non-material support. He also dismissed the sympathetic members of his government, including his brother-in-law Ramón Serrano Súñer. This shift allowed Franco to appease the Allies. In addition, during the Second World War, the abolition of external symbols such as the Fascist salute came. For Franco, Hitler and Mussolini were only interesting as long as they were powerful and he had something to expect from them. Another aspect, however, is that Spain, still severely weakened by the recent civil war, could not afford to participate in another
gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
campaign. After the war, Spain was stationed on one of the so-called ratlines, the escape routes of the dignitaries of both the Nazi regime itself and its ideological allies - often for the purpose of traveling to
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. Some of them also found refuge in Spain itself, such as Léon Degrelle, leader of the Belgian
Rexists The Rexist Party (french: Parti Rexiste), or simply Rex, was a far-right Catholic, nationalist, authoritarian and corporatist political party active in Belgium from 1935 until 1945. The party was founded by a journalist, Léon Degrelle,
.


Postwar

After the Second World War, the occupied and divided Germany initially fell out as a player on the international stage. After the victory of the Western democracies, the Spanish dictatorship was naturally isolated, which should, however, be defused by the looming
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
for Franco. In 1955, Spain was admitted to the United Nations. In 1973, the German Democratic Republic followed as the 133rd and the Federal Republic of Germany as the 134th member. From the beginning of the 1960s, Franco sought an ssociationagreement with the EC. He submitted an application on February 9, 1962. It was only in 1966 that negotiations began, which were delayed until the conclusion of a first agreement in 1970, mainly due to political reservations of the then six states (including the FRG).


After the end of the Spanish dictatorship

The Spanish isolation could only be completely broken after Franco's death in 1975 and the subsequent democratization under King
Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...
. Spain joined the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
in 1982; The Federal Republic of Germany belonged to the Atlantic Pact since 1955. In 1986 Spain became a member of the European Community and in 1988 the Western European Union. Spain also decided to use the
Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
as the currency together with Germany and other European partners (1999 as book money, cash introduction 2002), so that no currency exchange between the two countries is necessary.


21st Century

In
Iraq war {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
in 2003, Spain joined the US despite the popular opposition of the " oalition of the Willing One. Germany, together with Russia and France, refused to participate in the war on
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
s. Foreign policy, however, Spain then approached again to Germany and France. Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Zapatero withdrew the troops from Iraq by July 2004, but he soon added to the military contingent in Afghanistan in view of the relations with the US damaged by the withdrawal until November 2013 34 Spaniards died. The relations between the German Government and the Government of Spain are unencumbered. At the end of March 2018, Catalonia, Catalan politician Carles Puigdemont was arrested in Germany. The possibility of extradition was examined. On 30 August 2022, in the wake of a visit of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez to Germany and with the looming context of the 2021–present global energy crisis#Europe, ongoing energy crisis, German chancellor Olaf Scholz lent support to the construction of a gas pipeline (the so-called MidCat) connecting Spain (and Portugal) to France and the rest of the European mainland. Prime Minister Sánchez was also invited to a meeting of the German Cabinet by Chancellor Scholz.


Resident diplomatic missions

* Germany has an embassy in Madrid, a consulates-general in Barcelona and consulates in Las Palmas, Málaga and in Palma de Mallorca. * Spain has an embassy in Berlin and consulates-general in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich and Stuttgart. File:Deutsche Botschaft in Madrid (Spanien) 01.jpg, Embassy of Germany in Madrid File:Barcelona - Torre Mapfre 07.jpg, Consulate-General of Germany in Barcelona File:Spanische Botschaft Fornt.jpg, Embassy of Spain in Berlin File:D'df span. Generalkonsulat (3).jpg, Consulate-General of Spain in Düsseldorf File:Consulate-general of Spain in Hamburg.jpg, Consulate-General of Spain in Hamburg File:GER — BY – Oberbayern — München — Bogenhausen — Oberföhringer Str. 45 (Generalkonsulat Spanien) Mattes 2018.JPG, Consulate-General of Spain in Munich


German community of Spain

See :en: Spanish people of German descent, German Spaniards. Related groups: :en: Spanish people of Austrian descent, Austrian Spaniards.


Country comparison


See also

* Foreign relations of Germany * Foreign relations of Spain


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Germany-Spain relations Germany–Spain relations, Bilateral relations of Germany, Spain Bilateral relations of Spain