La Guerra Civil y el Peñón de Gibraltar

Abstract

The British colony of Gibraltar was deeply affected by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Many daily life aspects were disturbed in that singular enclave by the exceptional circumstances of the conflict. One of the most conspicuous was the flood of refugees who crossed Gibraltar's borders running away from the unexpected violence. Most of them were Spaniards from both sides (mainly republicans more than supporters of the uprising) and also British who looked for security under the Union Jack. Those refugees provoked a serious accommodation problem, apart of the health and public order risks caused by the overcrowding. But the war also had other consequences for Gibraltar: it was a good business opportunity to trade in some specific products as fuel. The aim of this article is focused on clarifying the attitude of Gibraltar's authorities attitude and the extent of British neutrality symbolised in the Non-Intervention Committee. In other terms: was the British colony of Gibraltar strictly neutral in the face of the Spanish civil war?