Non-combatants and their reactions to the Republican Aerial Bombing

Abstract

The non-combatant population has been a war target throughout history. However, with the introduction of new war techniques and methods between the 19th and 20th centuries, its destruction was established within the plans for the annihilation of the enemy. The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a huge step in this field, happening aerial bombings in both rearguards. In the case of the zone controlled by the insurgents, this provoked heterogeneity of reactions among the bombed, usually related with fear. In this sense, it provoked demonstrations and the flight of people from the cities, but also the willingness to watch the bombings as a spectacle, or the population getting accustomed to these attacks.