National Defence Council (Consejo Nacional de Defensa)
국방평의회
The provisional governing body formed in Republican Spain on 5 March 1939 by Colonel Segismundo Casado's coup against Prime Minister Juan Negrín, in the final weeks of the Spanish Civil War. Drawing together Socialists, anarchists, and republican factions under Casado, Julián Besteiro, and General José Miaja, the council sought an 'honourable peace' through direct negotiations with Franco. Franco demanded unconditional surrender, offered no guarantees, and on 27 March the council dissolved as Nationalist forces entered Madrid; most members fled aboard British warships.
Related people
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Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) full account of the council's formation, composition, peace negotiations, and dissolution
- es.wikipedia.org Spanish-language article with council membership, internal Republican conflict, and the escape via Gandía
- batallasguerracivil.es detailed hour-by-hour account of the council's formation in the Ministry of Finance basement on 5 March 1939, including the membership roster and Besteiro's refusal of the presidency
- canarias-semanal.org analysis of Casado's coup and the Consejo Nacional de Defensa with citations from historians Paul Preston and Gabriel Jackson