A Republican Militia in the Spanish Civil War The enthusiasm of the republican forces of the democratically elected government of Spain could not overcome the rebel Fascist armies of Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Once in power, Franco ruled over a repressive dictatorial state in Spain until his death in 1975. Women combatants like the milicianas pictured here, carrying rifles with their male comrades, made a significant contribution to the republican cause.
(Universal History Archive/Getty Images)