What a great thread! My thanks to all who have contributed such thoughtful and researched opinions here.

Whenever I hear that the US and Great Britain were derelict in not interveneing in Spain, I feel the need to remind people of the nations that the US and UK were in 1936. US had a standing army of about 150,000 in 1936, and UK was just realizing the awful fix it was in and begining its huge rearmament program (which was still in progress during the Czech crisis of '38, th real reason for Chamberlain's 'appeasement'). The US was in no position to intervene on behalf of the Republicans, and felt no need to. Nor was UK in a position to engage any continental military adventure.

But lets not be TOO hard on Franco. It was his refusal to be drawn into WWII that led to Allied victory. Franco refused to allow German forces to attack Gibralter. Had he done so, Egypt would surely have fallen along with Iraq, Persia, etc. This would likely have led to a UK capitulation in 1942. Franco had foresight: even in 1941, with Hitler triumphant throughout Europe, He believed that ultimately the UK (with US aid)would win.