On 28 March 1939, Madrid fell to the Nationalist forces led by Francisco Franco, effectively ending the Spanish Civil War.
The collapse of the Republican-held capital marked the final victory for Franco’s troops after three years of brutal conflict between the Republicans, supported by leftist and anarchist factions, and the Nationalists, backed by fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.
Franco’s rise to power established a nearly four-decade-long dictatorship that would shape the political landscape of Spain, casting a shadow over the nation’s future.
