Picasso's Guernica — the world's most famous anti-war painting — was kept out of Spain for over 40 years, with Picasso refusing its return until democracy was restored. It finally arrived in Madrid in 1981, six years after Franco's death. This quiz spans all 50 questions across the war itself (1936–1939), Franco's long dictatorship, Spain's remarkable democratic transition, and the modern legacies still felt today. Each answer includes a detailed explanation so you can learn as you play.
You'll answer 50 randomized multiple-choice questions — ranging from easy to hard — with instant feedback after each answer. At the end, you'll receive a shareable score card to challenge your friends.
Questions cover the Nationalist coup of July 1936, the foreign powers who intervened on each side, the International Brigades and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the bombing of Guernica, Franco's 36-year dictatorship, Spain's transition to democracy after 1975, and modern issues like Catalan independence and the Historical Memory Law. Writers George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway both participated in the conflict, leaving lasting literary records of the war.
General Francisco Franco and the Nationalists won the Spanish Civil War, defeating the elected Republican government after nearly three years of fighting (July 1936 – April 1939). Franco's forces were backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, while the Republic received aid primarily from the Soviet Union and foreign volunteers in the International Brigades. The Nationalist victory established Franco's dictatorship, which lasted until his death in November 1975.
Guernica was a Basque market town bombed on April 26, 1937 by Nazi Germany's Condor Legion (acting in support of Franco) in one of the first mass aerial bombardments of a civilian population. The attack caused over 1,600 casualties and shocked the world. Pablo Picasso immortalized the event in his monumental painting of the same name — measuring 3.5 by 7.8 metres — which became one of the most powerful anti-war statements in art history. The painting is now displayed at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.
Francisco Franco ruled Spain as a dictator for 36 years, from the end of the Civil War in 1939 until his death on November 20, 1975. During that time an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 political opponents were executed, regional languages like Catalan and Basque were suppressed, and Spain remained largely isolated from Western Europe. After Franco's death, King Juan Carlos I — surprisingly — championed democratic reform, leading to Spain's peaceful transition to democracy and its 1978 Constitution.
Last updated: March 2026