Spanish Civil War - "In what ways and for what reasons did foreign intervention play an important role in the Spanish Civil War?"

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict in Spain, during the years 1936 - 1939, following the failure of a military rebellion to overthrow Spain's democratically elected government. The war divided Spain both geographically and ideologically. This also saw all the political parties dividing themselves into two camps. There were the left-wing parties (also known as the "Popular Front") and the right-wing parties (also known as the National Front). The Popular Front was made up of Communists, …

…not only were they short on numbers of soldiers, they did not have the same level of training or technology and no where near enough equipment. In this difficult "check-mate" position the Republicans were in, it would have been unlikely that they progress and launch an attack on the Nationalists. The best they could have done (which is something they did well in Madrid) was to defend and wait for further assistance from their neighbors.