Falange Española de las JONS Falange lost supporters in the run-up to the Spanish Civil War, leaving a core of young, dedicated activists, many in the organization's student organization, the . Following the elections the left-wing Popular Front government persecuted the Falange and imprisoned José Antonio Primo de Rivera on 6 July 1936. In turn, the Falange joined the conspiracy to overthrow the Second Spanish Republic, supporting the military revolt ultimately led by Francisco Franco and continuing to do so throughout the ensuing Spanish Civil War. With the eruption of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, the Falange fought on the Nationalist Faction against
Miguel Primo de Rivera one to waken sleeping dogs, especially if they were big." Primo de Rivera chiefly failed because he did not create a viable, legitimate political system to preserve and continue his reforms. He seems to have sincerely wanted the dictatorship to be as brief as possible and initially hoped that Spain could live with the Constitution of 1876 and a new group of politicians. The problem was to find new civilian leadership to take the place of the military. In 1923, he began to create a new "apolitical" party, the Patriotic Union (UP), which was formally organized the following year. Primo