The Spanish Civil War started on the 17th and 18th of July 1936 due to a coup d'etat by the military that divided the country into two zones, one side led by the republican government, the other controlled by the putschists (nationalists). The war claimed 500,000 lives and caused a mass exodus of up to 500,000 more. It ended on the 1st of April 1939 with the nationalists taking control of the country, imposing a dictatorship led by General Franco.