While at War (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Unamuno initially supported the coup because he hoped it would end the political instability and chaos that had plagued Spain during the Second Spanish Republic. As an intellectual, he believed the military action might restore order and was persuaded by the Nationalist narrative that the rebellion was necessary to prevent communist chaos.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Unamuno discusses the coup optimistically with colleagues, showing his initial belief that the uprising might bring positive change.

• Miguel de Unamuno
• support coup
• Nationalist
• Spanish Civil War
• political unrest

The Second Spanish Republic removed Unamuno from his post as rector of the University of Salamanca because he publicly expressed support for the military coup. His pro-Nationalist stance during the interview directly contradicted the Republican government's authority, leading to his dismissal from the academic position he had held for years.

• rector
• University of Salamanca
• dismissed
• Second Spanish Republic
• position

Unamuno signed the manifesto reluctantly after being pressed by the Burgos junta, who had reinstated him as rector. Despite his initial resistance, the political pressure and his desire to maintain his position within the university community led him to comply, though he did so with clear hesitation and moral discomfort.

Foreshadowing: The junta had reinstated him as rector after his removal by the Republic, creating pressure for him to reciprocate their favor.

• manifesto
• sign
• junta
• Nationalist
• Burgos
• coercion

Salvador Vila Hernández, Unamuno's leftist colleague and friend, was arrested by Falangists during a walk in the countryside near Salamanca. Unamuno attempted to intervene personally with Franco and his wife to secure Salvador's release, but his efforts failed. The film suggests Salvador faced execution or disappearance, typical fates for leftist prisoners during the purge.

Foreshadowing: The arrest occurs right after a heated debate between Unamuno and Salvador about the meaning and direction of the war, highlighting the personal cost of Unamuno's compromising position.

• Salvador Vila Hernández
• arrested
• Falangists
• executed
• disappeared

Unamuno changed his stance after reading a letter from Coco's wife testifying to her husband's innocence, which he received as he was leaving the meeting where Franco was appointed leader. This personal appeal from a woman begging for her husband's life, combined with his accumulated disillusionment over the violence and arrests he witnessed, led him to deliver a scathing critique of the nationalist movement at the Nationalist event.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Unamuno had sought Coco at his residence only to find him absent, and he had witnessed Salvador's arrest, all building his moral crisis.

• university event
• speech
• criticize Nationalists
• Coco wife letter
• public confrontation

The Siege of the Alcázar was a major early battle of the Spanish Civil War where Nationalist forces were trapped inside a fortress in Toledo. General Millán-Astray urged Franco to relieve the siege, arguing it would boost morale and shorten the war. Franco initially refused because he believed relieving it would delay his overall military campaign and prolong the war for years, prioritizing strategic victory over symbolic gains.

Foreshadowing: Millán-Astray continues to press Franco throughout the film for this action, showing its importance to the Nationalist propaganda effort.

• Alcázar siege
• Toledo
• Millán-Astray
• Franco
• relief
• battle

Franco initially resisted taking sole leadership of the Nationalist forces because the Burgos junta still held considerable power and authority. He argued that the collective leadership structure was legitimate, even as German delegates and his own colleagues pushed him to assume command after General Sanjurjo's death created a vacuum.

Foreshadowing: The German delegation in Morocco explicitly pressures Franco to form a single leadership structure, highlighting the international stakes.

• Franco
• leader
• Nationalist
• Burgos junta
• Sanjurjo
• command

Atilano Coco Martin was one of Unamuno's colleagues and a Protestant priest who appeared alongside him in early discussions about the coup. He was referred to as Coco throughout the film. His wife later appealed to Unamuno with a letter testifying to his innocence, suggesting he was arrested by the Nationalists. The epilogue indicates he was executed, joining many other victims of the post-coup purges.

Foreshadowing: Coco leaves a heated meeting with Unamuno and Salvador in frustration, and Unamuno later finds him absent from his residence, foreshadowing his capture.

• Atilano Coco Martin
• priest
• arrested
• executed
• letter wife

Franco visited a cathedral in Burgos where an image of El Cid, the legendary medieval Spanish hero, inspired him to intensify his resolve. The moment symbolized how Nationalist leadership framed their cause as a patriotic, unified Spanish mission. Inspired by this religious and nationalist imagery, Franco decided to relieve the Alcázar siege, using the symbolic victory to rally more support for his emerging leadership.

Foreshadowing: This cathedral visit directly precedes Franco's decision to relieve the Alcázar, linking the symbolic inspiration to strategic action.

• El Cid
• cathedral
• Burgos
• Franco
• symbolic
• inspiration
• relief

When the mayor's wife interrupted Unamuno's interview to beg him to intervene for her arrested husband, Unamuno offered financial assistance rather than political intervention. This reflects both his limited actual power to challenge the new military authorities and his initial detachment from the human cost of the political upheaval, choosing a safe gesture over risky advocacy.

• mayor wife
• money
• intervention
• arrested
• Salamanca

After Unamuno delivered his speech criticizing the nationalist project at the university event, the crowd turned hostile against him. His public condemnation of the movement he had initially supported marked his effective expulsion from the Nationalist cause. He was publicly disgraced and removed from any position of influence, with the film epilogue confirming his continued marginalization.

Foreshadowing: This moment marks the culmination of Unamuno's moral arc from initial support to complete rejection of the Nationalist movement.

• expelled
• university speech
• disgraced
• crowd
• hostile
• aftermath

After witnessing Salvador's arrest by Falangists and returning alone in the rain, Unamuno sank into a delirious state for several days. This psychological break represented the overwhelming toll of the moral crisis he faced, having compromised his principles by signing the manifesto while watching his friends be persecuted by the movement he had endorsed.

Foreshadowing: This delirious period follows directly from the argument with Salvador earlier and marks Unamuno's psychological breaking point.

• delirious
• rain
• arrest Salvador
• psychological breakdown
• moral crisis