After all, Spanish Morocco had now effectively been cut off from the other rebel forces on the mainland. The Strait of Gibraltar was controlled by the navy loyal to the Republican Government in Madrid.
This gave Franco the opportunity to consolidate the rebel forces in Spanish Morocco.
Over the following days, Franco smoothly took command of the Army of Africa. Then, relying on his personal prestige and military experience, he unified the scattered rebel units and became the "local emperor" of Spanish Morocco.
Spanish troops and Moroccan armed forces in places such as Ceuta and Melilla were all brought under Franco's command.
While everything was proceeding smoothly for Franco in Morocco, the situation on the Spanish homeland did not develop as smoothly as the rebel leadership had imagined.
The rebels on the Spanish homeland were likewise mainly led by professional officers, while most of their soldiers were volunteers or experienced mercenaries. Their training and discipline were generally high.
Combined with the suddenness of the uprising and its clear objectives, they caught the Republican Government in Madrid completely off guard.
However, the rebels had gained the support of only half the officers and one-third of the soldiers. Most Spanish soldiers and the majority of officers remained loyal to the Republican Government. Their forces were scattered and did not hold an overall numerical advantage, leaving them unable to overwhelm the government troops across the vast front.
Yet the regions where the rebels held the advantage were mainly in the north and west—the agricultural areas of Spain—and they had failed to seize control of the crucial industrial and economic centers.
Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and other industrial regions, as well as the financial and political centers, remained in government hands. The Republic controlled most of the military factories, heavy industry, and fiscal revenues.
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