 On 17–18 July 1936, a part of the Spanish army, led by a group of officers—among them Generals Jose Sanjurjo, Francisco Franco, Emilio Mola, Manuel Goded and Gonzalo Queipo de Llano—tried to overthrow the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic.The occupation of the capital, Madrid, was one of the prime goals of the coup of July 1936.This coup in this particular location was ill-planned and clumsily executed.