A Civil Affair There are many different reasons why civil wars occur. These violent conflicts arise in a nation and usually destroy and split the country. The United States felt the pain that civil war causes because of the issue of states rights and slavery. Spain experienced the agony of civil war firsthand because Gen. Franco attempted a coup and tried to install a Fascist government. These two countries experienced civil wars because of political decisions and government policies. The civil wars that occurred in El Salvador and Guatemala were different from those of the United States and Spain. These countries suffered from many problems that neither the United States nor Spain had to endure.