During the Spanish Civil War, Francisco Franco ordered the closure of the Euskaltzaindia but Azkue managed to avoid exile as he was both of an advanced age and not a prominent political figure.
Tijekom Španjolskog građanskog rata, Francisco Franco naredio zatvaranje Euskaltzaindije ali Azkue je uspio izbjeći izgon budući da je bio i starije dobi i ne baš istaknuta politička ličnost.