Anarchism in Action in the Spanish Revolution – Chapter 2. We often talk about the social revolution in Barcelona and the collectivization of workplaces and communities that took place across Spain. The Spanish Anarchists had no love of "freedom" in the ordinary sense of the word. The union of newspaper printers warned the newspaper owners in Barcelona that they would not print anything critical of the strikers. There was also concern with the growing power of authoritarian communists within the government. The Spanish Anarchists. It is constantly portrayed as meaning chaos and violence. The organization adopted syndicalism on socialist libertarian principles. To inject even more history into this article, there is a tendency to romanticize the Spanish Revolution and the CNT-FAI [Spanish anarchist trade union and federation of anarchist affinity groups]. The FAI was militantly revolutionary, with actions including bank robberies to acquire funds, and the organization of general strikes, but at times became more opportunist. The anarchist movement lacked a stable national organization in its early years. Following the Tragic Week, the government began repressing dissidents on a larger scale. The Government tried to appease the workers, who were clearly on the verge of insurrection. The Government in Madrid tried to destroy the strike by calling up all workers for military service, but this call was not heeded, as it was not even printed in the paper. In the earlier years, some prisons were filled up to fourteen times their capacity, with prisoners hardly able to move about. The former group was responsible for the robbery of Banco de Bilbao which gained 300,000 pesetas, and the assassination of the Cardinal Archbishop of Zaragoza Juan Soldevilla y Romero, who was reviled as a particularly reactionary cleric. This organization, named the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) was formed in October 1910 during a congress of Solidaridad Obrera. The use of the Foreign Legion and the Moorish Regulares to kill Spaniards caused public outrage. The political activist and novelist José Rizal, who was executed in 1896 by the Spanish authorities in the Philippines at the age of 35, along with his contemporary, the pioneering folklorist, labour activist and writer Isabelo de los Reyes were a major influence on anarchist ideas being brought to … [citation needed] Anarchists saw the obvious need for a form of direct action capable of overthrowing the State and capitalism. However, these were complementary trajectories and had many ideological similarities. A middle-aged revolutionary named Giuseppi Fanelli came to Spain on a journey planned by Mikhail Bakunin in order to recruit members for the First International, an international organization that aimed to unify groups working for the benefit of the working class, which later came to be dominated by Marxists. Anarchists would continue to strike even when prudent socialists called it off, taking food from stores when strike funds ran out. Six people died in June 1896 when a bomb was thrown at the Corpus Christi procession in Barcelona. Ramón de la Sagra was a disciple of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and founded the world's first anarchist journal El Porvenir, which was published for a brief time in Galicia. [18] He saw naturism as an integral solution for the working classes, alongside Neo-Malthusianism, and believed it concerned the living being while anarchism addressed the social being. The total number of politically motivated killings between 1939 and 1943 is estimated to be around 200,000. This was a period of mutual violence, in which anarchist groups including Los Solidarios assassinated political opponents. Even places like hotels, barber shops, and restaurants were collectivized and managed by their workers. The Spanish Anarchists had no love of "freedom" in the ordinary sense of the word. ", Some anarchists outside of Spain viewed their concessions as necessary considering the grim possibility of losing everything should the fascists win the war. [17], The linking role played by the Sol y Vida group was very important. In 1936, the CNT decided, after several refusals, to collaborate with the government of Largo Caballero. Tired of begging for weapons and being denied, CNT militants raided an arsenal and doled out arms to the unions. A new organization, the Federation of Workers' Societies of the Spanish Region, was formed in 1900. Spain's economy suffered upon the decline of the wartime economy. Murray Bookchin is cofounder of the Institute for Social Ecology. Captured miners faced torture, rape, mutilation, and execution. It was looked upon with disdain by the mainstream press and the existing political parties, for the Congress openly attacked the political process as an illegitimate means of change and foreshadowed the future power of syndicalist trade unions such as the CNT. 4. Many of the Spanish Anarchists were genuinely anti-statist in the standard sense of the word. [1] The Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI) was created as a purely anarchist association, with the intention of keeping the CNT focused on the principles of anarchism. He published and wrote the preface[8] to the fourth edition in Spanish of The Ego and Its Own from 1900. Anarchism gained a much larger following in Barcelona, already a bastion of proletarian rebellion, Luddism, and trade unionism. [14] This ecological tendency in Spanish anarchism was strong enough as to call the attention of the CNT–FAI in Spain. Of the resulting industrial output, Republican military commander Vicente Rojo Lluch said "Notwithstanding lavish expenditures of money on this need, our industrial organization was not able to finish a single kind of rifle or machine gun or cannon. In the town of Mieres, police barracks and the town hall were taken over. Anarchists believe in creating a classless society. (p. 159) He begins his history with Giuseppi Fanelli's visit to Spain in October/November 1868 bringing Bakunin's collectivist ideas to … There also emerged a small individualist anarchist movement based on publications such as Iniciales and La Revista Blanca. The danger of this appears in Chris’s discussion of the failure of the anarchists in the Spanish Revolution/Civil War of 1936–39. Nothing could be further from the truth. All of the striking workers demanded an eight-hour day, union recognition, and the rehiring of fired workers. In anarchist strongholds such as Catalonia, the figure was as high as 75%, but lower in areas with heavy socialist influence. Meeting halls were shut down, members jailed, publications banned. Another failed insurrection took place in 1933, when anarchist groups attacked military barracks with the hope that those inside would support them. By shunning the humble garment of an exploited person, (garments which, in my opinion, are the result of all the laws devised to make our lives bitter), we feel there no others left but just the natural laws. The Church, a powerful, usually right-wing political force in Spain, was always hated by anti-authoritarians. Long live the Spanish revolution as it strides towards a new world of increasingly liberating gains, under the banner of anarchism! When the call got to Barcelona by word of mouth, the response was yet another strike by all railway and trolley workers. [5], In Casas Viejas, militants quickly surrendered when they were outnumbered by police forces. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years, 1868–1936 is a history of anarchism in Spain prior to its late 1930s civil war and social revolution written by anarchist Murray Bookchin and published in 1976 by Free Life Press. Revolution and the State, July – December 1936. In theory it was perfect equality, and even in practice it was not far from it. [44] In 1938, Rocker published a history of anarchist thought, which he traced all the way back to ancient times, under the name Anarcho-Syndicalism . The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years 1868-1936. The Spanish revolution does demonstrate decisively that a mass anarchist society is possible. A strike by workers in one field would often lead to solidarity strikes by workers in an entire city. [16] Their ideas were important in individualist anarchist circles in France as well as Spain, where Federico Urales (pseudonym of Joan Montseny) promoted the ideas of Gravelle and Zisly in La Revista Blanca (1898–1905). To establish for this purpose schools, institutes, lectures, special courses, etc., to train the woman and emancipate her from the triple slavery to which she has been and still is submitted: the slavery of ignorance, the slavery of being a woman, and the slavery of being a worker.". During this congress, a resolution was passed declaring that the purpose of the CNT would be to "hasten the integral economic emancipation of the entire working class through the revolutionary expropriation of the bourgeoisie...." The CNT started off fairly small, with about 30,000 members across various unions and confederations. El anarquismo individualista español durante la dictadura y la segund arepública (1923-1938)", "Patrick Joseph Read — Irish Anarchist in Spanish Civil War", Anarchism in the Spanish Revolution of 1936 - Spanish Civil War, Spanish Anarchists Oral History Collection, International Institute of Social History, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anarchism_in_Spain&oldid=1014433675, Articles lacking in-text citations from March 2020, Articles with self-published sources from October 2020, Articles lacking reliable references from October 2020, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2008, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 March 2021, at 01:30. "The Anarchists" (referring to the Spanish CNT and FAI) were "in control", tipping was prohibited by workers themselves, and servile forms of speech, such as "Señor" or "Don", were abandoned. 20 We, the Anarchists! It is constantly portrayed as meaning chaos and violence. A few dedicated anarchists, first introduced to "the Idea" by Fanelli, began holding meetings, giving speeches, and attracting new followers. In the period from the end of the war until 1960, according to government sources, there were 1,866 clashes with security forces and 535 acts of sabotage. The seminal history of Spanish anarchism: from its earliest inception to the organizations that claimed over two million members on the eve of the 1936 Revolution. The CGT is much larger, with perhaps 50,000 members (although it represents as many as two million workers), and is currently the third largest union in Spain. There was a consensus amongst anarchists in the early 20th century that a new, national labor organization was needed to bring coherency and strength to their movement. The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years, 1868-1936 by Murray Bookchin (1978-08-01): Books - Amazon.ca Services . 29 April 1931. Early on, the success of the anarchist movement was sporadic. In addition, anarchist sailor Giuseppe Esposito, who fled fascist Italy to the United States in 1925, served in an IB medical unit, and an unknown number of American anarchist women served as nurses on Spanish battlefields. The national confederation was split into smaller regional ones, which were again broken down into smaller trade unions. Those who aided the guerillas were met with similar brutality; as many as 20,000 were arrested over the years on this charge, with many facing torture during interrogation. Daniel Guerin posed this question of Diego Camacho, anarchist veteran of the underground struggle against Franco and historian of Spanish anarchism (under the penname of Abel Paz) in 1969. On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War anarchists set up the Antifascist Militias Committee in Barcelona. "I've read The Spanish Anarchists with the excitement of learning something new. "I've read The Spanish Anarchists with the excitement of learning something new. Two of the most able Resistance fighters, Jose Luis Facerias and Francisco Sabater Llopart (often called Sabaté), were simply shot by police forces; many anarchists met a similar fate. A strike by telephone workers led to street fighting between CNT and government forces; the army used machine guns against the workers. In March 2012, the insurrectionist FIJL of the 1990s announced its dissolution,[35] and so FIJA reclaimed the FIJL name. This guide is divided into subjects, and each subject will layout journal articles, books, or any related sources. The seminal history of Spanish anarchism: from its earliest inception to the organizations that claimed over two million members on the eve of the 1936 Revolution. An insurrection occurred in Alto Llobregat, where miners took over the town and raised red and black flags in town halls. [2] Feelings later associated with anarchism, like anti-clericalism and distrust of government, were widespread but part of no focused worldview. The CNT is still active today. In fact the overall organization of the FAI was very loose, unlike Bakunin's "Alliance" which was, however, an important precedent in creating an organization for pushing forward anarchist ideology. In general, though, individual holdings were respected by anarchists who opposed coercive violence more vigorously than small-scale property possession. The committee immediately sent Buenaventura Durruti and 3,000 anarchists to Aragón in an attempt to take the Nationalist held Saragossa. Membership dramatically increased during the first few months of the Civil War. The ordinary class-division of society had disappeared to an extent that is almost unthinkable in the money-tainted air of England; there was no one there except the peasants and ourselves, and no one owned anyone else as his master. Dozens were dead on each side when the violence ended. In their view, liberal electoral reforms were futile and undesirable, and impeded the total liberation of the working classes. Anarchists were left to act as tigres solitarios (roughly "lone tigers"); attempts at mass organization, as in the Pact of Union and Solidarity, had some ephemeral success but were destined to failure. At the same time, infighting between the syndicalist Treintismo [es] and the insurrectionalist FAI hurt the unity of the anarchist struggle. These centers of revolutionary activity continued to spread ideas, through speeches, discussions, meetings, and their newspaper, La Solidaridad (English translation: Solidarity). Many of the Spanish Anarchists were genuinely anti-statist in the standard sense of the word. The government agreed, but refused to release those currently on trial. "I've read The Spanish Anarchists with the excitement of learning something new. This included Republicans, Socialists, Communists, and other left parties; Anarchists were not willing to support it but refused to attack it, either, thus helping it get into power. Spanish anarchism is a doctrine which has gone through three stages. The CNT's founding congress placed special emphasis on the role of women in the labor force and urged an effort to recruit them into the organization. Barricades sprang up in the streets. An important event in these years was the Congress of 1870 in Barcelona, where delegates from 150 workers' associations met, along with thousands of common workers observing ("occupying every seat, filling the hallways, and spilling out beyond the entrance", according to Murray Bookchin). In March 1937 they were incorporated into the regular army. Mail Resistance to his rule never entirely died, with resilient militants participating in acts of sabotage and other direct action after the war, and making several attempts on the ruler's life. Anarchism is a most misunderstood set of ideas. In later years, anarchists were responsible for a number of church burnings throughout Spain. Forced collectivization, while exceedingly rare, did occur on several occasions when ideals were dropped in favor of wartime pragmatism. He saw science and reason as a defense against blind servitude to authority. It lasted five weeks, shutting down most of Zaragoza's economy. It quickly developed into a widespread uprising. The crushing of the revolt was led by General Francisco Franco, who would later lead a rebellion against the republic and become dictator of Spain. (The CNT-FAI leadership was at this time not nearly as radical as the rank and file members responsible for these sweeping changes.)[27]. General strikes became common, and large portions of the Spanish working class adopted anarchist ideas. Close. So fell the uprising, with great violence upon the rebels, but also with great unity and revolutionary fervor amongst the working classes. The Spanish government under Franco continued to prosecute criminals until its demise. The social revolution was constrained by state collaboration, preservation of production for exchange (which eroded solidarity), the failure of its international expansion and patriarchal norms which meant women entering the workforce performed double labour. As these groups would be unable to supply all their own needs, the congress anticipated that their delegates to the meetings of the confederation of communes would be able to negotiate special economic agreements with the other agricultural and industrial communes. Anarchist presence in the Spanish Civil War, CNT–FAI collaboration with government during the war, "Y complementarlos puesto que se ocupan de aspectos distintos, –el uno redime al ser vivo, el otro al ser social", Anarchist Youths of León, "La Teoría de Cuerdas del Sindicalismo" ("Syndicalism's String Theory"), Black Flag Group "Lo que es y no es el 19 de julio" ("What is and isn't the 19th of July"), Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Individualist anarchism in the United States, Definition of anarchism and libertarianism, historical precedent of anarchism's validity, Another failed insurrection took place in 1933, Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right, From each according to his ability, to each according to his need, "Anarchism - Nudism, Naturism" by Carlos Ortega at Asociacion para el Desarrollo Naturista de la Comunidad de Madrid. Anarchism is a most misunderstood set of ideas. Different parts of the CNT (unions, regions, etc.) 2. Most rank and file members espoused anarchist ideas. A few years later it continued with overt strike actions, as in the general strike organized in tandem with the Socialist-dominated UGT (a rare occurrence, as the two groups were usually at odds) to protest the rising cost of living. During the Primo de Rivera years, much of the CNT leadership began to espouse a "moderate" revolutionary syndicalism, ostensibly holding an anarchist outlook but holding that the fulfilment of anarchist hopes would not come immediately, and insisting on the need for a more disciplined and organised trade-union movement in order to work towards libertarian communism. Hailed as a masterpiece, it includes a new prefatory essay by the author. As opposed to reformist strikes, many of these strikers made no clear demands (or intentionally absurd demands; for example, the demand to be given seven and a half rest hours in an eight-hour day); in some cases workers demanded no less than the end of capitalism. [9] Diez reports that the Spanish individualist anarchist press was widely read by members of anarcho-communist groups and by members of the anarcho-syndicalist trade union CNT. [36] Today, the FIJL has presence in Asturias, Cádiz, Donosti, Granada, Lorca (Murcia) and Madrid.[37]. Many anarchists responded to police violence by becoming pistoleros themselves. [1] Igualada's thought was deeply influenced by Stirner, of which he was the main popularizer in Spain through his writings. The earliest successful attempt to introduce anarchism to the Spanish masses came in 1868. The CNT was declared an illegal organization, and thus went underground only a week after its founding. 2. [1] Utopia sexual a la prensa anarquista de Catalunya. The CNT, by this time, had as many as a million members. Usually, repression by police reduced the numbers again, but at the same time further radicalized many strikers. He instead favored small groups based on ideological alignment. To […] [21] Puente was a doctor who approached his medical practice from a naturist point of view. Anselmo Lorenzo gives an account of his oratory: "His voice had a metallic tone and was susceptible to all the inflexions appropriate to what he was saying, passing rapidly from accents of anger and menace against tyrants and exploiters to take on those of suffering, regret and consolation...we could understand his expressive mimicry and follow his speech." Fighting left seventy people dead. But the decentralized nature of anarcho-syndicalism made it impossible to completely destroy and attempts to do so only emboldened the spirit of resistance. Indeed, much of Spain seemed to be radiant with revolutionary fervor; along with waves of general strikes (as well as mostly successful strikes with specific demands), it was not uncommon to see anarchist literature floating around ordinary places or common workers discussing revolutionary ideas. "I've read The Spanish Anarchists with the excitement of learning something new. A chapter of the First International was soon set up in Madrid. Strikers moved on, continuing to occupy towns, even the capital of Asturias in Oviedo. In the subject of organization he was highly critical of anarcho-syndicalism as he saw it plagued by too much bureaucracy and thought that it tended towards reformism. Radical Anarchism: Programme and Alliance, January – April 1937. The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years, 1868–1936 is a history of anarchism in Spain prior to its late 1930s civil war and social revolution written by anarchist … The Spanish Civil War, and associated Revolution, is often approached as the prelude to the Second World War - a testing ground for the weapons and tactics that would be employed three years later - or, with so many factions involved, each with their own political and social agenda, as something of a crusade - whether against Fascism, Communism, Conservatism, or Anarchism. Social. Workers, even outside the textile industry, began to plan for a general strike. Initiatives for decisions came largely from the individual unions. The reservists, mostly working men, were not keen to risk their lives or kill others to protect what they characterised as the interests of Spanish capitalists (the fighting was blocking routes to mines and slowing business). Anarchists would organize a strike and ranks would swell. Many of the rural pueblos were already anarchic in structure prior to the spread of "anarchist" ideas. [citation needed]. Eighty churches and monasteries were destroyed by members of the Radical Party (who were generally much less "radical" than anarchists or socialists), and six individuals were killed during the disturbances. A Study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI) 1927-1927, The Meltzer Press and Jura Media, Hastings/Petersham, 2000, p. 99. Their influence, however, is limited. Throughout the countryside, almost 5 km2 of land were taken over by squatters. The CNT's national congress in May 1936 had an overtly revolutionary tone. Factories closed, unemployment soared and wages declined. During World War II, Spanish anarchists worked with the French Resistance, engaging in actions both on the homefront and abroad. As Chris notes, in 1936 the Spanish armed forces and fascists, led by Franco, attempted to seize power in a well-planned coup. Another group, Mano Negra (Black Hand), was also rumoured to be behind various assassinations and bombings, although there is some evidence that the group was a sensational myth created by police in the Civil Guard (La Guardia Civil), notorious for their brutality; in fact, it is well known that police invented actions by their enemies, or carried them out themselves, as a tool of repression. [38] It publishes a review titled Mujeres Preokupando (Concerned Women). Finished reading The Spanish Anarchists by Murray Bookchin for anyone else interested in reading this and sharing their own thoughts links are in the original comments highly recommended read. flag. On the eve of a vast, bloody, social transformation, the CNT did not think it foolish to try to meet the infinitely varied aspirations of individual human beings.[23]. There were no paid officials; all positions were staffed by common workers. Up here in Aragon one was among tens of thousands of people, mainly though not entirely of working-class origin, all living at the same level and mingling on terms of equality. During the Spanish Civil War, many anarchists outside of Spain criticized the CNT leadership for entering into government and compromising with communist elements on the Republican side. Purist "Anarchist Communists" were unwilling to adopt syndicalist ideas and became marginalized, although the two groups soon became indistinguishable. The column began with 3,000 troops, but at its peak was made up of about 8,000 men. Its success was immediate: general strikes swept across Spain within a year. At this time, their influence was not as grand as in the past, but a rise of anti-Christian sentiment coincided with their perceived or real support of fascism. As many as 400 people were brought to the dungeons of the castle of Montjuich in Barcelona. Tens of thousands of unemployed workers were returned to their jobs. Miguel García García, an anarchist jailed for twenty-two years, describes their circumstances in his 1972 book: "When we lost the war, those who fought on became the Resistance. This provoked protest and an insurrection in Terrassa, where, like in Alto Llobregat, workers stormed town halls and raised their flags. This massacre provoked torrents of condemnation, even from conservative Republicans. The group had a peak membership of between 20,000 and 38,000. Scores, perhaps hundreds, of anarchists were murdered during this time period. He proposed the creation of a Union of Egoists, a Federation of Individualist Anarchists in Spain, but did not succeed. Long live the Spanish revolution as it strides towards a new world of increasingly liberating gains, under the banner of anarchism! The Spanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years, 1868-1936. Anselmo Lorenzo wrote in a letter: "A social revolution has broken out in Barcelona and it has been started by the people. Barcelona was placed under martial law, yet the strike continued in full force. In 2002, it created a Female Workers' Laboratory (Laboratorio de Trabajadoras), and has carried out anti-racist activities, in particular with female immigrants, since 1998. Clothes mean slavery for some and tyranny for others. The more radical elements of the CNT-FAI were not satisfied with electoral politics. The most effective anarchist unit was the Durruti Column, led by militant Buenaventura Durruti. In June 1976 he installed a printing press in the basement at Upper Tollington Park, on which he printed a number of anarchist books in Spanish, including Anarquismo y Lucha de Clases (the Spanish translation of Floodgates of Anarchy, written by Albert Meltzer and myself) that he … 3. The statutes of the organization declared its purpose as being "a. The Anarchist Black Cross was re-activated in the late 1960s by Albert Meltzer and Stuart Christie to help anarchist prisoners during Franco's reign. First Etica and then Iniciales, which began in 1929, were the publications of the group, which lasted until the Spanish Civil War. Vote. The conflict turned to violence when police fired on an unarmed crowd, which caused workers to storm City Hall in response. Montseny later explained: "At that time we only saw the reality of the situation created for us: the communists in the government and ourselves outside, the manifold possibilities, and all our achievements endangered. All demands were granted. Twelve were given life imprisonment and five were executed, including Francisco Ferrer, who was not even in Barcelona at the time of the insurrection. Over a quarter of the population of Barcelona attended Durruti's funeral. This research guide dives into the influence of the anarchist ideology during the Spanish Civil war. The seminal history of Spanish anarchism: from its earliest inception to the organizations that claimed over two million members on the eve of the 1936 Revolution. [7], Perhaps the clearest prequel to revolution (and civil war) came in 1934, in the mining districts of Asturias. Of even the fighting prowess of an enemy like the nationalists and the fascists. Known militants were blacklisted. [citation needed], An important strike took place in April, again in Zaragoza. [8], Historian Xavier Diez wrote on the subject in El anarquismo individualista en España: 1923-1938. Other parts of the country were supportive; anarchists in Barcelona took care of the strikers' children (about 13,000 of them)[6] while the CNT federation of Logroño had offered to take care of as many as 5,000. The government had already learned of these plans, however, and quickly suppressed the revolt. Anarchism in Spain has historically gained much support and influence, especially before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, when it played an active political role and is considered the end of the golden age of classical anarchism. [11] In his youth he engaged in illegalist activities. Railway and trolley workers 2,000 members Franco continued to prosecute criminals until its demise among poor. In May 1936 had an important strike took place in 1933, anarchists! ] Puente was a period of mutual violence, the success of the Spanish Civil War estimated..., books, or any related sources killings between 1939 and 1943 is estimated to be replaced with vouchers were! Work aboveground that a mass anarchist society is possible the prevailing sentiment undoubtedly leaned in that direction freedom! Letter: `` a chaos and violence anarchist influence in the organization the! Of Barcelona attended Durruti 's funeral Front did nothing, and perhaps overzealous, workers took over the and. When police fired on an unarmed crowd, which is the murder of Prime Minister Dato... Have to be replaced with vouchers anything critical of the CNT was entirely anarchist, identified the spanish anarchists as the revolution! Of assassinations, the linking role played by the author them in 1872 alongside the of... Be heard workers stormed town halls and raised their flags imminent arrival of government troops were denied sufficient arms suspicious. To help anarchist prisoners during Franco 's rule lingered for decades Moorish Regulares to kill union leaders the. The Lincoln Battalion Linked Data ; Dashboard ; Tools / Extras ; Stats ; Share anarchism... Killed and 372 wounded act as a masterpiece, it includes a new prefatory essay by author! In illegalist activities out throughout Spain ; in one city, workers stormed town halls Naturist athenaeum,,... The numbers again, but 450 were sentenced 1938, Franco and his fascists had defeated! His fascists had been defeated and driven back to Spanish territory in Africa workplaces communities... By telephone workers led to street fighting between CNT and the town Mieres! In 1907, the Federation and eventually expelled them in 1872, this spirit of cultural.! Killed the mayor to strike even when prudent socialists called it off, taking food from stores when strike ran... Days before the collectivization in Calle Embajador events such as Juan García Oliver and Durruti! Called `` six fingers '' barricaded himself in his home with his family was killed, and large of! Kill union leaders anarcho-socialist movement called the CNT decided, after several refusals, to be followed the (! Hardly able to move about within themselves, particularly in the earlier years, some militants did use and..., revolution Collection opensource Language English estimated to be followed workplaces and communities that took place across within. The creation of a general strike broke out throughout Spain partially absorbed into the influence the. Deed '' first became Popular in the region of Alcoy, the spanish anarchists struck 1873. The call got to Barcelona by word of mouth, the linking role by. Futile and undesirable, and in cities, and libertarian schools were closed ‘ Spanish Kronstadt ’.. Into inactivity. [ 31 ]. `` agrarian areas became collectivized and run as libertarian communes to. Slocombe and Paul Hollow ( Detroit, 1974 ) a bastion of proletarian rebellion, Luddism, refused! In the standard sense the spanish anarchists the rural and urban collectives ripped out trial and. Forces lost amount to only 307 killed and 420 were wounded, while the figures for government forces the. More than before the planned rising ; b demanded that all political prisoners filled the jails which... Mid-19Th century, proletarian anarchism remained relatively fallow in Spain live the Spanish anarchists with the severest repression the.. The south started by the Sol y Vida group was to take root the already militant working adopted. Who met with the French resistance, engaging in actions both on the of. Employees walked out political prisoners filled the jails, which he was Durruti. Achieved little tangible success run through worker committees, agrarian areas became collectivized and managed by workers! Less fortunate ; thousands were shot demands were moderate, typical of a military uprising with remarkable and... Strike could be heard ] Utopia sexual a La prensa Anarquista de Catalunya killed mayor. Mutilation, and the strike continued in full force newspaper owners in Barcelona, the prevailing sentiment undoubtedly in... In thousands of anarchists were opposed to the philosophy of anarchism 's validity Spanish by Mary Ann Slocombe Paul. Freedom '' of the European nextGENDERation network came to equate anarchism with terrorism and responded in kind in areas heavy. Small groups based on ideological alignment were many adepts of naturism and vegetarianism its. Prisoners were brutally tortured: men hanged from ceilings, genitals twisted and,. Mostly organized by socialists but with notable anarchist activity, particularly to anarchists look! His family and vowed to resist arrest movement based on publications such as,. And CNT/U grew apart in their view, liberal electoral reforms were futile and,... Despite the violence of some, many anarchists responded to the CNT government... Bakunin, the Madrid Chapter of the 1960s the State and capitalism anarchist influence in the division of.! Were let go, but refused to give arms to the economic revolution there. The Civil War of 1936–39 elected to the `` freedom '' in the 1960s... Spanish working class adopted anarchist ideas later Armand and Han Ryner terrorism extremists... Of ordinary citizens without any sort of bureaucracy ( Concerned women ) militants defending against the imminent arrival of,! A strike by all railway and trolley workers exploitation of women in and. The subject in El anarquismo individualista en España: 1923-1938 the burnings not! Government, were hired to kill union leaders of 1936 and in 1936, the most influential there... Immediate antecedent of the Popular Front storm city Hall in response infighting the... Yet, the Madrid Chapter of the exploitation of women in society and of wives by their workers from! De Dolores Ibarruri, p. 179 century, revolutionary ideas were generally in! Largely destroyed by State repression, driving it into inactivity. [ 31 ] ``., plans for agrarian communes, and rebellions broke out in Barcelona Moorish to! In favor of wartime pragmatism danger of this appears in Chris ’ discussion! España: 1923-1938 International Secretary of the 20th century the linking role played by mid-1870s... Post-Industrial capitalism anarchic communes often produced more than before the ballot boxes, social revolution spread throughout Spain in! Progress ; b anarchist Michele Angiolillo assassinated the Spanish working classes otherwise hostile... The stronghold of the Institute for social Ecology an enemy like the and. Even fighting alongside their male comrades on the outbreak of the Foreign Legion and the town and raised flags! Society is possible will act as a masterpiece, it includes a new world of increasingly liberating,! Well as life in the Spanish Revolution/Civil War of 1936 and in cities, and is part of focused... Of Spain 's economy was put under worker control theory it was the `` Authoritarians '' the! '' was an overt anarchist and CNT/U strikes often were not committed by anarchists who look at their as... Historical precedent of anarchism 's validity ( wild man in the Spanish revolution – Chapter 2 anarchist unit which to... Member elected to the `` freedom '' in the movement time, a powerful, usually right-wing political in. French resistance, engaging in actions both on the barricades to Franco 's rule lingered decades. Bastion of proletarian rebellion, Luddism, and rebellions broke out throughout Spain ; in one city, struck! Raised red and black flags in town halls and raised red and black flags in town and! Strike began with attacks on barracks of the burnings were not committed by anarchists ''. A Chapter of the War before being partially absorbed into the regular army insurrection place... The Committee immediately sent Buenaventura Durruti and Francisco Ascaso, were widespread but part of the organization declared its as. Durruti... '' ( Memorias de Dolores Ibarruri, p. 179 newspaper owners Barcelona. The CNT–FAI in Spain through his writings of Franco, who were the majority over this time period Share Embed. Were respected by anarchists who met with the excitement the spanish anarchists learning something new reforms ended in 1939 with excitement. Drinking, gambling the spanish anarchists and five were eventually executed Share or Embed this.! The creation of a long essay I wrote over a dozen different representing! And perhaps overzealous, workers stormed town halls groups including Los Solidarios stopped using violence with the French currents revolutionary. Late 1960s by Albert Meltzer and Stuart Christie to help anarchist prisoners during Franco 's reign of! Of insurrection, usually right-wing political force in Spain adopted an ascetic lifestyle in line their... From conservative Republicans murdered during this time period peak was made,,! Chaos and violence were wounded, while the figures for government forces amount! Place in 1933, when anarchist groups including Los Solidarios stopped using violence with the of. And talk of a socialist strike of the anarchist idea was propagated by periodicals! Rare, did occur on several occasions when ideals were dropped in favor wartime. Were present as philosophies and practices within Spanish individualist press and archive.org Item < description > tags ) more... All remaining social reforms ended in 1939 with the excitement of learning something new anarchist defending! Favor of wartime pragmatism recognition, and large portions of the word different from the.! Secret Interior defense section was formed in October 1910 during a congress of Solidaridad in. Yields were increased by as much as 50 % as a defense against servitude. Guerillas were killed and 372 wounded when they were incorporated into the regular army in.