The Anarchism Read online

  In these early days of the Republic the CNT conduct its Third Congress in Madrid . In addition, the AIT held its fourth congress in Madrid also leveraging the CNT congress. So from 11 to 16 June in the Madrid Conservatory Theatre III Congress of the CNT, which was attended by 511 delegates from unions totaling a figure of 535,000 members represented, with the actual number of members increased. The Congress underlined the approval, after a heated debate, the National Federation of Industry (such as having the UGT). It was argued that it was " of the structure that suited the revolutionary aspirations of the Confederacy, flexibility and agility needed to maneuver "(J. Peiro. These associations would meet unions of a particular branch of production at the national level to put them in a position to deal with capitalist grouping of the same industry, coordinate industrial action, create their own bouquet Site Statistics, etc.. After the revolution, the National Federations of Industry would be the appropriate body to coordinate the production of the respective industry and to balance this with the needs of domestic consumption and exchange with foreign countries. But these associations were boycotted from day one by the revolutionary CNT sector and by 1936 had established two only.

  The CNT was strengthened in the first months of the Republic, and by the end of summer would have some 800,000 members (400,000 in Catalonia). They had joined the masses disenchanted with the Republic. Another early clashes with the government was the introduction of "mixed jury", ie juries to resolve labor conflicts with pattern representation, workers and government. The CNT boycotted these jurors, because he understood that benefited employers and denied the principle of direct action advocated.

  Socialism (now in the coalition government) also managed to take root in Spain. He had become a mass movement by their union UGT, PSOE, and others. The union had in 1932, 1,048,000 members. This growth threatened the hegemony of the CNT union. Probably the existence of a mass revolutionary anarchism in Spain was due to the inability of the socialist party to achieve immediate social improvements. And is that the characteristics of the Spanish bourgeoisie had done until then almost impossible to carry out an effective policy reform. Social structures seemed immovable. The CNT in 1931 lost an important opportunity to articulate a peasant federation, the UGT and who would be able to perform. It was the National Federation of the Earth , which soon had half a million members and became the backbone of the UGT.

  The "treintism"

  The treintism was a political movement, and finally a proper motion, which occurred within the CNT. Argued for a preparation phase a few years (not specified how many) before the beginning of the social revolution. Also tried removing the "revolutionary myth" and proposing a revolution by education and example. His vision clashed with another radical trend represented by the union faista (FAI).

  Named after a document called the Thirty Manifesto written in August 1931. Sometimes called possibilists , moderate or reformist , amongtrentists were anarchists like Angel Pestana, Juan López Sánchez and Juan Peiro. Its sphere of influence is mainly Valencia, which dominated the local federation, although unions were also the majority in Huelva, Sabadell, Mataró, Manresa, Igualada, etc.. Valencia unions are self-excluded from the Levantine CNT in the fall of 1932, not wanting to take the line of the FAI, being followed by several expulsions and deportations of self-other unions in the towns mentioned above and others. They were known as the "union of opposition"and never formed a syndicalist federation itself, although they would be coordinated by the Libertarian Syndicalist Federation. They would be readmitted to the Congress of Zaragoza May 1936, except of Sabadell, which eventually enter into the Catalan UGT.

  The treintism had two main entities. On one hand the Unionist Party Angel Tab, founded in 1934 with its resignation to the social revolution he saw as impossible. Tab sees that the times demanded a parliamentary politics, so he founded a party with the intention of it being the representative of the anarcho-syndicalists, who understands that did not match. In 1936 the party will participate in the Popular Front and manages two deputies (in Cádiz and Zaragoza, Angel Pestana and Benito Pabon respectively), one for the party and the other as an independent. They had a theyth called Theyth Unionists own. The match will be disarmed and started the Spanish Civil War affected by the death of Angel Tab in December 1937, having 30,000 members. The other most important treintism entity formed the Libertarian Syndicalist Federation , formed on the initiative of J. Peiro and incorporated on February 25, 1933. Tab participate in the Federation until the foundation of his party. The FSL formed ateneos union had its own newspaper, participated in the Workers' Alliance of Catalonia in 1934 and eventually return to the CNT in May 1936. They brought some 70,000 members in Congress this reunification.

  During the civil war this stream always opted for collaboration with other antifascist forces. When the CNT-FAI decide to participate in the government of the Republic, this trend would provide two ministers (Juan Lopez and Peiro Joan) of the 4 offered to the libertarian movement.

  The insurrectionary cycle, 1931-1933

  The strong growth in membership in 1931 and 1932, was taken by the revolutionary sectors of the CNT as proof that the time was ripe for social revolution. At that time the Civil Guard was totally discredited in the eyes of the proletariat, and the army was unstable and prone to side with the workers in the frequent riots and disturbances. Parallelism with the Russian Revolution in which after the February Revolution of 1917, followed the October Revolution became.

  At the same time, these revolutionary sectors were taking control of unions and regional federations arrebatándoselo the moderate unionists. This meant that it could carry out a first purge of communists in CNT unions. The BOC party, the communist left, had some influence among the workers CNT Lleida and Girona and in the trade union Barcelona. These unions were expelled. Also were expelled or left the Confederacy, unions controlled by the PCE in Seville, Malaga, Cordoba and Asturias. The PCE after trying to control some of the CNT unions (which he regarded as a movement "no party") later tried to form a trade union called CGTU (as its equivalent in France), he never had much success in 1935 and merged with the UGT. The FAI meanwhile was gaining sympathy among the anarchists who were members of CNT. These growing complicity led to the creation of joint committees that included members of both organizations, sometimes blending into one. For example, the committee pro-prisoners became the symbol of this new alliance, which became known as the interlocking organic.This interlocking supposed CNT bet by one of the different tendencies within it to the detriment of others.

  The anarchists had already seen how the government acted in the strikes. During the strike cut Sevilla phones, the army used guns (and even a cannon) against workers. But the moment no option left for inaction. In the countryside many strikes, which also carried out the workers of the UGT occurred. This happened for example in Castilblanco (Extremadura), made on December 31, 1931, where the violent repression seems like it was was the beginning of a week of local insurrections in various parts of Spain, with no connection between them. In that week there were also events Arnedo (in Rioja) in which a manifestation of the UGT was confronted and killed by the Guardia Civil causing another massacre.

  It was also sounded anarchist insurrection Alto Llobregat where miners took control of the town of Fígols (Barcelona) and proclaimed "libertarian communism" for a week . The strike spread to other towns as Berga, Gironella, Sallent, Balsareny, Navarcles and Suria where mine stopped and closed shops. The repression was fierce, January 21, the government sent the army to take the mining towns. For only 23 and was Fígols held by insurgents, but 24 people falls, workers are arrested and dismissed from their mines.

  The National Committee of the CNT then agreed to " give the order to strike throughout Spain, accepting with all its consequences . " However, only in some isolated villages of Valencia and Aragon followed. In Alcorisa (Teruel) insurgents placed two bombs in the barracks of the Civil Guard, and Castel de Cabra, seized " of the City, destroying the tax register and
all documents were on file with the City Clerk , "according a newspaper reported. Infantry troops sent from Barcelona Batet under General Zaragoza and from riots and ended on 27 January, the first anarchist insurrection against the Republic was over.

  There were many detainees and all local CNT of the areas affected were closed, but the repressive measure main impact was the government's decision to implement the Law on Defence of the Republic to a hundred detainees who were deported to the colonies Africa. On 22 January, when troops occupied Manresa, Barcelona anarchist militants were arrested several, including the brothers Francisco and Dominic Ascaso Ascaso, Buenaventura Durruti and Tomás Cano Ruiz were. They were transferred to the steamship " Buenos Aires ", anchored in the harbor. Four days later there were more than 200 prisoners on the ship. On the 28th a hundred started a hunger strike in protest and wrote a manifesto denouncing his helplessness. Some were free, but on February 10 the " Buenos Aires "sailed from the port of Barcelona with 104 prisoners on board. After collecting other inmates in Cadiz, the ship passed through the Canary Islands, Fernando Po (now Equatorial Guinea on) and finally ended up at Villa Cisneros (in today Western Sahara) on April 3. In crossing some of the prisoners were sick, one died, and others were released. Last deported back to Spain in September. With this "affair" of the deportees confrontation between the CNT and the republican-socialist government further festered.

  In an article published in the journal Earth , Madrid, the anarchist Melchor Rodríguez García accounted for 166 dead violently produced between April 14 1931 and April 14, 1932, mostly in small towns, which denoted the situation of the Spanish countryside.

  Throughout 1932 they continued problems in the field. But the strike in cities. In Seville, the head of the civil guard, José Sanjurjo rebels against the Republic in August 1932. Their rebellion is paralyzed by the general strike called by anarchists and communists.

  Meanwhile, the anarchists would on offense. In a plenary session of the CNT Regional held on December 1, 1932 in Madrid railway union I requested support for a general strike in which wage increases would claim. At the end rail backed out because more than half of its union locals thought the strike would be a failure, but still the Committee on Regional Defense of Catalonia returned to the idea proposed by Joan García Oliver, ready to implement "revolutionary gymnastics" that would be a "insurrectionary action that would prevent the consolidation of the bourgeois republic." The date chosen was January 8, 1933.

  The insurrection was not a very wide following. The Army and Civil Guard took strategic positions in areas where unrest and union leaders were arrested were expected. In some neighborhoods of Barcelona there were clashes between anarchists and law enforcement. There were strikes, explosives incidents and proclamations of "libertarian communism" in some populations of Aragon, as Robres and Bellver de Cinca, and Valencia, as Bugarra, Ribarroja, Bétera, Benaguacil, Utiel and Pedralba.

  None of these actions were successful. These revolutionary attempts mistake caused by official agencies of CNT, denoting tactical differences between regional union federations that were snatching the lead in Catalonia Confederation (Catalonia was the most extreme regional federation). But nevertheless, on January 10, anarchists of Casas Viejas uprising began on their own. People would take the next day and keep it for another day.The repression is brutal, since the guards retake the people have direct approval of the government of Manuel Azaña. The incident ended with 26 dead and shocked all Spain. The government was called to give explanations and CNT initiated a strong campaign against the Republic. The incident was broadcast by the journalists of Earth , Eduardo de Guzman and Ramon J. Sender.

  Before the announcement of elections in the Republic for November 19, 1933, the anarchists made a strong campaign for abstention. Had some impact in the provinces in which the CNT union prevailed, as Cádiz, Málaga, Sevilla, Barcelona, Pontevedra, etc.. But before the victory of the right, anarchists do not want to appear as those who had caused, decided to make a show of force. In December 1933 the insurrection against the Republic was proclaimed. However, all outbreaks were quickly controlled by the civil guard and the assault. In addition to a leak in a prison in Barcelona, no progress was not made before police quelled the revolt in Catalonia and the rest of the country. Zaragoza was a short-lived uprising manifested in street fighting with the occupation of certain buildings.

  The Workers' Alliance

  Alianza Obrera

  During 1934 the Socialists decided to radicalize their attitude to the newly elected right-wing government, which equated to fascism. Seen the rise of the Nazis in Germany and Austria events, where Nazism and Fascism had destroyed social democracy did not want the same thing happened in Spain. So they called major strikes like peasants in Extremadura. Then, in the Spanish countryside had 415,000 unemployed and the situation was desperate. The strike movement, which in general was severely repressed, spread over 1,500 Spanish municipalities lasting more than a week. This led to numerous arrests (20,000 in Extremadura) and the dismantling of the FNTT. There were many thousands of detainees throughout Spain.

  Anarchists, meanwhile, called for a major strike in April, again in Zaragoza, which lasted five weeks, stopping most of the economy of Zaragoza. Support for the strike was also manifested in other parts of the country, Anarchists of Barcelona took care of the children of the strikers (about 13,000).

  That year was discussed at length the Alianza Obrera call. It was a proposal by the parties of the Communist Left (BOC and IC), which was assumed by the PSOE and the UGT. Although CNT was defended by Valeriano Orobón Fernandez and was accepted in Asturias, Galicia and Madrid, the nationwide alliance CNT refused, thinking that it was a socialist maneuver to regain power. Only in Asturias went ahead with the Alliance, leading the October uprising. In Catalonia the Workers' Alliance had the support of the CNT union opposition, but when the truth did not participate in the strike. The rest of the CNT even hit publish Solidaridad Obrera a "Manifesto" which read:

  Our position has not suffered variant ... mocked for people, the exploited, there can be no difference rulers enter all are equal in the pursuit of the proletariat, all are fascists when it comes to defending the privileges. Everything for the CNT.

  The Revolution of Asturias, 1934

  Revolution of Asturias 1934

  Revolution of 1934

  Perhaps the clearest antecedent of the social revolution of 1936 (and Civil War) occurred in 1934 in the coalfields of Asturias. These facts were known as the October Revolution. It was an accumulation of forces Asturian mining and industrial proletariat through ongoing local conflicts that occurred several years before 1934. By 1934 the revolutionary impulse of Asturias was so great that dragged all labor organizations, hitherto warring or divided, and forced them to sign the Workers Alliance. In principle this alliance was signed by the PSOE, the UGT and the CNT. Later communist left and the BOC would unite and finally, the day before the October strike, the union and the PCE CGTU.

  The miners' strike began with dynamite attacks to the barracks of the Civil Guard. The strikers took by force all Asturianas basins, emphasizing decision-Mieres, Sama and La Felguera Langreo. There were two weeks of fighting in the Oviedo and Gijón. Workers took control of most of central Asturias, under the slogan " Unite, proletarian brothers "through the Workers Alliance UHP. The workers of the Felguera, more inclined to anarchism (and mostly in the FAI) also played a leading role by sending militiamen to Gijón and Oviedo. However overall the workers' revolt was led by the Socialists. In Gijon, anarcosindicalista feud, fighting was also developed, but they could not take the city for lack of weapons. In total it was estimated that participated in one way or another to 30,000 insurgents.

  The crushing of the revolt was carried out by General Francisco Franco directing operations from Madrid. After a week of fighting managed to defeat the resistance of the miners. The insurgents captured suffered severe torture, rape, mutilation, and mass executions. The dead are estimated at 2,000. This would herald th
e brutality experienced two years later during the Spanish Civil War. The collective imagination of Asturias was the bloody repression aside (also spoke of 15,000 prisoners and other sources 30,000), and on the other the fact that the working class had fought together with the army for 15 days in equal conditions, and that it had not been for several strategic mistakes have been many more. This enabled awareness and moral by workers elsewhere. The tremendous resistance of the workers to the military coup of 1936 can not be understood without the example they had received from Asturias (that itself could endure and overcome).

  The Popular Front, 1936

  With the coming to power of right-wing political parties (represented by Gil-Robles and Catholic CEDA), the Left parties felt the need to join a "Popular Front." It was proposed that the Communist Party and was gradually accepted by the Socialists and Republicans. Anarchists became part but before the February 1936 elections or not campaigned for abstention or vote recommended this coalition. The justification was that they had to get rid of a right-wing government that prevented the action of trade unions, and had to be out of jail with all political prisoners who had (about 30,000).

  Just win the election of the Popular Front, the people took action and began to gain social gains (starting with the release of prisoners). For example, farmers (mostly socialists) of Extremadura, conducted a massive occupation of land (100,000 people participated). Anarchists forced the situation in the construction sector, in Sevilla getting a workweek of 36 hours.In Madrid strike took insurrectionary construction dyes, highlighting the militants David Antona, Teodoro Mora or Cipriano Mera. The strike provoked clashes even with the Socialists, who had a more moderate approach.