The Spanish Civil War Anarchism in Action by Eddie Conlon Much has been written about the Spanish Civil War but the contribu- tion of the Anarchists has been either totally ignored or reduced to a few footnotes which were often composed of blatant lies or generalised slander referring to 'wreckers'. To set the record straight this pamphlet was pro- duced. It is not a history of the Civil War, that would require many hun- dreds of pages to do justice to the sub- ject. It is an uncovering of the "hidden history" of the Anarchist participation in Spain's anti-fascist struggle. It has not been written because of some aca- 1st published 1986 demic interest but because Anarchism is 2nd edition 1993 still as relevant now as then. We have seen e-mail addition 1994 the results of social democracy and it's La- HTML Markup 1995 bour Parties, we have seen what the PDF version June 2001 Stalinists have done in Russia, China, Al- bania and their satellites, we have seen how their left critics in the Trotskyist move- ment have been unable to come to grips with the real problem. And that real prob- lem is the authoritarian idea that the world can be changed over the heads of the work- ers. It can, but it won't be much better. Chapter 1 - Only Anarchism with its concept 'of social- Rebellion and Resistance ism based on individual freedom and the power of workers' councils stands apart In the 1930’s Europe was experiencing one of its’ worst ever from all this. That is why, despite four dec- slumps. The Wall Street crash came in 1929 and its repercus- ades of repression, the CNT reappeared as sions were felt far and wide. Spain was no exception a real union after the death of Franco. We By 1936 unemployment had gone over 30% in many of the towns and believe that Anarchism is not just another cities Out of a total workforce of three million, one million were out of choice for those who want a better world, work. There was no dole and as prices rose by 80% in the five years up the history of all other ‘left’ movements to 1936, many encountered severe hardship. shows that Anarchism is a necessity. Land By European standards Spain was a particularly backward country. There had been little industrial development and 70% of the people Glossary and Chronology at end still lived on the land. 52% of the workforce was employed in agricul- ture which accounted for between one half and two thirds of Spain’s Workers Solidarity June 2001 PDF edition Movement www.struggle.ws/wsm exports. the whole colonial administration along Front, a coalition of republicans, social- with much of that in the country itself. democrats and the Stalinists of the Com- The division of land was the worst in Drawn from the upper classes they were munist Party. Their victory was mainly Europe. A massive 67% was in the hands tied by kinship, friendship and social po- due to the CNT not running a campaign of just 2% of all landowners. In 1936, sition to the industrialists and reaction- calling on the workers to abstain from 10,000 proprietors owned half of the na- ary landowners. voting. In previous elections they had tional territory. The remaining land was done so because they believed that the owned by “middle owners” and peasants. The Republic ballot box was a con as you could only The “middle owners” were more numer- The Spanish Republic was born in 1931. choose who would rule over you, not ous than the big landowners but they also The workers and peasants, having gone whether you wanted to be ruled or not. had large estates worked by sharecrop- through years of dictatorship, believed Instead they said workers should rely on pers and landless labourers. that maybe now the country would be their industrial muscle to change things. The rest of the land was owned by peas- modernised and their living standards This time the CNT took no position, leav- ants, of whom there were five million would begin to improve. ing it to individual members to decide The Because most of them had insufficient It was not to be so. One example will suf- results made it obvious they had voted, land they hired themselves out as day fice. The republican government set up mainly because the Popular Front had labourers. Others took to sharecropping. the Institute for Agrarian Reform to look promised an amnesty for the prisoners. Boom into the redistribution of land. By its own The workers, though, did not wait for the admission its programme would have Spain’s boom period had been during government to act. They opened the pris- taken a whole century to implement. World War I when it had remained neu- ons themselves and released their com- tral. Agriculture thrived due to the large The republican/social-democratic coali- rades. It did not stop there. The election foreign markets for its exports. At the tion which came to power in 1931 did lit- result was seen as an impetus to go on same time some industrialisation took tle to improve living conditions for the the offensive. They had voted for change place. After the war, though, this boom vast majority of workers. Unemployment and if the government was not going to came to an end, especially when tariff remained high and the working class or- deliver they would get results them- barriers were thrown up by Britain and ganisations, especially the CNT, suffered selves. France against Spanish exports. repression with many members being Strikes imprisoned. By June 1933 there were While the boom lasted the landowners 9,000 political prisoners. Between the election in February and the reaped the benefits but when the slump fascist revolt in July there were 113 gen- arrived it was the peasants who suffered. The government refused to take on the eral strikes, 228 partial general strikes, conditions in the Spain of the 1930’s were industrialists, landowners, army officers 145 bomb explosions, 269 deaths, 1287 comparable with the Orient. Starvation and bishops. It would not stand up to that wounded, 215 assaults and 160 churches was _normal_ between the harvests. The minority which owned all the wealth and burned. Of course all this was not part of press of the time carried reports of whole had all the real power. In the election of the Popular Front programme which was districts living on roots and boiled greens. 1933 they fell and a right-wing coalition watery and essentially aimed at main- The industrialisation that had taken came to power. taining anti-fascist unity. It was not place was mainly confined to one area- This marked the beginning of what be- aimed at smashing capitalism and the Catalonia. Situated in the Northeast bor- came known as the “bienno negro” the power of the Spanish elite. Sections of the dering on France, Catalonia, especially two black years. The right went on the Socialist Party, however, went beyond the its capital Barcelona, became the indus- offensive. The coalition of the wealthy Popular Front programme and many of trial centre of Spain, with 70% of all in- and powerful now had state power and them in the UGT again joined with their dustry and 50% of industrial workers. were determined to use it to smash work- comrades in the CNT to fight the passiv- Many peasants left the land to seek work ing class and peasant resistance. Their ity of the government. in Barcelona, which added to the already privileges were to be maintained at the existing unemployment. On June 13th, 30,000 Asturian miners expense of the workers. struck; on June 19th 90,000 miners Other forces at the time were the Catho- Asturia throughout the country were on strike. lic church and the army. While there were Every city of importance had at least one 25,000 parish priests there were a fur- Of course this was not taken lightly. The general strike. Over one million were out ther 70,000 in religious orders. The Jesu- CNT organised as best it could against in the first days of July. Strikers were its alone owned 30% of the country’s the government. A rising took place in not only fighting for economic demands, wealth. The numbers in the orders actu- Catalonia in December, shortly after the political demands were also made. On ally outnumbered the total of secondary change of government. It was crushed July 14th there was a large demonstra- school students. While millions were kept after ten days. The following year the tion outside a ball at the Brazilian em- illiterate (40% could neither read nor workers of the CNT joined with their fel- bassy. The workers carried placards say- write) the church preached superstitious low workers in the UGT (General Union ing “Republican Ministers amuse them- reports of incredible incidents such as of Workers, controlled by the Socialist selves while workers die”. statues seen weeping and crucifixes ex- Party) in a revolt in the Asturias region. uding blood. The workplaces were taken over and the While the Republican government did all union members took up arms against the it could to get the situation under con- The Church was renowned for siding with state. Unfortunately they were isolated trol, the Communist Party condemned the bosses and while the priests were liv- from the rest of the country. The massa- the strikes for bringing workers into col- ing in luxury the peasants around them cre that followed their defeat was unprec- lision with the government.