The Anarchist Collectives Workers’ Self-Management in the Spanish Revolution, 1936–1939 Sam Dolgoff (editor) 1974 Contents Preface 7 Acknowledgements 8 Introductory Essay by Murray Bookchin 9 Part One: Background 28 Chapter 1: The Spanish Revolution 30 The Two Revolutions by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 30 The Bolshevik Revolution vs The Russian Social Revolution . 35 The Trend Towards Workers’ Self-Management by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 36 Chapter 2: The Libertarian Tradition 41 Introduction ............................................ 41 The Rural Collectivist Tradition by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 41 The Anarchist Influence by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 44 The Political and Economic Organization of Society by Isaac Puente ....................................... 46 Chapter 3: Historical Notes 52 The Prologue to Revolution by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 52 On Anarchist Communism ................................. 55 On Anarcho-Syndicalism .................................. 55 The Counter-Revolution and the Destruction of the Collectives by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 56 Chapter 4: The Limitations of the Revolution 63 Introduction ............................................ 63 2 The Limitations of the Revolution by Gaston Leval ....................................... 63 Part Two: The Social Revolution 72 Chapter 5: The Economics of Revolution 74 Introduction ............................................ 74 Economic Structure and Coordination by Augustin Souchy ..................................... 74 A Note on the Difficult Problems of Reconstruction by Diego Abad de Santillan ................................. 77 Money and Exchange by Sam Dolgoff ....................................... 78 Statistical Information on Agrarian and Industrial Socialization . 81 Chapter 6: Workers’ Self-Management in Industry 84 Introduction ............................................ 84 Workers’ Self-Management in Industry by Augustin Souchy ..................................... 84 Workers’ Control vs Workers’ Self-Management ..................... 87 Chapter 7: Urban Collectivization 89 Introduction ............................................ 89 Collectivizations in Catalonia by Augustin Souchy ..................................... 89 The Collectivization of the Metal and Munitions Industry by Augustin Souchy ..................................... 96 The Collectivization of the Optical Industry ........................... 96 The Socialization of Health Services by Gaston Leval ....................................... 99 Industrial Collectivization in Alcoy by Gaston Leval ....................................... 101 Control of Industries in the North by Jose Peirats ........................................ 102 Chapter 8: The Revolution of the Land 109 Introduction ............................................ 109 The Revolution on the Land by Jose Peirats ........................................ 109 Chapter 9: The Coordination of Collectives 116 Introduction ............................................ 116 The Peasant Federation of Levant by Gaston Leval ....................................... 116 3 The Aragon Federation of Collectives: The First Congress by Jose Peirats ........................................ 119 Chapter 10: The Rural Collectives 122 Introduction ............................................ 122 A Journey Through Aragon by Augustin Souchy ..................................... 122 The Collectivization in Graus by Gaston Leval and Alardo Prats ............................. 125 Libertarian Communism in Alcora by H. E. Kaminski ...................................... 129 The Collective in Binefar by Gaston Leval ....................................... 134 Miralcampo and Azuqueca from Cahiers de I’Humanisme Libertaire . 137 Collectivization in Carcagente by Gaston Leval ....................................... 138 Collectivization in Magdalena de Pulpis by Gaston Leval ....................................... 140 The Collective in Mas de las Matas by Gaston Leval ....................................... 142 Chapter 11: An Evaluation of the Anarchist Collectives 150 Introduction ............................................ 150 The Characteristics of the Libertarian Collectives by Gaston Leval ....................................... 150 Conclusion by Sam Dolgoff 154 Glossary 158 Bibliography 159 4 To the heroic workers and peasants of Spain! To my comrades, the Spanish Anarchists, who perished fighting for freedom! To the militants who continue the struggle! 5 6 Book Cover of The Anarchist Collectives Preface The Spanish Social Revolution has been long neglected in English language works. Its importance as a revolutionary event and model, and as a concrete example of workers’ self-management by the people is just not recognized. My purpose in this collection is to provide an introduction to this unique experience. In my first chapter and friend Bookchin’s introductory essay, a general overview and context is presented. Most important, of course, is that this was a real experience for the people who took part. Through their words and deeds and the observations of the authors used in this collection, it is hoped that the reader will gain a meaningful understanding of the aims and organization of the anarchist collectives. The material has been divided into two main sections. The first provides essential backgroundin- formation: the nature of the Spanish Revolution, the collectivist tradition, the development of the libertarian labor movement in Spain, and the historical events leading up to and then culminating in the destruction of the collectives. The second, and main, section deals with the actual social revolution–the overall characteristics of agrarian collectivization and industrial socialization. It begins with a discussion about economic coordination, the place and nature of money in the collectives, and includes statistics on the number of collectives. It then deals with actual descriptions of life in the collectives, first under industrial socialization, and then in the rural collectives: how the new institutions were established, how they functioned, how production and distribution were handled; about coordination, exchange, relations between collectives, and between collectivized and non-collectivized areas. The book ends with a short evaluation of the anarchist collectives with some comments on their relevance and lessons. The glossary, bibliography and appendices add to the overall usefulness of this volume. Thepho- tographs reproduced within begin to correct the visual bias that has left a plethora of war scenes but very little reflecting the constructive aspects of the Spanish Social Revolution. Most of the picturesare from contemporary sources held by the editor. I would like to thank Victor Berch, Special Collections Librarian at Brandeis University for permission to use the pictures on pages 104, 141, and 142. The observers speaking in these selections visited the same regions and often the same collectives at different times within the short span of approximately two years. Since each observer stressed what seemed most important to him, their accounts supplement each other, thus providing a more balanced view of the new way of life than any single observer could have done. Under these circumstances, though, some repetition is inevitable. The translations I have made are strict to the meaning, butare not literal, for I have also been concerned with giving the spirit of the words, and with reducing repetitions. Finally I would like to express my thanks to all the farsighted and brave people whose work I have used in putting together this collection. (A short biography on each is included in the bibliography.) Their efforts have immortalized a social experience of momentous importance. My object hasbeento present them to the English reader within a context that will be useful. 7 Acknowledgements It is with the deepest appreciation that I acknowledge the contributions to the present work of the following persons: My friend, Chuck Hamilton, for his tireless technical and editorial labors in turning a poorly typed manuscript into the finished book. To my friend, Dr. Paul Avrich, for reading the manuscript and making valuable suggestions. To my comrade, Murray Bookchin, who first encouraged me to undertake this project. Last, but by no means least, my wife Esther who scrupulously examined the manuscript as it was being written and detected many errors. Sam Dolgoff New York City January, 1974 8 Introductory Essay by Murray Bookchin In the morning hours of July 18,1936, General Francisco Franco issued the pronunciamiento from Las Palmas in Spanish North Africa that openly launched the struggle of Spain’s reactionary military officers against the legally elected Popular Front government in Madrid. The Franco pronunciamiento left little doubt that, in the event of victory by the Spanish generals, a parliamentary republic would be replaced by a clearly authoritarian state, modelled institutionally on similar regimes in Germany and Italy. The Francista forces or “Nationalists,” as they were tocall themselves, exhibited all the trappings and ideologies of the fascist movements of the day: the raised open-palm salute, the appeals to a “folk-soil” philosophy of “order, duty, and obedience,” the avowed commitments to smash the labor movement and end all political dissidence. To the world,