Anarchism in the Spanish civil war

Clifton S.

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Anarchism in the Spanish civil war

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Abstract

In a decade of cataclysmic worldwide depression and spreading fascism, the Spanish Civil War's Anarchist forces signaled a message of renewed hope of emancipation to the scattered working-class forces throughout the globe. The question still remains though, as to whether these forces contributed to a revolution. The Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines revolution as thus: 1. a complete and forcible overthrow of an established government or political system. 2. Social. a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, esp. one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence (Random 1227). Under these requirements, the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 (a.k.a. The Spanish Revolution) certainly does not qualify. As will be revealed later, the predominantly working-class Anarchist masses of Spain successfully mobilized an effective force realizing the potential of Anarchist doctrine, but failing to secure a complete change in national politics or social protocol

Introduction.
Anarchist ideology.
The key element of Anarchist philosophy.
Participation and direct action.
The Spanish Anarchists.
Popularity of Anarchism in Spain.
Combating the challenges such as the powerful Nationalist forces.
The Anarchists' defeat.
Conclusion.

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[...] This radical doctrine has not always remained so abstract and theoretical: hundreds of participants in the Spanish Civil War believed in Anarchism and implemented community systems with varying Anarchist tenets. The Anarchist International Informational Service articulates this concept of staying in tune to reality, rather than just dreaming up theories and schemes: “Anarchists are interested in what de facto and in reality, are going on in society, not formal or symbolic values, government, rule and hierarchies. Symbolic and formal things and positions are only interesting to the extent they influence realities.” (IFA) As the civil war raged on, the Spanish Anarchists united under several groups that helped organize and collaborate their forces. [...]

[...] In these ways and more, these revolutionary political militia groups of the Spanish Civil War added to the real possibility of a new world order based on Anarchism. The Durruti Column may very well have been the most infamous of these militias because of its powerful and progressive activities throughout the country. Just as many other militias did, this column set out from Barcelona on its own mission: to liberate Saragossa - a vital link to the Basque industrial region full of raw materials and arms manufacturing plants - from Nationalist control (Thomas 200). [...]

[...] For instance, the overthrow of UGT-CNT controlled Barcelona during the infamous Days' in 1937 was worsened by the CNT's appeals and negotiations with the government forces, which gave police more time to reinforce their positions and gain an upper hand (Conlon 34). Also, the ensuing disunity among the Anarchists after the CNT's decisions for compliance contributed to the badly-organized defense plan and eventual surrender before the Communists at Barcelona (Thomas 573). Indeed, this was the end of the revolution for the Spanish Anarchists. In conclusion, the Anarchism in action during the Spanish Civil War teaches us a lot of important lessons for today's Anarchists, revolutionaries, and dreamers. For one, these events serve as a critique of Anarchism itself. [...]

[...] For instance, in 1937 the central government of the Republic admitted that the war industry of Catalonia produced ten times more than the rest of Spanish industry put together, and that the workplace output standard could even be quadrupled if they were granted the means to purchase raw materials (Struggle). The workers knew they were in this struggle together. Another factor to increased efficiency was that middlemen were cut out of the economic processes as wholesale business took hold (Conlon 21). [...]

[...] Though trade unions were made illegal by the Spanish monarchy in 1881 power structure which had since been replaced with a Republican establishment in 1931), Anarchism and Anarcho-syndicalism took root strongly in the city of Barcelona, a stronghold of labor (Thomas 42). There, long and violent clashes occurred between workers and factory owners, the latter of which had the upper hand because of their reliance on a large, seemingly infinite labor pool (Thomas 43). As a result of these types of challenge they faced, Anarchist action took a turn towards terrorism, a tactical theme that soon became a staple of the Spanish Anarchist movement. [...]

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