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Posted By Radiofreeeuropa 12 months ago in Political NewsThe Spanish Civil War contains important lessons for modern societies and particularly for understanding the significance of political anarchism.
in 1917, US Senator Hiram Johnson noted that “the first casualty of war is the truth”. Few periods of world history have borne this out as remarkably as the Spanish Civil War.
The Spanish Civil War commenced on July 17, 1936. Spain had been under a Republican government for only a short time, having abandoned the monarchy in 1931. At that time, 67% of the land was owned by only 2% of the population. The poverty was dire and most peasants subsisted by sharecropping. There was a 40% illiteracy rate and the Catholic Church both supported the landowners and controlled public education. The Republican government had imprisoned 30,000 political dissidents in only five years. The Anarchist trade union – Confederacion Nacional de Trabajo (CNT) – had grown to two million members.
In 1936, the Popular Front government was elected – a left-wing assembly of Socialists, Communists, and Anarchists. A right-wing rebellion ensued, led by fascist Francisco Franco. The rebels received aid from Mussolini, Hitler, and Salazar while Britain and France declared an arms embargo and non-intervention policy with regards to Spain. The British and American upper classes sympathized with Franco. Mexico and the Soviet Union backed the Popular Front government, largely because they didn’t want civil unrest to interfere with trade.
Franco’s forces organized four columns that moved across Spain and systematically killed supporters of the Popular Front. Government forces were able to protect Madrid from the Four Columns and banners hung in the streets of the capital city, declaring Madrid to be “the tomb of fascism."
At this time, a Brit by the name of Eric Blair went to Spain as a journalist. He was born in India in 1903 and sent to England for schooling. He graduated from Eton in 1921 and served in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma until 1927. He then spent a year among the homeless, which prompted him to publish the book Down and Out in Paris and London in 1933 under the name for which he is known – George Orwell.... see the article!
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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I thought this essay was fascinating. I have always been intrigued by the Spanish anarchists, it seems they had much to teach us though I'm not sure we are open to understanding the lesson.
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Please overlook the type-o in the title..it's my fault during the submit process.-
libsRfunnyComment removed: Hard Banned2 Replies
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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"The Communists were concerned primarily with thwarting the rise of Franco and, backed by the Stalinist Soviet Union, were willing to repress a workers’ uprising to do it. Uniting the People’s Army would effectively halt a revolution. The Anarchists didn’t want to unite under their terms, believing that only a working class revolution could halt the spread of both capitalism and fascism.
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Orwell was shot in the throat and almost died. He was rescued by Harry Milton, an American Anarchist (among the few Americans who had not joined the Lincoln Brigade that was simultaneously fighting the Fascists and the Anarchists). Orwell was removed from combat and hospitalized in Lerida.
By the time he returned to Barcelona, the Communists had begun an effective smear campaign against the Anarchists. They accused them of siding with the Fascists and referred to them as “Franco’s Fifth Column." In reality, the Anarchists wanted a single command, but demanded that the working class retain control of an egalitarian army.
Propaganda appeared in the left-wing media decrying Anarchists for lawlessness and murder. Anarchism was made illegal and those suspected of it were arrested without charges, held incommunicado, and murdered in prison. Communist forces destroyed many of the land collectives before the Fascists could even get to them. Orwell’s frustration with the lies and their acceptance in Britain, France, and the United States shaped his sensitivity to the use of language to manipulate the masses, which later became the theme of his futuristic dystopia in 1984."
Again I believe the Spanish Anarchist's politics, or anti-politics if you will, is one of the most fascinating chapters in history. There is much to be considered here.-
libsRfunnyComment removed: Hard Banned
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Spadecaller12 months ago
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Thanks RFE,
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Interesting essay. I like this comment:
"A lot of the issues raised by Orwell are still unresolved on the left. The right is less divided because it can unite under the cause of maintaining property rights for the privileged class. The left is easier to divide because it’s inherently more democratic and anti-authoritarian."
So, I've noticed.-
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libsRfunnyComment removed: Hard Banned1 Reply
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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LOL! true.
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But you know the Spanish anarchists did vote, they did have a democracy within the organization. In fact the other groups fighting the fascists turned against them primarily because they did not act quickly on decisions, waiting until all members voted on any actions. Fair but perhaps inefficient in a war.
To clarify the comparison a bit, both anarchists and libertarians want as little government organization as possible. Both view personal freedom as more important than other matters.-
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Mdiar12 months ago
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The libertarian and the anarchist share similar roots. If I recall correctly the term "libertarian" is French and comes from a time when anarchist writings were banned. They would be written as "libertarian" writings.
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I'm not an anarchist but I do have a number of philosophical agreements with them. In the end, it just isn't practical enough for me to fully accept. I'm alot closer to an anarchist then a fascist. -
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alakazam12 months ago
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FTA- "the Anarchists wanted a single command, but demanded that the working class retain control of an egalitarian army"
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That tends to give me the impression that their motives had some purity of purpose.
That is not the kind of thing someone looking to create tyranny would promote.
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rightfromwrong12 months ago
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great story RFE.... never knew much about this but a couple friends of mine were talking about it and they had totally different views. One thing they agreed on was that it was very violent....take no prisoners and when they did,they were executed. Very interesting what happened in Catalonia
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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A great book that views the Spanish anarchists in a positive light can be found here-
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http://www.akpress.org/1996/items/spanishanarchist... -
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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A great resource for further information is this site-
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http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/spaindx.html
It seems if nothing else, this era brought a validity to the movement. -
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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A great little video here-
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUig0lFHDDw
We seem to to see capitalism and communism as the only systems of economic organization but both eventually fail from within.
Anarchy in the style of the Spanish, certainly did not fail from within but from external forces against it. One wonders if it had been triumphant over fascism, where it would have led.-
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kobzikov12 months ago
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This is not the first attempt at anarchism that was quashed by external forces. For example, Ukrainian anarchists led by Nestor Makhno were eventually crushed by Red Army despite helping it drive out former ruling class.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor_Makhno
While there were authoritarian elements present in Makhno's rule, such as appointment of mayors and other government officials, the society itself was structured according to anarchist model.
What concerns alternative economic systems to capitalism and communism, then there are a number of them, including hybrids of the two such as mixed economy, as well as economies based on communal participation such as anarchist models,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_system
There are of course other economic systems, see the list at the bottom, but I'm unfamiliar with most of them.
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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If you are interested, there is actually a good overview of the movement and the period at wikipedia-
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_in_Spain-
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rightfromwrong12 months ago
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this place in Catalonia reminded me of a Kibbutz. It sounds like it happened like all being volunteers to make a peaceful place because there was a lack of greed and all people felt secure.
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We need some anarchy in the USA...shake off the shackles of the wealthy. To be a union of people with responsibilities for one another
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hyperbola12 months ago
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There is a lot more history about this period than most Americans realize. You start with a quote about "communists", but how many Americans know that Mussolini sent 60,000 Italian fascist troops to Spain along with airplanes and heavy weaponry?
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Or, how many Americans know that in the liberation of Paris during WWII, the first troops into Paris and those who received the surrender of the German commander, were in fact Spanish Republicans?
There are many, many very interesting sources in spanish - here is something in English.
Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (Alba)
http://www.alba-valb.org/resources/lessons/introdu...-
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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I guess the writer was surprised as was I that the communists effectively sold out labor.
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Thanks for that great link, for some reason propeller didn't actually "link" it out so I'll try again here.
http://www.alba-valb.org/resources/lessons
Click on introduction to the Spanish Civil War.
Then the different "chapters appear on the left.
It's a great read!
As are the other articles on the site.
Though for some reason Propeller seems to be refusing to link to the site, you'll have to copy the URL to your browser.-
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Ratskii12 months ago
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The Marxist-Leninists (I consider the term communist to be a general term which includes a variety of social theories) have been attacking (fellow?) leftists for a long time. I think an effective argument would be made that they have put more resources into defeating other left of center organizations than they have trying to defeat capitalism.
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Natureboy12 months ago
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You are definitely right.
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I remember the first Iraq war, and participating in protests in Detroit. The Socialist Workers Party and the Workers Socialist Party (I may be getting the names wrong) could never get an action together because they were more focused on refuting one anothers' "analysis" of the situation.
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hyperbola12 months ago
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You are welcome. It is interesting that one of the present political debates in Spain is whether or not the 600 mass graves of those killed in the Civil War (mostly Republicans) and thereafter (the killings and executions went on for another 15 years) should be opened and the sites commemorated.
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One of the consequences of the Spanish "transition" to democracy in the 1970s was a tacit agreement to "forget" as much as possible in hopes of starting anew without too much rencor. This has meant that things like Mengele-style medical experiments by Spanish fascists (on Spanish Republicans - not jews) have only been reported openly in Catalunia.
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RickyDawkins12 months ago
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The French Version:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Basti... -
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Endoscopy12 months ago
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This is interesting and takes some thinking. Fascism is anti left and anti right. It has characteristics of the way Communism is done. A Dictator that is in charge controlling all facets of life. Land businesses etc come under his control.
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The far left wing could no keep themselves together to defeat Franco with the Communists turning on the Anarchists. The whole war was a liberal to centrist nightmare. Too bad that the groups had to fight each other. It would have been interesting to see how long the Anarchist groups would have lasted. So far no group based on that type of ideas has lasted for over 10 years or so. The idea is nice in theory but the reality is people work harder if they get to keep the benefits of their labor. Only a dictator with absolute power can keep something like that going for any length of time. -
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Radiofreeeuropa12 months ago
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Actually Endo, I agree with all but one point, and I admit it is debatable. Fascism was coined after "fasces", the symbol of bound sticks used a totem of power in ancient Rome by the Italians. Mussolini came to power after the "March on Rome" in 1922, and was appointed Prime Minister by King Victor Emmanuel.
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In 1932 Mussolini wrote (with the help of Giovanni Gentile) the entry for the Italian Encyclopedia on the definition of fascism. Since it IS an Italian word and Mussolini was it's first proponent I will accept his definition of it.
He says it is the opposite of Marxist Communism.
And further says in Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions, that "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power."
I firmly view Fascism as the red headed stepchild of the right.
Just as the left must accept Stalin as theirs.
And yes I understand the arguments that both Hitler and Mussolini were at one time socialists, but Mussolini clearly states his disdain for all "left" ideas and Hitler's first official action was to throw all communists in jail and outlaw labor unions. (Not the actions of a leftist I can assure you).
Both partnered with the captains of industry in the running of government. (Thyssen, Krupps actually thought they were Hitler's masters until he threw them in a concentration camp during a power struggle).
Hitler used the socialist workers party to gain his personal power, but obviously had no ideological affinity for them, he brought in cheap foreign labor and eventually slave labor to bring workers to their knees. Again these are ideas and tactics only associated with the right.
No, we must take Mussolini at his word regarding what fascism is. Corporatism, the opposite of communism. A right wing extremism.
(If I were a right winger, I wouldn't want to admit it either.) -
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CaptainLucid12 months ago
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Fascism has one important advantage over communism and that is honesty. Communism is about taking all the money and power and telling the suckers that you are exploiting them for their own good. Communism is about some bastard telling you equality and why party bosses are entitled to "more equality" in the same sentence. The fascists don't waste time trying to fool you. They just shoot you.
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DarkWizard12 months ago
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I think this article points out that any system of governing people will have good and bad traits. The extremes of society would be chaos or order with every other form falling somewhere in between and none being a true Utopia.
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Our Republic/Democracy/Capitalistic society has its good and bad points. Obviously, those 3 ideals don't always mesh well, as we see being played out in current events. As seen with almost every other form of government, a power struggle occurs at some point. This usually happens when the situation becomes untenable between the ruling class and the, barely surviving, masses.
Of course, George Orwell went into much greater detail on the differences between those in control and those being controlled.
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