A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - Ideas and Struggles: Libertarian Catalonia 1936/1937 (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Lessons from Spain ---- What if we talked about Spain... Political life 
there has sunk so low in recent months. Is no hope possible? No other 
conceivable social project? Our friends at Editions du Coquelicot have 
published in their collection Les cahiers du Coquelicot a short and 
fascinating work by André and Dori Prudhommeaux entitled Libertarian 
Catalonia 1936/1937, followed by What Are the CNT and the FAI? We first 
read about it some time ago, and current events make it even more 
relevant. ---- André was born in the Familistère de Guise in the north 
of the Aisne region, a place well worth visiting, a symbol of the 
utopian socialism that perhaps shaped our author's thinking. He and Dori 
opened a bookstore specializing in social history. After a trip to 
Germany, they became anarchists, and with Voline edited the journal 
Terre libre, the organ of the French Anarchist Federation. In Barcelona, 
Spain, he published the first issues of L'Espagne antifasciste with 
Aristide Lapeyre. He returned to France, highly critical of the 
CNT/FAI's ministerial participation. After the war, he contributed to Le 
Libertaire and then, in 1954, to Le Monde libertaire. With Dori, he 
wrote several books, including this one.

The People in Arms?

Illustrated with posters and photographs of the war, the book primarily 
addresses the arming of the people. This "is the first problem of any 
social struggle. In Spain, this problem was decisive from the first day 
and has never ceased to be so." It is this armed struggle that dictates 
the pace of the revolution's development, on all fronts. The authors 
present testimonies taken from various journals. Noteworthy in Vu of 
August 29, 1936, after the attempted putsch in Barcelona, were the words 
of Lluis Companys, president of the Generalitat of Catalonia: "The 
attitude of the anarchists during that day was worthy of particular 
admiration." Another testimony from a Catalanist: "From the very 
beginning of the conflict, the anarchists took to the streets and, 
followed by small groups of workers, they were the authors of the 
victory. In twenty-four hours, the Spanish army was effectively 
dissolved. This is the most stunning success ever recorded in the 
history of a revolution. And it was the anarchist movement that brought 
about this result." The sigh of relief should not hide the bourgeoisie's 
concern about this popular force.

"Militia, yes! But soldiers never!"

Anti-fascist militias organized themselves from the ground up. CNT/FAI 
13,000 men, UGT 2,000, POUM 3,000, Police and Generalitat 2,000. The 
first column will be Durruti's heading towards Zaragoza (Roberto 
Martinez Catalan, Destination Saragossa, Chronicle of the Durruti 
Column, Ed. Le Coquelicot, 2024). Several articles, particularly in the 
French press, highlight the quality of the organization. An entire 
chapter is devoted to the choice: Military or militia. In Antifascist 
Spain, an article concludes: "The army has proven to be a danger to the 
people; only the people's militias protect public freedoms: Militiamen, 
yes! But soldiers never!"

This statement must be qualified. The question of a single command 
arises, and then the resumption of control of the fighting forces is 
organized despite the opposition of the militias defended by Durruti. We 
find a series of testimonies and statements in a fiery style regarding 
the defense of Madrid.

The second part of the book contains documents, including the 
declaration of the Italian section of the Ascaso Column against military 
mobilization, as well as the intervention of a delegate from the Iron 
Column. Yes, the question of single command or coordination is 
fundamental, as is that of discipline. André and Dori Prudhommeaux 
provide a valuable synthesis of the history of the CNT/FAI, the war, and 
the political debates, including that on the participation of anarchists 
in the government.

Let us conclude with this approach: "Through its revolutionary 
collaboration with other political tendencies, Spanish anarchism has set 
an example of unprecedented revolutionary tolerance and of a true 
proletarian democracy, which is building a new world, hostile to all 
dictatorships and based on socialism."

* André and Dori Prudhommeaux
Libertarian Catalonia 1936/1937, followed by What Are the CNT and the FAI?

Ed. Le Coquelicot, 2012

https://monde-libertaire.fr/?articlen=8469
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