A-Infos (en) Spaine, Regeneracion: The printed word as a trench - History of anarchist newspapers By liza (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

By way of preamble ---- This article, originally written for issue 180 
of Todo Por Hacer the last of its runis humbly included in Regeneración 
as recognition and tribute to our colleagues for their work over the 
past fifteen years. Ending a project of such magnitude, depth, and scope 
as Todo Por Hacer may leave a substantial void among those of us who 
enjoyed the high-quality content published within its pages each month.
Throughout its 180 issues, Todo Por Hacer has been a role model for 
activist journalism. Creating a school of thought and fostering class 
pride in equal measure, we are aware that the effort invested in 
producing this publication month after month has been nothing short of 
Herculean. With coverage from Madrid of various social, self-organized, 
and libertarian movements, published both digitally and in print in 
spaces aligned with its vision since 2011, its focus on raising 
awareness and combating narratives that serve more as propaganda than 
information has allowed many of us to see beyond the immediate, to 
realize that all is not lost, that tomorrow can be built by working from 
the present. That defeat never prevailed.

It is certainly the end of an important chapter, but this is always 
followed by the beginning of a new one. Therefore, we say, the best 
tribute: to continue the fight. Words will always transcend deeds if the 
legacy we leave is worthy of being honored.

Regeneration Editorial Staff.

Introduction

Anarchism, as a revolutionary current of struggle for the oppressed 
class, emerged in the mid-19th century. From its inception, militant 
workers' journalism arose as an essential tool for organization, 
education, and propaganda among the popular sectors. Faced with a 
bourgeois press that defended the interests of capital, workers began to 
create their own organs of expression, where critical thinking, social 
denunciation, and political education came together to foster class 
consciousness. In this context, anarchism played a leading role: 
newspapers such as Le Révolté , La Solidaridad , Tierra y Libertad, 
Freedom, Umanitá Nova, and La Protesta became true schools of 
libertarian thought, combining theoretical analysis with the daily 
realities of factories, workshops, and working-class neighborhoods.

These media outlets not only disseminated ideas, but also forged 
international networks of solidarity, promoted strikes, debates, and 
political campaigns, and contributed decisively to the construction of 
trade unions and revolutionary organizations. The anarchist press 
articulated a discourse of comprehensive emancipation—economic, 
political, and social—that granted anarchism hegemonic influence in 
large regions of Europe, America, and parts of Asia during the first 
decades of the 20th century.

Over time, despite repression, exile, and censorship, this journalistic 
tradition reinvented itself: it evolved from clandestine newspapers and 
pamphlets to cultural magazines, union bulletins, and today to digital 
media and counter-information networks. Its essence remains, as we 
always strive to do in this medium of our movement: to be a combative 
press, critical of the system of domination and deeply connected to 
social struggles. It upholds the idea that writing and disseminating 
free thought is not only a cultural act, but a revolutionary practice. 
At a time when some historical projects are coming to an end and new 
ones are being born, it is especially relevant to look back and review 
the red and black ink that has accompanied anarchism from its origins to 
the present day.

Le Revolté (France)

Founded in Geneva in 1879 by Kropotkin, with later support from Élisée 
Reclus and Jean Grave, it was one of the first widely recognized 
anarcho-communist newspapers. It introduced a strategic theoretical 
framework for libertarian communism, combining economic analysis, 
critiques of private property, and proposals for social organization. 
Despite its relatively modest circulation, it had a strong impact in 
France, Switzerland, and Belgium. It suffered severe state repression, 
including Kropotkin's expulsion from Switzerland, so publication 
continued from Paris in 1885, transitioning from a bimonthly to a 
weekly. Just a couple of years later, it changed its name to La Révolté 
to avoid financial penalties. It later evolved into the newspaper Les 
Temps Nouveaux, which was published in France until 1921. It became one 
of the most influential vehicles for disseminating libertarian thought 
in its time and is key to understanding the evolution of internal 
debates within European anarchism.

Freedom (United Kingdom)

Founded in 1886 by Kropotkin and other London libertarians, most notably 
the anarchist Charlotte Wilson, who served as editor for nearly a 
decade, it is one of the oldest English-language anarchist newspapers 
still in circulation. It has served as a platform for debates on 
communist anarchism, antimilitarism, cooperativism, and British social 
movements. Its style combines theoretical analysis, local campaigns, and 
international chronicles. Until 1888, it was printed at the Socialist 
League's workshop, thanks to William Morris's connections. During the 
First World War, it broke with Kropotkin over his support for the 
Allies, and its anti-war stance led to its offices being raided and its 
editor, Thomas Keell, being arrested. It has withstood wars, financial 
crises, and repression, remaining a living historical archive to this 
day and a barometer of the transformations within Anglophone anarchism.

Land and Liberty (Spain and Mexico)

Arguably the most important anarchist newspaper in the Spanish-speaking 
world. Founded in 1888 in Barcelona, ​​it was later published in Madrid 
as a supplement to Revista Blanca, and subsequently edited independently 
by the anarchist Federico Urales. It achieved its greatest prominence as 
a daily newspaper from 1903 onwards, reaching massive circulations among 
workers, cultural centers, and unions in Catalonia. Suppressed in 1919, 
and later during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, it reappeared in 1930 
as the official publication of the FAI (Iberian Anarchist Federation). 
It played a central role in disseminating anarchism in the period 
leading up to the founding of the CNT (National Confederation of Labor), 
but its influence was also significant during the Social Revolution of 
1936. It offered analysis, workers' chronicles, anticlerical campaigns, 
and strategic debates. Under Franco, it continued publication in exile 
in Mexico between 1944 and 1988, and then resumed publication in Spain 
after the Transition. It is key to studying the Iberian libertarian 
imaginary and its cultural networks.

The Protest (Argentina)

This publication, which has survived to the present day, is the 
longest-running voice of Argentine anarchist political thought. Founded 
in June 1897 in Buenos Aires, it was initially known as "La Protesta 
Humana" (Human Protest). It emerged driven by migrant and native workers 
from various trades, with the Catalan Gregorio Inglán Lafarga as its 
first editor. Inglán Lafarga had also written for the newspaper "El 
Perseguido" (The Persecuted) and had founded the publication "La 
Revolución Social" (The Social Revolution) in 1896. From its inception, 
it served as a mouthpiece for the anarchist movement, significantly 
influencing workers' struggles and the need for union organization. Its 
revolutionary columns featured contributions from rank-and-file workers 
and union members, as well as anarchist thinkers from various countries. 
Although it began as a bi-weekly publication, it eventually became a 
weekly and, later, a daily morning paper from 1904. At its peak, it had 
large circulations that reached not only Argentina but also had a 
significant impact in other Latin American countries. It later served as 
the mouthpiece of the Argentine Regional Workers' Federation (FORA), and 
its workshops and publications suffered raids, closures, and continued 
repression at various stages of its history. Over time, it participated 
in internal debates within the anarchist movement among different 
currents, and its archive, which remains to this day, reflects the 
complexity of the Argentine anarchist movement.

Regeneration (Mexico)

It was the leading newspaper of Mexican anarchism in the early 20th 
century and the mouthpiece of Magonism, championed by the Flores Magón 
brothers. Founded in 1900, it evolved from a liberal critique of the 
Porfiriato to an openly anarchist and revolutionary stance. From its 
pages, it denounced the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, state repression, 
worker exploitation, and the dispossession of land from peasant and 
indigenous communities. The newspaper played a key role in the 
organization and propaganda of the Mexican Liberal Party, for which it 
served as the dissemination platform. It was published both in Mexico 
and in exile in the United States; on both sides of the border, it 
suffered censorship, persecution, and constant closures. " Regeneración" 
disseminated ideas of direct action, mutual aid, and libertarian 
communism, influencing strikes and uprisings prior to the Mexican 
Revolution. Its denunciations of U.S. capitalism and strategic 
reflections on social revolution, delivered in a direct and combative 
style, made it very popular. His legacy places him as one of the most 
important experiences of anarchism in Latin America and a benchmark of 
militant revolutionary journalism worldwide.

Heimin Shinbun (Japan)

This "Communards' Newspaper," as its original translation would be, was 
founded in Tokyo in 1903, becoming one of the first socialist and 
anarchist newspapers in Japan. Driven by figures such as the Japanese 
anarchist Kōtoku Shūsui and the socialist Sakai Toshihiko, and emerging 
in a context of industrialization and state authoritarianism, it arose 
in opposition to the growth of militarism and the Russo-Japanese War. 
Despite its brief existence, it was the first to influence organized 
anarchist ideas through the writings of Pyotr Kropotkin and other 
internationalists. Its repression and early closure marked the beginning 
of a harsh persecution of Japanese anarchism, and this publication was 
key in the formation of socialist anarchism not only in Japan, but also 
in its spread to Korea and China through exile and Asian militant 
networks. His influence articulated Asian anarchism with a strong 
emphasis on anti-imperialism, anti-nationalism, and solidarity among 
oppressed peoples.

Mother Earth (United States)

It was an influential anarchist magazine published in the United States 
between 1906 and 1917, founded and edited by Emma Goldman and her 
partner Alexander Berkman. It emerged as a platform for disseminating 
revolutionary anarchism in a context marked by pre-Fordist 
industrialization, state repression, and labor conflicts. The 
publication addressed topics such as class struggle, antimilitarism, 
freedom of expression, feminism, and free love. For a decade, " Mother 
Earth" fostered debates between anarchism, socialism, and revolutionary 
syndicalism, connecting the American libertarian movement with Mexican 
Magonism and European currents. The magazine gave voice to international 
intellectuals and activists, becoming a central hub of English-language 
anarchism. Its clear stance against the growing militarism of World War 
I led to its closure under the Espionage Act and the persecution of its 
editors. However, he left a profound ideological mark on the 
revolutionary left in the US, consolidating and renewing a combative, 
cultural and political anarchist tradition.

Workers' Solidarity (Spain)

This publication was founded in 1907 in Barcelona as the newspaper of 
the workers' federation of the same name and soon became the official 
organ of the CNT (National Confederation of Labor). From its inception, 
it was a key tool for propaganda, education, and coordination within the 
nascent Spanish anarcho-syndicalist movement. It disseminated the ideas 
of direct action, revolutionary syndicalism, and anti-capitalism, 
closely linked to the labor conflicts and workers' strikes of the time, 
a period marked by the growth of anarcho-syndicalism. During the Second 
Republic and the 1936 Revolution, it achieved enormous influence, 
reflecting key debates on collectivization, popular power, and the 
leading role of the organized working class. It was harshly repressed 
during the Franco regime, forced underground and into exile. With the 
reorganization of the CNT during the Transition, " Solidaridad Obrera" 
reappeared as the voice of contemporary anarcho-syndicalism. To this 
day, it remains a historical and political touchstone, keeping alive the 
critical, combative, and self-management tradition of anarchist syndicalism.

Umanitá Nova (Italy)

Founded in Milan in 1920 with the participation of Errico Malatesta, 
this publication became the most important newspaper of Italian 
anarchism. During the so-called "Biennio Rosso" (Red Two-Year Period), 
it achieved massive circulation, connecting with the reality of occupied 
factories, unions, and anarchist circles. Its articles defended 
libertarian communism, workers' federalism, and the need for 
organization in the face of scattered anarchist individualism. However, 
the rise of Italian fascism to power led to its closure and the brutal 
persecution of its editors, including Malatesta himself. It later 
reappeared in exile and even after World War II. It has continued to be 
published, albeit intermittently, as the organ of the Federazione 
Anarchica Italiana (FAI), and its archives allow us to trace the complex 
evolution of the Italian anarchist movement in the face of fascism, 
republicanism, and contemporary neoliberalism.

Dielo Truda (Europe, Russian exile)

This magazine, first published in Paris in late 1925, was edited by 
Russian anarchists such as Nestor Mahkno, Grigory Maksimov, and Ida 
Mett, who were in exile after the collectivist revolutionary experience 
in Ukraine, which had been crushed by the Bolshevik Party. It was a key 
bimonthly publication for examining the Russian Revolution and the Civil 
War from an anarchist perspective, ultimately concluding that greater 
strategic and ideological unity was necessary. Its most significant 
contribution was the General Union of Anarchists, a platform that aimed 
to correct the deviations that had prevented an organized confrontation 
with the bureaucratized USSR, by analyzing the role of the soviets and 
workers' autonomy. It had a profound doctrinal impact, resulting in the 
platformist current, which remains highly influential today. After 
Nestor Makhno's death, it moved its headquarters to Chicago, where it 
was published until 1939, later merging with an anarcho-syndicalist 
magazine, published until 1950 by Gregori Maksimov.

Black Flag (United Kingdom)

Founded in 1970 by Albert Meltzer and, above all, Stuart Christie, a key 
figure in British anarchism, the newspaper was linked from its inception 
to insurrectionist movements and support for international anarchist 
prisoners. It had a direct and combative tone, covering workers', 
anti-fascist, and anti-prison struggles in the UK and other countries. 
Its content combined political analysis and research with international 
solidarity campaigns, primarily those of the Anarchist Black Cross. It 
was never a mass-circulation newspaper, but it was a significant 
reference point for autonomous anarchist youth activism. Despite several 
periods of interruption in its publication, its legacy endures as a 
historical and political reference for British anarchism, culturally 
influencing subsequent generations of anarcho-punk, Anglo-Saxon 
autonomism, and related publishing projects.

Everything to Do (Spain)

And finally, we conclude with a publication to which we wish to pay 
heartfelt tribute after its recent closure. Born as a special issue in 
the context of the 2010 general strike, it continued uninterruptedly as 
an anarchist print periodical for fifteen years until February 2011. It 
was always an independent, free, and accessible newspaper, reaching 
beyond the anarchist movement, offering social analysis and critique 
from Madrid, where it was deeply rooted in social movements. It 
undoubtedly represented a new generation of anarchist media, 
unaffiliated with traditional organizational structures, combining 
investigative journalism with chronicles of social struggle from 
anti-punitive, feminist, ecological, and, of course, anti-capitalist and 
class-conscious perspectives. Supported by autonomous networks of social 
centers, collectives, and subscriptions in Spain, Europe, and the 
Americas, it embraced digital access without losing the essence of the 
monthly print edition.

Although of modest print run, they have reached a multitude of activist 
spaces and have become a voice for both local and international 
struggles. Their archive will remain available for anyone who wishes to 
use it as a reference in current struggles, and those yet to come, which 
anarchism must strategically address. Other projects continue or new 
ones are born, because for something to emerge and gain strength by 
breaking new ground, sometimes the old must be allowed to die. 
Everything is still to be done, but a significant legacy has been left 
by contributing the printed word each month to the trenches of 
revolutionary literature.

Ángel Malatesta, a member of Liza Madrid.

https://regeneracionlibertaria.org/2026/04/17/la-palabra-impresa-como-trinchera/
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