Forum Post: Anarchism: Spain (1936-39)
Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 26, 2012, 3:25 p.m. EST by francismjenkins
(3713)
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This short lived but remarkable experiment in human history is pertinent in light of the renewed interest in anarchist thought (particularly among many OWS supporters). Some of the greatest minds of the time were drawn to Spain during this period, including George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway. Anyway, here's a few videos & hopefully we can glean some important lessons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUig0lFHDDw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MugPyyjU4nc&feature=endscreen&NR=1
That was the good, here's the bad and the ugly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbIpgGKtj5Y&noredirect=1
Obviously, as the last video suggests, fighting fire with fire isn't a very good idea, when the other guy has bombers and you don't. So peaceful protest, like Dr. King and Gandhi, yet we're inspired by stories like that of Mohamed Bouazizi, who set himself on fire in Tunisia (leading to the revolt that finally brought some semblance of freedom to that country).
Spanish anarchists were the first to fight against Hitler's developing war machine, yet they're often ignored by our history books. We should memorialize their sacrifice not with statutes, but with peaceful action in the spirit of what they fought for.
Thanks for posting, a lot of people see the Spanish Civil war as the defining political event(s) of the 20th century, yet it is the most ignored event in history textbooks (at least American ones). And if it is mentioned, there certainly will be no talk of the revolution in Barcelona.
Indeed, it is virtually ignored by our history books, and for obvious reasons. The establishment doesn't want us getting the idea that we can be our own masters.
Ok, I have watched them all.
I'm sorry, what were the important lessons again?
1) You can't fight fighter jets and bombers with small arms.
2) Anarchism has worked, albeit the experiment was short lived, but it didn't evaporate because of any inherent, systematic inefficiencies, rather, it was crushed by fascists.
3) People do have power, if they just exercise it.
Ok, but did you need to go to the Spanish civil war to know that you can't take a knife to a gun fight? :D
It most definitely was crushed by fascists. Had it been left alone to its own devices it would have been successful. I think it is very important to separate outside forces and agendas.
I find it fascinating that all movements such as this seek the same things: education, education for women on reproductive health, food, health care, and fair labor practices.
Well, I posted this because very few know about this factoid from history (unfortunately). Not many people realize that anarchists were the first to experience Hitler's war machine, and try as they did to fight against it (albeit, to a tragic end). But yes indeed, "people" movements do share commonality (and now that you mention it ... that's another lesson we can glean from this history) :)
In other related news!!!!!Media Matters boss paid former partner $850G 'blackmail' settlement
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/27/media-matters-boss-paid-former-partner-850g-blackmail-settlement/#ixzz1nbsR9eW5
Stinkin libtards goin down hehehehehehhe
Hee-yulk! You are so stupid. Much ado 'bout nothing. Again.
Big blow to the libtards today hahahahahhahahhahahahahhahaha bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
I've never seen these videos. I am going to finish watching them tomorrow. This is very cool. Thanks for posting.
Uh, Spanish anarchists were responsible in part for the ultimate defeat of the Republican forces. They couldn't resist attacking their filthy Marxist allies. Even in the face of certain doom ( fighting Franco, German and Italian forces.) they ad to fuck with their own side.
Stalin's puppets in the Spanish communist party were the ones that were aggressive against the anarchists and socialists (and I use those terms for distinction only as know well the number of parties and their differences). The CNT, POUM, etc would not have "fucked with their own side" had the Stalinists not attempted (and subsequently succeeded) to liquidate them. People were being jailed and executed simply for being affiliated with various political parties (in fact, the Stalinist police forces wouldn't even obey orders from the Republican government trying to halt this purge). Would you not fight back against that? It was the PCE and PSUC that were responsible for the ultimate defeat of the Republic, not the anarchists or marxists.
During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, although the anarchists and Marxists both fought in a united front against the fascist movement of General Francisco Franco, the revolutionary Marxists of the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), the anarcho-syndicalists of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), and the anarchists of the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI) faced repression and attacks from the Communist party.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism_and_Marxism
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The anarchists fought against Franco, this is well recorded history (so I'm not sure what you're trying to say exactly)??