Anarchist Debates/Opinions re: CNT in Spain

[Jimmie Higgins]

What are some of the most common arguments within anarchist thought on the CNT in Spain? If you are an anarchist, what is your view and what do you see as the generally accepted arguments (if not the same)?

I'm taking the betrayal of the Communists - PSE - for granted, so I'm more interested in views about CNT debates and actions, and percieved deficiencies (or lack of). So if people want to talk about the role of the CP in Spain or the USSR directly, I'd be interested to hear it, but I'd appreciate another thread being started about it in order to keep this one more focused.

[Jimmie Higgins]

...a tumbleweed rolls through the thread as a lonely hound howls in the distance...

I guess some links to opinions on this would suffice if you know of any decent articles or debates.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Most anarchists who study that period of history have a negative view of the CNT, in particular their involvement with the Republican government and some of their vertically-integrated management systems...

[Devrim]

I saw this and partially because I don't post here that much anymore, and partially because I thought I would leave it to anarchists I didn't reply.

As you don't seem to have got anything I will give it a go.

The first thing of course would be contemporary documents. The most critical voice in Spanish anarchism at the time was the 'Friends of Durruti' group. Libcom has a page of texts related to them here (http://libcom.org/tags/friends-of-durruti). The key text is 'Towards a Fresh Revolution (http://libcom.org/library/towards-fresh-revolution-friends-durruti)'.

Jumping quickly to most recent documents, the UK IWA section SolFed has just published a long pamphlet/short book called 'Fighting for Ourselves', which has a long section on the CNT and what went wrong, which is very critical. I don't think it is online yet. There is a preview here (http://libcom.org/blog/fighting-ourselves-preview-05092012). I have a digital copy, but I don't think it would be very comradely to put up the relevant part here as they haven't put it online themselves.

I'd advise asking on Libcom.

Devrim

[Jimmie Higgins]

Most anarchists who study that period of history have a negative view of the CNT, in particular their involvement with the Republican government and some of their vertically-integrated management systems...Yes, I was aware/antcipated that CNT collaboration would not be supported, I was wondering what the explainations for it are from anarchist perspectives. I'd like to know more about the management systems though - any links or can you sumerize a basic argument around that?

[Luc]

The Friends of Durruti criticized (rightfully i thunk so) the Syndicalist movement for not having a clearer strategy regarding the state and the protracted resistance of the capitalist state which lead them to join yhe popular front and left the movement unprepared for the following Civil War

José Peirats Valls (CNT militant and historian) noted:

in Their writings, many anarchists concieved of a miraculous solution to the problem. We fell easily into this trap in Spain. We believed that "once the dog is dea the rabies is over". We proclaimed a full-blown revolution without worrying about the many complex problems that a revolution brings with it... [T]o the Iberian anarchists of my generation the notion that there is an inevitable reaction to any revolution was unthinkable, or unimportant. Some Spanish comrades still lament that our revolution had to be accompanie for a civil war. But when has there been a revolution without a civil war? Is not a revolution a civil war by it's very nature? And yet we were caught unprepared when our revolution inevitably provoked a civil war.

This unpreparedness and lack of theory relates to what te authors of Black Flame call "The Suffocation Thesis" which is basically the line that society will collapse in a mass strike and Capitalists will ave to submit o the revolution which many Syndicalists followed. However, there are Syndicalists who did oppose and criticize this such as Malatesta, Ford, Foster, and Maximoff iirc the IWPA even tried militia like things in America... My point ya it's a good criticism of CNT they failed to tackle the problem of the state thoroughly and clearly enough.

To be fair The CNT wasn't completely unprepared tho as they did initially establish a National Defense Council (which is what Durruti's Friends support the establishment of a Nstional Defense Council with elected Juntas that took care of stricty military matters) but that was scrapped wen the CNT joined the Popular Front.

Another criticism which is a rather minor thing, I think that the Anarhists should of handle to process of prison abolitionment better (and should in the future) to help prevent opportunistic looting which was common in the Red Terror by non revolutionary criminal elements that took free reign as well as killing pitiful reasons like revenge. As the popular CNT ... "Theorist" noted:
Here for far too long there had been no law but that of the strongest. Men have killed for the sake of killing, because it was possible to kill with impunity. And men have been murdered not because they were fascists, nor enemies of the people, nor enemies of our revolution, nor anything remotely similiar. they have been killed on a whim, and many be died as a result of grudges of Their killers. When the popular violence erupted, the killers and thieves took advantage and they continue stealing a killing and bring shame on those who risk their lives on the font.

However while their needed to be some taming of the violence I think this taming of the militias can be used as an excuse for counter-revolutionaries and other outside influences to de-radicalize the masses and curtail the revolution. So I think the CNT and in particular the FAI should of impose more self-discipline while being warry of bourgeois ideological maneuvers.

Sorry if my post isn't very well written I've had to type this y hand on my iPod :lol:

[Luc]

Oh wow lot mote posts since I started typing

[human strike]

I'm currently working on a critique of the Spanish experiment. I'll be sure to post it up when it's done, probably around April or May.

In the meantime, the second half of Dauvé's essay When Insurrections Die is pretty good: http://endnotes.org.uk/articles/9

[Devrim]

Jumping quickly to most recent documents, the UK IWA section SolFed has just published a long pamphlet/short book called 'Fighting for Ourselves', which has a long section on the CNT and what went wrong, which is very critical. I don't think it is online yet. There is a preview here (http://libcom.org/blog/fighting-ourselves-preview-05092012). I have a digital copy, but I don't think it would be very comradely to put up the relevant part here as they haven't put it online themselves.

This is now on line, and in various e-formats if you are still interested:http://libcom.org/library/fighting-ourselves-anarcho-syndicalism-class-struggle-solidarity-federation

Devrim