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| caption = ] forces with prisoners in ] | | caption = ] forces with prisoners in ] | ||
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| date = 5–19 October 1934 | ||
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| result = Spanish government victory | ||
* Rebellions in Asturias and Catalonia defeated | |||
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The '''Revolution of 1934''', also known as the '''Revolution of October 1934''' or the '''Revolutionary General Strike of 1934''', was |
The '''Revolution of 1934''' ({{langx|es|Revolución de 1934}}), also known as the '''Revolution of October 1934''' or the '''Revolutionary General Strike of 1934''', was an ] during the "]" of the ] between 5 and 19 October 1934. | ||
The Revolution of 1934 was triggered by anxiety of the Spanish ] after the ] and entry of the ] (CEDA) into the Spanish government in September 1934. Most of the events occurred in ] and ], and were supported by many ] (PSOE) and ] (UGT) members, notably ], as well as members of the ] (CNT). The uprisings were repressed by Spanish government forces and defeated within two weeks. | |||
== Prelude== | |||
The elections held in October 1933 resulted in a centre-right majority. The political party with the most votes was the ] ("CEDA"), but president ] decided not to invite the leader of the CEDA, ], to form a government, and never called him.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=}} Instead, the presidente invited the ]'s ] to do so, in what author Hugh Thomas called a weakening of the democratic process.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=}} Despite receiving the most votes, CEDA was denied cabinet positions for nearly a year.{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|pp=84–85}} After a year of intense pressure, CEDA, the largest party in the congress, was finally successful in forcing the acceptance of three ministries. However the entrance of CEDA in the government, despite being normal in a parliamentary democracy, was not well accepted by the left, who accused the president of handing over the Republic to its enemies.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=}} The left viewed the CEDA as a signal of the advance of Fascism and appealed to the case of Austria and the rise of ] to justify the use of violence for defensive purposes.<ref>Souto Sandra, “De la paramilitarización al fracaso: las insurrecciones socialistas de 1934 en Viena y Madrid ,” Pasado y Memoria. Revista de Historia Contemporánea 2 (2003), 5-74.</ref> However historian ], himself a supporter of ], and an exiled vocal opponent of Francisco Franco asserted that: "The argument that tried to destroy the Constitution to establish fascism was, at once, hypocritical and false".<ref>Madariaga - Spain (1964) p.416</ref>{{NoteTag| In the original: “{{lang|es|El alzamiento de 1934 es imperdonable. La decisión del presidente de la República de llamar al poder a la CEDA era inatacable y hasta debida desde hacía ya tiempo. El argumento de que el señor Gil Robles intentaba destruir la Constitución para instaurar el fascismo era, a la vez, hipócrita y falso. ….. Con la rebelión de 1934, la izquierda española perdió hasta la sombra de autoridad para condenar la rebelión de 1936.|italic=no}}" }} | |||
Around 2,000 people were killed during the Revolution of 1934 in the initial uprisings and their suppression. Historians have argued that the incident sharpened antagonism between the ] and left in Spain, and was part of the reason for the later ].<ref>Keeley Rogers & Jo Thomas, Causes of 20th Century Wars, Page 228</ref> | |||
The Socialists triggered an insurrection that they had been preparing for nine months.{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|p=88}} A general strike was called by the ] and the ] in the name of the {{lang-es|label=none|Alianza Obrera|lit=Workers' Alliance}}. The issue was that the Left Republicans identified the Republic not with liberal democratic political process and constitutional law as ends in themselves, but with the goal of democratically restructuring society itself, and its economic institutions. They were motivated by a sense of purpose to improve the status of oppressed working people under Spain's oligarchic landowning structure. To depart from their core political principles, then, and sacrifice the pursuit of social and economic democracy, as well as political democracy -- even if done through formally democratic elections -- was seen as a betrayal of the Republic's foundational commitments.{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|pp=88–85}} The founding fathers of the system had conceived the new democracy as serving a specific, transformative and highly valuable function of democratically restructuring an unequal, unjust society -- going well beyond simply the bourgeois notion of liberal debate and elections. As a result, they were more concerned with far-reaching reforms to the economic and social structure, which they viewed as necessary to win justice for an exploited, disenfranchised working class, than with process-based, bourgeois conceptions of democracy that would find value in the free and fair election of even socially oppressive, undemocratic, regressive coalitions. Unlike today's predominant Western conception of democracy as solely consisting of elections and a neutral, liberal debate, an understanding now hegemonic following the neoliberal era, decades of global capitalist hegemony, and the collapse of Communism, Spain's Left Republicans did not hold ideas of democracy that privilege a pure liberal decision-making process over the outcomes of democratic social and economic life. Instead, they prioritized the democratic ends of politics -- the economic power, wealth ownership, and working and living conditions of the people -- over democratic elections. As a result, they favored democratic social revolution over in many ways an upper-class notion of genteel, polite democratic debate, which often resulted, in practice,in maintaining oppressive social institutions that served oligarchic, anti-democratic purposes.<ref>Ranzato G., El eclipse de la democracia. La guerra civil española y sus orígenes, 1931-1939, (Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2006), 185-201; Manuel Álvarez Tardío, El camino a la democracia en España. 1931 y 1978 (Madrid: Gota a Gota, 2005), 307-380.</ref> | |||
== Background== | |||
⚫ | == Preparation |
||
===1931 election=== | |||
1934 was a year of constant class clashes, established on the basis of small incidents and short general strikes, which allowed the movement to arrive on the eve of October in the fullness of its strength, with great confidence and extraordinarily united.<ref>Las diferencias asturianas. Octubre 1934. Edit.Siglo veintiuno.Madrid 1985. Pág. 235</ref> | |||
The ] was established in 1931 amidst growing ] and ] in Spain. The inaugural ] saw a ] for the ] ] and ] parties. The ] (PSOE) and the ] (PRR), the socialist and centrist parties with the most votes, respectively, formed a "Radical-Socialist" government. The new ] and government were both overtly ] in nature. This was welcomed by Spain's poor with ethusiasm, hoping that it would finally lead to ]s and an improvement in their ] after decades of stagnation. Many laws were soon passed to reduce ] and improve ]. However, over the next two years, tensions between the PSOE and PRR caused the Radical-Socialist government to collapse and trigger a general election. | |||
===1933 election=== | |||
⚫ | |||
The ] resulted in a shock ] majority: the Spanish right saw large gains while the left saw large reduction of their vote share. The centrists, although their share was reduced, held enough votes to remain in power. The PSOE went from the largest party to the third-largest having lost 56 seats in the ]. The surprising results of the election were a combination of various factors, including ] laws and violence, the effective organization of the ], and abstention from the election by members of the powerful ] trade union the ]. The political party with the most votes was the ] (CEDA), which united a number of centre-right and ] parties under its umbrella, and campaigned hard against the more controversial laws and actions of the Radical-Socialist government. President ] decided not to invite CEDA leader ] to form a government, possibly because his party had not yet adhered to the republican system.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=}} Instead, Alcalá-Zamora invited the PRR leader ] to do so, in what author ] called a "weakening of the democratic process."{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=}} CEDA supported the multi-party government for nearly a year without being a part of it, despite being the largest single party in parliament.{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|pp=84–85}} On 26 September 1934, after a year of intense pressure, CEDA was finally successful in forcing Lerroux to give three ministries to the party. This strategy by CEDA can be interpreted as a continuation of the plan outlined by Gil-Robles during the previous campaign: "Democracy is not an end in itself, but a means to conquer a new state. When the moment will come, the parliament will submit or we will make it make it go away". | |||
The inclusion of CEDA into the Spanish government was not well accepted by the left, who accused Alcalá-Zamora of handing over the Republic to its enemies, and viewed the CEDA as a signal of the advance of ] in Spain.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=}} They appealed to the cases of ] becoming ] in 1932 and ] becoming ] in January to justify the ] for defensive purposes.<ref>Souto Sandra, “De la paramilitarización al fracaso: las insurrecciones socialistas de 1934 en Viena y Madrid ,” Pasado y Memoria. Revista de Historia Contemporánea 2 (2003), 5-74.</ref> However, historian ], himself a supporter of ] and an exiled vocal opponent of ], asserted that: "The argument that tried to destroy the Constitution to establish fascism was, at once, hypocritical and false".<ref>Madariaga - Spain (1964) p.416</ref>{{NoteTag| In the original: “{{lang|es|El alzamiento de 1934 es imperdonable. La decisión del presidente de la República de llamar al poder a la CEDA era inatacable y hasta debida desde hacía ya tiempo. El argumento de que el señor Gil Robles intentaba destruir la Constitución para instaurar el fascismo era, a la vez, hipócrita y falso. ….. Con la rebelión de 1934, la izquierda española perdió hasta la sombra de autoridad para condenar la rebelión de 1936.|italic=no}}" }} The issue was that the Left Republicans identified the Republic not with ] or ], but with a specific set of left-wing policies and politicians. Any deviation, even if democratic, was seen as ].{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|pp=88–85}} The "]" of the Republican system had conceived the new democracy as belonging to them, and were more concerned with the radical reforms which in their view were necessary than with ] and freedom.<ref>Ranzato G., El eclipse de la democracia. La guerra civil española y sus orígenes, 1931-1939, (Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2006), 185-201; Manuel Álvarez Tardío, El camino a la democracia en España. 1931 y 1978 (Madrid: Gota a Gota, 2005), 307-380.</ref> The Socialists triggered an ] that they had been preparing for nine months.{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|p=88}} A ] was called by the ] (UGT) and the PSOE in the name of the {{langx|es|label=none|Alianza Obrera|lit=Workers' Alliance}}. | |||
⚫ | === Preparation === | ||
⚫ | Spain had been subject to constant clashes in the form of small incidents and short general strikes, which allowed the revolutionary movement to arrive on the eve of October in the fullness of its strength, with great confidence and extraordinarily united.<ref>Las diferencias asturianas. Octubre 1934. Edit.Siglo veintiuno.Madrid 1985. Pág. 235</ref> Many left-wing and ] organizations, either endorsed or tolerated by the Republican government, were well-organized and prepared for such an action. They had a considerable stock of ]s and ]s on them. Most of the rifles came from a shipment of arms supplied by ], a socialist party moderate, on the ] ''Turquesa'' at ], north-east of ]. Prieto swiftly fled to ] to avoid arrest. Other weapons came from captured arms factories in the region and the ] also had their ] blasting charges, which were known as "the ] of the revolution."<ref name="Beevor, Antony 1939">Beevor, Antony. The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. Hachette UK, 2012.</ref> | ||
== Asturias == | == Asturias == | ||
{{main|Asturian miners' strike of 1934}} | {{main|Asturian miners' strike of 1934}} | ||
⚫ | The rising in ] was well prepared with headquarters in Oviedo.{{sfn|Thomas|1977}} In several mining towns in Asturias, local unions gathered small arms and were determined to see the strike through. Fighting began on the evening of 4 October, with the miners occupying several towns, attacking and seizing local ] and ] barracks.{{sfn|Jackson|1987|pp=154–155}} | ||
The rising in Asturias was well prepared with headquarters in Oviedo.{{sfn|Thomas|1977}} | |||
⚫ | At dawn on 5 October, the rebels attacked the Catholic Brothers' school in ]. The Brothers and the ] were captured and imprisoned in the "]" while waiting for a decision from the Revolutionary Committee. Under pressure from ], the Committee condemned them to death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cirilo Bertrán and 8 Companions, religious of the Institute of Brothers of the Christian Schools and Inocencio de la Immaculada, priest of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, martyrs (+1934, +1937) |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_19991121_bertran-compagni_en.html |website=Holly See |publisher=Vatican News |date=Nov 21, 1999}}</ref> 34 priests, six young ] aged 18 to 21, and several businessmen and Civil Guards were summarily executed by the revolutionaries in ] and ]. 58 religious buildings including churches, ]s, and part of the ] were burned and destroyed.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=132}}{{sfn|Cueva|1998|pp=355–369}} The same day saw columns of miners advancing along the road to Oviedo, the provincial capital of Asturias. Taking Oviedo, the rebels were able to seize the city's ] gaining 24,000 rifles, carbines, and light and heavy machine guns.{{sfn|Álvarez|2011}} Recruitment offices demanded the services of all workers between the ages of eighteen and forty for the "Red Army". Thirty thousand workers were ] for battle within ten days.{{sfn|Thomas|1977}} With the exception of two barracks in which fighting with the garrison of 1,500 government troops continued, the city was taken by 6 October. The miners proceeded to occupy several other towns, most notably the large industrial centre of ], and set up town assemblies, or "revolutionary committees", to govern the towns that they controlled.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=131}} | ||
⚫ | In several mining towns in Asturias, local unions gathered small arms and were determined to see the strike through. Fighting began on the evening of 4 October, with the miners occupying several towns, attacking and seizing local ] and ] barracks.{{sfn|Jackson|1987|pp=154–155}} | ||
⚫ | Within three days, the center of Asturias was in the hands of the rebels. The ]s set up by the miners attempted to impose order on the areas under their control, and the moderate socialist leadership of ] and ] took measures to restrain violence. In the occupied areas, the rebels officially declared the ] and abolished regular ].{{sfn|Payne|2008|p=55}} | ||
⚫ | At dawn on 5 October, the rebels attacked the Brothers' school in Turón. The Brothers and the Passionist Fathers were captured and imprisoned in the "House of the People" while waiting for a decision from the Revolutionary Committee. Under pressure from extremists, the Committee condemned them to death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cirilo Bertrán and 8 Companions, religious of the Institute of Brothers of the Christian Schools and Inocencio de la Immaculada, priest of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, martyrs (+1934, +1937) |url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_19991121_bertran-compagni_en.html |website=Holly See |publisher=Vatican News |date=Nov 21, 1999}}</ref> 34 priests, six young seminarians aged 18 to 21, and several businessmen and |
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⚫ | The Spanish government was now facing a civil war. Franco, already General of Division and aide to Minister of War ], was put in command of operations to suppress the violent insurgency. Franco and General ] advised Hidalgo to bring in the battle-tested Spanish ], composed of the ] and the Moroccan ].{{sfn|Álvarez|2011}} Historian Hugh Thomas asserts that Hidalgo said that he did not want young inexperienced recruits fighting their own people, and that he was wary of moving troops to Asturias, leaving the rest of Spain unprotected. Bringing in the Army of Africa was not a novelty; in 1932 Manuel Azaña had also called the Tercio and the Regulares from North Africa. Hidalgo wanted Franco to lead the troops, but President Alcalá-Zamora, aware of Franco's ] sympathies, chose General ] to lead the troops against the miners, trusting that his reputation as a loyal Republican would minimize the bloodshed, which turned brutal anyway.{{sfn|Hodges|2002}} After two weeks of heavy fighting done by troops from the Army of Africa with a death toll of 2000, the rebellion was suppressed. As a deterrent to further atrocities, López Ochoa summarily executed a number of Legionnaires and Regulares for torturing or murdering prisoners.{{sfn|Preston|2012|p=269}} | ||
The same day saw columns of miners advancing along the road to ], the provincial capital. With the exception of two barracks in which fighting with the garrison of 1,500 government troops continued, the city was taken by 6 October. The miners proceeded to occupy several other towns, most notably the large industrial centre of ], and set up town assemblies, or "revolutionary committees", to govern the towns that they controlled.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=131}} | |||
⚫ | Historian ] argues that although Franco had a leading role, giving instructions from ], that does not mean he took part in the illegal repressive activities.{{sfn|Tusell|1992|p=19}} According to Tusell it was López Óchoa, a republican ] who had been appointed by President Alcalá Zamora to lead the repression in the field, that was unable to prevent innumerous atrocities.{{sfn|Tusell|1992|p=19}} | ||
⚫ | Within three days the center of Asturias was in the hands of the rebels. The revolutionary |
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⚫ | According to Hugh Thomas, 2,000 persons died in the uprising: 230–260 military and police, 33 priests, 1,500 miners in combat and 200 individuals killed in the repression.{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=136}} Stanley Payne estimates that the rebel atrocities killed between 50 and 100 people and that the government conducted up to 100 summary executions, while 15 million ] were stolen from banks, most which was never recovered and funded further revolutionary activity.{{sfn|Payne|Palacios|2018|p=90}} | ||
Taking Oviedo, the rebels were able to seize the city' arsenal gaining 24,000 rifles, carbines, and light and heavy machine guns.{{sfn|Álvarez|2011}} Recruitment offices demanded the services of all workers between the ages of eighteen and forty for the 'Red Army'. Thirty thousand workers were mobilized for battle within ten days.{{sfn|Thomas|1977}} | |||
In the occupied areas, the rebels officially declared the proletarian revolution and abolished regular money.{{sfn|Payne|2008|p=55}} | |||
⚫ | The government was now facing a civil war. |
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War Ministe Hidalgo wanted Franco to lead the troops. But President Alcalá Zamora, aware of Franco's monarchist sympathies, chose General ] to lead the troops against the miners, hoping that his reputation as a loyal Republican would minimize the bloodshed.{{sfn|Hodges|2002}} | |||
Army of Africa troops carried out the campaign. After two weeks of heavy fighting (and a death toll estimated between 1,200 and 2,000), the rebellion was suppressed. | |||
As a deterrent to further atrocities, López Ochoa summarily executed a number of Legionnaires and Regulares for torturing or murdering prisoners.{{sfn|Preston|2013|p=269}} | |||
⚫ | Historian Javier Tusell argues that although Franco had a leading role, giving instructions from Madrid, that does not mean he took part in the illegal repressive activities.{{sfn|Tusell|1992|p=19}} According to Tusell it was |
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⚫ | According to |
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== Catalonia == | == Catalonia == | ||
{{Main|Events of 6 October}} | |||
⚫ | In ] the revolt was triggered by the predominantly left-wing ] led by its president ], who proclaimed the ]. The Catalonian uprising began and ended the same day, it lasted only ten hours, in the so-called "Events of 6 October". | ||
⚫ | On 6 October, Companys decided to declare the Catalan State within the "Spanish Federal Republic",<ref>Preston, Paul. ''The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge.'' Harper Perennial. London. 2006. p.78</ref> and numerous heavily armed squads occupied the streets of ] and other towns, supporting the initiative and capturing public offices. Companys appeared on a balcony of the ] and told the crowd that "monarchists and fascists" had "assaulted the government", and went on: | ||
⚫ | In Catalonia the revolt was triggered by the ] led by its president ], who proclaimed the ]. The Catalonian uprising began and ended the same day, it lasted only ten hours, in the so-called " |
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⚫ | |||
<blockquote>In this solemn hour, in the name of the people and the Parliament, the Government over which I preside assumes all the faculties of power in Catalonia, proclaims the Catalan State of the Spanish Federal Republic, and in establishing and fortifying relations with the leaders of the general protest against Fascism, invites them to establish in Catalonia the provisional Government of the Republic, which will find in our Catalan people the most generous impulse of fraternity in the common desire to erect a liberal and magnificent federal republic.<ref>{{cite news|title=Separatists' Rising: Bloodshed in Barcelona|work=The Times|date=8 October 1934|page=14}}</ref></blockquote> | <blockquote>In this solemn hour, in the name of the people and the Parliament, the Government over which I preside assumes all the faculties of power in Catalonia, proclaims the Catalan State of the Spanish Federal Republic, and in establishing and fortifying relations with the leaders of the general protest against Fascism, invites them to establish in Catalonia the provisional Government of the Republic, which will find in our Catalan people the most generous impulse of fraternity in the common desire to erect a liberal and magnificent federal republic.<ref>{{cite news|title=Separatists' Rising: Bloodshed in Barcelona|work=The Times|date=8 October 1934|page=14}}</ref></blockquote> | ||
Companys asked Azaña, who happened to be in Barcelona during the events, to lead a newly proclaimed Spanish Republican government, a proposition that Azaña rejected.{{sfn|Jackson|1987|p=166}} <ref>{{cite journal| last1=Finestres| first1=Jordi| last2=López| first2=Manel| title = Entre la revolució i l'estelada| journal=Sàpiens| year=2014| location=Barcelona| language=ca| issn=1695-2014|pages=31–32}}</ref> Lluís Companys also telephoned General ], who was deployed in Catalonia as chief of the IV Organic Division, asking him for support. Batet remained loyal to Madrid and gained some time demanding a written request. While Companys wrote the request, Batet prepared the local Spanish Army, Civil Guard, and Assault Guards for the imminent proclamation. At 9 pm, Batet declared ], moving against trade union and ] headquarters, both of whom surrendered quickly, then brought light artillery to bear against the Barcelona city hall and the Generalitat.<ref>Payne (2006), pp. 87–8</ref> Fighting continued until 6{{nbsp}}am the next day, when Companys surrendered.{{sfn|Payne|2006|p=88}} | |||
In the failed rebellion |
In the failed rebellion, 46 people died: 38 civilians and 8 soldiers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Casanova |first=Julián |author-link=Julián Casanova Ruiz |title=República y Guerra Civil. Vol. 8 de la Historia de España, dirigida por Josep Fontana y Ramón Villares |year=2007 |publisher=Crítica/Marcial Pons |location=Barcelona |isbn=978-84-8432-878-0 |page=129 |language=es}}</ref> More than three thousand people were imprisoned, most of them in the ''Uruguay'' steamer, and placed under the jurisdiction of the councils of war. | ||
The ] movement classified |
The ] movement classified Companys's actions as the "worst betrayal of the movement" for surrendering without resistance and his “Estat Catala” did not challenge ] nor the current social establishment, and that he just wanted to place "the leadership of the struggle in the hands of the ] represented by the ERC (Catalan Republican Left)".<ref> | ||
{{cite web | {{cite web | ||
|url=https://www.marxist.com/asturian-commune1934.htm | |url=https://www.marxist.com/asturian-commune1934.htm | ||
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|date=20 July 2005 | |date=20 July 2005 | ||
|website=In Defence of Marxism | |website=In Defence of Marxism | ||
|publisher=In Defence of Marxism | |||
}} | }} | ||
</ref> | </ref> | ||
Although the vast majority of the events happened in Asturias and Catalonia, strikes, clashes, and shootings |
Although the vast majority of the events happened in Asturias and Catalonia, there were strikes, clashes, and shootings in the ], northern ], ], and Madrid. | ||
== Aftermath == | == Aftermath == | ||
The insurgency in Asturias sparked a new era of violent anti- |
The insurgency in Asturias sparked a new era of violent anti-Catholic persecutions, initiated the practice of atrocities against the clergy{{sfn|Cueva|1998|pp=355–369}} and sharpened the antagonism between Spanish left and right. Franco and López Ochoa (who, prior to the campaign in Asturias, had been seen as a left-leaning officer)<ref>], p. 103</ref> emerged as officers prepared to use 'troops against Spanish civilians as if they were a foreign enemy'.<ref>Preston, Paul (2010) "The Theorists of Extermination", essay in ''Unearthing Franco's Legacy'', p. 61. University of Notre Dame Press, {{ISBN|0-268-03268-8}}</ref> Franco described the rebellion to a journalist in Oviedo as, 'a frontier war and its fronts are socialism, communism and whatever attacks civilisation in order to replace it with barbarism.' Though the colonial units sent to the north by the government at Franco's recommendation{{sfn|Thomas|1977|p=132}} consisted of the ] and the Moroccan ], the right wing press portrayed the Asturian rebels as lackeys of a foreign ] conspiracy.<ref>Balfour, Sebastian (2002). ''Deadly Embrace: Morocco and the Road to the Spanish Civil War'', Oxford University Press. pp. 252–254. {{isbn|0199252963}}.</ref> At the start of the Civil War, López Ochoa was assassinated. Some time after these events, Franco was briefly commander-in-chief of the Army of Africa (from 15 February onwards), and from 19 May 1935, on, Chief of the General ]. | ||
After the "miners" had surrendered the investigations and repression were carried out by the brutal Civil Guard Major Lisardo Doval Bravo who applied torture and savage beatings.{{sfn|Payne|1999|p=228}} Several prisoners died. The independent journalist “Luis de Sirval” was arbitrarily arrested and shot dead in prison by a Bulgarian Legionnaire named Dimitri Ivan Ivanoff.{{sfn|Payne|1999|p=228}} Due to martial law and censorship, little or no information was officially made public, a group of Socialist deputies carried a private investigation and published an independent report that discarded most to the publicized atrocities but that confirmed the savage beatings and tortures.{{sfn|Payne|1999|p=228}} | After the "miners" had surrendered the investigations and repression were carried out by the brutal Civil Guard Major Lisardo Doval Bravo who applied torture and savage beatings.{{sfn|Payne|1999|p=228}} Several prisoners died. The independent journalist “Luis de Sirval” was arbitrarily arrested and shot dead in prison by a Bulgarian Legionnaire named Dimitri Ivan Ivanoff.{{sfn|Payne|1999|p=228}} Due to martial law and censorship, little or no information was officially made public, a group of Socialist deputies carried a private investigation and published an independent report that discarded most to the publicized atrocities but that confirmed the savage beatings and tortures.{{sfn|Payne|1999|p=228}} | ||
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The government of Lerroux unleashed "a harsh repressive wave with the closure of political and trade union centers, the suppression of newspapers, the removal of municipalities and thousands of detainees, without having had a direct action on the facts", which showed "a punitive will often arbitrary and with vengeance components of class or ideological".<ref name="De la Granja">{{cite book |last1=De la Granja |first1=José Luis |last2=Beramendi |first2=Justo |last3=Anguera |first3=Pere |title=La España de los nacionalismos y las autonomías |year=2001 |publisher=Síntesis|location=Madrid |isbn=84-7738-918-7 |pages=134–135 }}</ref> | The government of Lerroux unleashed "a harsh repressive wave with the closure of political and trade union centers, the suppression of newspapers, the removal of municipalities and thousands of detainees, without having had a direct action on the facts", which showed "a punitive will often arbitrary and with vengeance components of class or ideological".<ref name="De la Granja">{{cite book |last1=De la Granja |first1=José Luis |last2=Beramendi |first2=Justo |last3=Anguera |first3=Pere |title=La España de los nacionalismos y las autonomías |year=2001 |publisher=Síntesis|location=Madrid |isbn=84-7738-918-7 |pages=134–135 }}</ref> | ||
] the prominent leader of the Oviedo Revolutionary Committee was sentenced to death. One year later, however, he was reprieved. Gonzáles later served as the president of ], in which he was in conflict with ]. He was also a Member of Parliament and was the Minister of Justice 1938–1939.<ref name="gg">Goethem, Geert van. ''.'' ]: Ashgate, 2006. p. 76</ref><ref>Kraus, Dorothy, and Henry Kraus. ''.'' ]: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. p. 37</ref> After the ] González Peña went to exile in ], where he died on 27 July 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.fpabloiglesias.es/archivo-y-biblioteca/diccionario-biografico/biografias/9393_gonzalez-pena-ramon|title = González Peña, Ramón|access-date = 7 April 2015|publisher = Fundación Pablo Iglesias|language = es}}</ref> | ] the prominent leader of the Oviedo Revolutionary Committee was sentenced to death. One year later, however, he was reprieved. Gonzáles later served as the president of ], in which he was in conflict with ]. He was also a Member of Parliament and was the Minister of Justice 1938–1939.<ref name="gg">Goethem, Geert van. ''.'' ]: Ashgate, 2006. p. 76</ref><ref>Kraus, Dorothy, and Henry Kraus. ''.'' ]: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. p. 37</ref> After the ] González Peña went to exile in ], where he died on 27 July 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.fpabloiglesias.es/archivo-y-biblioteca/diccionario-biografico/biografias/9393_gonzalez-pena-ramon|title = González Peña, Ramón| date=21 February 2012 |access-date = 7 April 2015|publisher = Fundación Pablo Iglesias|language = es}}</ref> | ||
There were no mass killing after the fighting was over, completely different from the massacres that had taken place in similar uprisings in France, Hungary or Germany; all death sentences were commuted aside from two, army sergeant and deserter Diego Vásquez, who fought alongside the miners, and a worker known as "El Pichilatu" who had committed serial killings. Little effort was actually made to suppress the organisations that had carried out the insurrection, resulting in most being functional again by 1935. Support for fascism was minimal and did not increase, while civil liberties were restored in full by 1935, after which the revolutionaries had a generous opportunity to pursue power through electoral means.{{sfn|Payne|2008|pp=100–103}} | There were no mass killing after the fighting was over, completely different from the massacres that had taken place in similar uprisings in France, Hungary or Germany; all death sentences were commuted aside from two, army sergeant and deserter Diego Vásquez, who fought alongside the miners, and a worker known as "El Pichilatu" who had committed serial killings. Little effort was actually made to suppress the organisations that had carried out the insurrection, resulting in most being functional again by 1935. Support for fascism was minimal and did not increase, while civil liberties were restored in full by 1935, after which the revolutionaries had a generous opportunity to pursue power through electoral means.{{sfn|Payne|2008|pp=100–103}} | ||
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At the outbreak of the ], López Ochoa was in a military hospital in ] and was awaiting trial, accused of responsibility for the deaths of 20 civilians at a barracks in ]. Given the ], the government attempted to move Ochoa from the hospital to a safer location but was twice prevented from doing so by large hostile crowds. A third attempt was made under the guise that Ochoa was already dead, but the ruse was exposed and the general was taken away. One account states that an anarchist dragged him from the coffin in which he was lying and shot him in the hospital garden. His head was hacked off, stuck on a pole and publicly paraded. His remains were then displayed with a sign reading "This is the butcher of Asturias."{{sfn|Ruiz|2015|p=158}}{{sfn|Preston|2012|p=269}} | At the outbreak of the ], López Ochoa was in a military hospital in ] and was awaiting trial, accused of responsibility for the deaths of 20 civilians at a barracks in ]. Given the ], the government attempted to move Ochoa from the hospital to a safer location but was twice prevented from doing so by large hostile crowds. A third attempt was made under the guise that Ochoa was already dead, but the ruse was exposed and the general was taken away. One account states that an anarchist dragged him from the coffin in which he was lying and shot him in the hospital garden. His head was hacked off, stuck on a pole and publicly paraded. His remains were then displayed with a sign reading "This is the butcher of Asturias."{{sfn|Ruiz|2015|p=158}}{{sfn|Preston|2012|p=269}} | ||
The ] were ] on 7 September 1989, and ] By ]<ref name=cbmw> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030510/http://www.cbmidwest.org/districtnews/?p=6153 |date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> on 29 April 1990. They were ] on 21 November 1999.<ref name=institute> |
The ] were ] on 7 September 1989, and ] By ]<ref name=cbmw> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030510/http://www.cbmidwest.org/districtnews/?p=6153 |date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> on 29 April 1990. They were ] on 21 November 1999.<ref name=institute>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lasalle.org/en/who-are-we/lasallian-holiness/saint-martyrs-of-turon/ |title="Saint Martyrs of Turon", Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools |access-date=7 July 2021 |archive-date=27 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627015629/http://www.lasalle.org/en/who-are-we/lasallian-holiness/saint-martyrs-of-turon/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Turon"></ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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* {{Cite book|first1=Stanley G.|last1=Payne|author-link=Stanley G. Payne|first2=Jesús|last2=Palacios|author-link2=Jesús Palacios Tapias|title=Franco: A Personal and Political Biography|year=2018|publisher= ]|edition =4th|isbn= 978-0299302146}} | * {{Cite book|first1=Stanley G.|last1=Payne|author-link=Stanley G. Payne|first2=Jesús|last2=Palacios|author-link2=Jesús Palacios Tapias|title=Franco: A Personal and Political Biography|year=2018|publisher= ]|edition =4th|isbn= 978-0299302146}} | ||
* {{cite journal |last1=Preston |first1=Paul |title=General Franco as Military Leader |author-link=Paul Preston|journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |date=1994 |volume=4 |pages=21–41 |doi=10.2307/3679213 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |language=en |issn=1474-0648|jstor=3679213 |s2cid=153836234 |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/26103/1/__Libfile_repository_Content_Preston%2C%20P_General%20Franco%20as%20a%20military%20leader_General%20Franco%20as%20a%20military%20leader%28lsero%29.pdf }} | * {{cite journal |last1=Preston |first1=Paul |title=General Franco as Military Leader |author-link=Paul Preston|journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |date=1994 |volume=4 |pages=21–41 |doi=10.2307/3679213 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |language=en |issn=1474-0648|jstor=3679213 |s2cid=153836234 |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/26103/1/__Libfile_repository_Content_Preston%2C%20P_General%20Franco%20as%20a%20military%20leader_General%20Franco%20as%20a%20military%20leader%28lsero%29.pdf }} | ||
* {{Cite book|ref=Preston|first=Paul|last=Preston|author-link=Paul Preston|year=1995|title=Franco|isbn=978-0-00-686210-9}} | * {{Cite book|ref=Preston|first=Paul|last=Preston|author-link=Paul Preston|year=1995|title=Franco|publisher=Fontana |isbn=978-0-00-686210-9}} | ||
* {{cite book|last= Preston |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Preston|title=The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge |year=2006 |edition=3rd |publisher=]|location=London |isbn=978-0-00-723207-9}} | * {{cite book|last= Preston |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Preston|title=The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge |year=2006 |edition=3rd |publisher=]|location=London |isbn=978-0-00-723207-9}} | ||
* {{cite book|last= Preston |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Preston|title=The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain |year= |
* {{cite book|last= Preston |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Preston|title=The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain |year=2012 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0393345919}} | ||
* {{Cite book|last=Ruiz |first=Julius |title=The 'Red Terror' and the Spanish Civil War: Revolutionary Violence in Madrid |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1107682931}} | * {{Cite book|last=Ruiz |first=Julius |title=The 'Red Terror' and the Spanish Civil War: Revolutionary Violence in Madrid |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1107682931}} | ||
* {{Cite book|first=Hugh|author-link=Hugh Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton|last=Thomas|year=1977|title=The Spanish Civil War|isbn=978-0060142780 }} | * {{Cite book|first=Hugh|author-link=Hugh Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton|last=Thomas|year=1977|title=The Spanish Civil War|publisher=Harper & Row |isbn=978-0060142780 }} | ||
* {{Cite book|first=Javier|last=Tusell|author-link=Javier Tusell|title=Franco en la guerra civil - Una biografia política|year=1992|language= es|publisher= Editorial Tusquets|edition =1st|isbn= 9788472236486}} | * {{Cite book|first=Javier|last=Tusell|author-link=Javier Tusell|title=Franco en la guerra civil - Una biografia política|year=1992|language= es|publisher= Editorial Tusquets|edition =1st|isbn= 9788472236486}} | ||
* {{Cite book|first=Javier|last=Tusell|author-link=Javier Tusell|title=La Dictadura de Franco|year=1996|language= es|publisher= Altaya|edition =1st|isbn=9788448706371}} | * {{Cite book|first=Javier|last=Tusell|author-link=Javier Tusell|title=La Dictadura de Franco|year=1996|language= es|publisher= Altaya|edition =1st|isbn=9788448706371}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 04:10, 25 October 2024
October 1934 series of revolutionary strikes in Spain
Revolution of 1934 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Civil Guard forces with prisoners in Brañosera | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Catalan State | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Niceto Alcalá-Zamora Alejandro Lerroux Diego Hidalgo y Durán Francisco Franco Manuel Goded Eduardo López Ochoa Agustín Muñoz Grandes Juan Yagüe Domingo Batet Lisardo Doval Bravo Cecilio Bedia [es] |
Belarmino Tomás Ramón González Peña Teodomiro Menéndez (POW) Ramón Álvarez Palomo Lluís Companys Frederic Escofet [ca] Enric Pérez i Farràs | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
450 dead |
1,500–2,000 dead 15,000–30,000 arrested |
The Revolution of 1934 (Spanish: Revolución de 1934), also known as the Revolution of October 1934 or the Revolutionary General Strike of 1934, was an uprising during the "black biennium" of the Second Spanish Republic between 5 and 19 October 1934.
The Revolution of 1934 was triggered by anxiety of the Spanish political left after the 1933 general election and entry of the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right (CEDA) into the Spanish government in September 1934. Most of the events occurred in Catalonia and Asturias, and were supported by many Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and General Union of Workers (UGT) members, notably Largo Caballero, as well as members of the National Confederation of Workers (CNT). The uprisings were repressed by Spanish government forces and defeated within two weeks.
Around 2,000 people were killed during the Revolution of 1934 in the initial uprisings and their suppression. Historians have argued that the incident sharpened antagonism between the political right and left in Spain, and was part of the reason for the later Spanish Civil War.
Background
1931 election
The Second Spanish Republic was established in 1931 amidst growing political instability and radicalization in Spain. The inaugural 1931 general election saw a landslide victory for the republican centrist and socialist parties. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the Radical Republican Party (PRR), the socialist and centrist parties with the most votes, respectively, formed a "Radical-Socialist" government. The new Spanish Constitution of 1931 and government were both overtly left-wing in nature. This was welcomed by Spain's poor with ethusiasm, hoping that it would finally lead to reforms and an improvement in their living conditions after decades of stagnation. Many laws were soon passed to reduce poverty and improve labor rights. However, over the next two years, tensions between the PSOE and PRR caused the Radical-Socialist government to collapse and trigger a general election.
1933 election
The 1933 general election resulted in a shock centre-right majority: the Spanish right saw large gains while the left saw large reduction of their vote share. The centrists, although their share was reduced, held enough votes to remain in power. The PSOE went from the largest party to the third-largest having lost 56 seats in the Congress of Deputies. The surprising results of the election were a combination of various factors, including anti-Catholic laws and violence, the effective organization of the political opposition, and abstention from the election by members of the powerful anarchist trade union the National Confederation of Labour. The political party with the most votes was the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right (CEDA), which united a number of centre-right and far-right parties under its umbrella, and campaigned hard against the more controversial laws and actions of the Radical-Socialist government. President Niceto Alcalá-Zamora decided not to invite CEDA leader José María Gil-Robles to form a government, possibly because his party had not yet adhered to the republican system. Instead, Alcalá-Zamora invited the PRR leader Alejandro Lerroux to do so, in what author Hugh Thomas called a "weakening of the democratic process." CEDA supported the multi-party government for nearly a year without being a part of it, despite being the largest single party in parliament. On 26 September 1934, after a year of intense pressure, CEDA was finally successful in forcing Lerroux to give three ministries to the party. This strategy by CEDA can be interpreted as a continuation of the plan outlined by Gil-Robles during the previous campaign: "Democracy is not an end in itself, but a means to conquer a new state. When the moment will come, the parliament will submit or we will make it make it go away".
The inclusion of CEDA into the Spanish government was not well accepted by the left, who accused Alcalá-Zamora of handing over the Republic to its enemies, and viewed the CEDA as a signal of the advance of fascism in Spain. They appealed to the cases of Engelbert Dollfuss becoming Chancellor of Austria in 1932 and Adolf Hitler becoming Chancellor of Germany in January to justify the use of force for defensive purposes. However, historian Salvador de Madariaga, himself a supporter of Manuel Azaña and an exiled vocal opponent of Francisco Franco, asserted that: "The argument that tried to destroy the Constitution to establish fascism was, at once, hypocritical and false". The issue was that the Left Republicans identified the Republic not with democracy or constitutional law, but with a specific set of left-wing policies and politicians. Any deviation, even if democratic, was seen as treasonous. The "founding fathers" of the Republican system had conceived the new democracy as belonging to them, and were more concerned with the radical reforms which in their view were necessary than with pluralism and freedom. The Socialists triggered an insurrection that they had been preparing for nine months. A general strike was called by the General Union of Workers (UGT) and the PSOE in the name of the Alianza Obrera, 'Workers' Alliance'.
Preparation
Spain had been subject to constant clashes in the form of small incidents and short general strikes, which allowed the revolutionary movement to arrive on the eve of October in the fullness of its strength, with great confidence and extraordinarily united. Many left-wing and far-left organizations, either endorsed or tolerated by the Republican government, were well-organized and prepared for such an action. They had a considerable stock of rifles and pistols on them. Most of the rifles came from a shipment of arms supplied by Indalecio Prieto, a socialist party moderate, on the yacht Turquesa at Pravia, north-east of Oviedo. Prieto swiftly fled to France to avoid arrest. Other weapons came from captured arms factories in the region and the miners also had their dynamite blasting charges, which were known as "the artillery of the revolution."
Asturias
Main article: Asturian miners' strike of 1934The rising in Asturias was well prepared with headquarters in Oviedo. In several mining towns in Asturias, local unions gathered small arms and were determined to see the strike through. Fighting began on the evening of 4 October, with the miners occupying several towns, attacking and seizing local Civil Guard and Assault Guard barracks.
At dawn on 5 October, the rebels attacked the Catholic Brothers' school in Turón. The Brothers and the Passionist Fathers were captured and imprisoned in the "House of the People" while waiting for a decision from the Revolutionary Committee. Under pressure from extremists, the Committee condemned them to death. 34 priests, six young seminarians aged 18 to 21, and several businessmen and Civil Guards were summarily executed by the revolutionaries in Mieres and Sama. 58 religious buildings including churches, convents, and part of the University of Oviedo were burned and destroyed. The same day saw columns of miners advancing along the road to Oviedo, the provincial capital of Asturias. Taking Oviedo, the rebels were able to seize the city's arsenal gaining 24,000 rifles, carbines, and light and heavy machine guns. Recruitment offices demanded the services of all workers between the ages of eighteen and forty for the "Red Army". Thirty thousand workers were mobilized for battle within ten days. With the exception of two barracks in which fighting with the garrison of 1,500 government troops continued, the city was taken by 6 October. The miners proceeded to occupy several other towns, most notably the large industrial centre of La Felguera, and set up town assemblies, or "revolutionary committees", to govern the towns that they controlled.
Within three days, the center of Asturias was in the hands of the rebels. The revolutionary soviets set up by the miners attempted to impose order on the areas under their control, and the moderate socialist leadership of Ramón González Peña and Belarmino Tomás took measures to restrain violence. In the occupied areas, the rebels officially declared the proletarian revolution and abolished regular money.
The Spanish government was now facing a civil war. Franco, already General of Division and aide to Minister of War Diego Hidalgo, was put in command of operations to suppress the violent insurgency. Franco and General Manuel Goded Llopis advised Hidalgo to bring in the battle-tested Spanish Army of Africa, composed of the Spanish Legion and the Moroccan Regulares. Historian Hugh Thomas asserts that Hidalgo said that he did not want young inexperienced recruits fighting their own people, and that he was wary of moving troops to Asturias, leaving the rest of Spain unprotected. Bringing in the Army of Africa was not a novelty; in 1932 Manuel Azaña had also called the Tercio and the Regulares from North Africa. Hidalgo wanted Franco to lead the troops, but President Alcalá-Zamora, aware of Franco's monarchist sympathies, chose General Eduardo López Ochoa to lead the troops against the miners, trusting that his reputation as a loyal Republican would minimize the bloodshed, which turned brutal anyway. After two weeks of heavy fighting done by troops from the Army of Africa with a death toll of 2000, the rebellion was suppressed. As a deterrent to further atrocities, López Ochoa summarily executed a number of Legionnaires and Regulares for torturing or murdering prisoners.
Historian Javier Tusell argues that although Franco had a leading role, giving instructions from Madrid, that does not mean he took part in the illegal repressive activities. According to Tusell it was López Óchoa, a republican freemason who had been appointed by President Alcalá Zamora to lead the repression in the field, that was unable to prevent innumerous atrocities.
According to Hugh Thomas, 2,000 persons died in the uprising: 230–260 military and police, 33 priests, 1,500 miners in combat and 200 individuals killed in the repression. Stanley Payne estimates that the rebel atrocities killed between 50 and 100 people and that the government conducted up to 100 summary executions, while 15 million pesetas were stolen from banks, most which was never recovered and funded further revolutionary activity.
Catalonia
Main article: Events of 6 OctoberIn Catalonia the revolt was triggered by the predominantly left-wing Government of Catalonia led by its president Lluís Companys, who proclaimed the Catalan State. The Catalonian uprising began and ended the same day, it lasted only ten hours, in the so-called "Events of 6 October".
On 6 October, Companys decided to declare the Catalan State within the "Spanish Federal Republic", and numerous heavily armed squads occupied the streets of Barcelona and other towns, supporting the initiative and capturing public offices. Companys appeared on a balcony of the Palau de la Generalitat and told the crowd that "monarchists and fascists" had "assaulted the government", and went on:
In this solemn hour, in the name of the people and the Parliament, the Government over which I preside assumes all the faculties of power in Catalonia, proclaims the Catalan State of the Spanish Federal Republic, and in establishing and fortifying relations with the leaders of the general protest against Fascism, invites them to establish in Catalonia the provisional Government of the Republic, which will find in our Catalan people the most generous impulse of fraternity in the common desire to erect a liberal and magnificent federal republic.
Companys asked Azaña, who happened to be in Barcelona during the events, to lead a newly proclaimed Spanish Republican government, a proposition that Azaña rejected. Lluís Companys also telephoned General Domènec Batet, who was deployed in Catalonia as chief of the IV Organic Division, asking him for support. Batet remained loyal to Madrid and gained some time demanding a written request. While Companys wrote the request, Batet prepared the local Spanish Army, Civil Guard, and Assault Guards for the imminent proclamation. At 9 pm, Batet declared martial law, moving against trade union and militia headquarters, both of whom surrendered quickly, then brought light artillery to bear against the Barcelona city hall and the Generalitat. Fighting continued until 6 am the next day, when Companys surrendered.
In the failed rebellion, 46 people died: 38 civilians and 8 soldiers. More than three thousand people were imprisoned, most of them in the Uruguay steamer, and placed under the jurisdiction of the councils of war.
The International Marxist Tendency movement classified Companys's actions as the "worst betrayal of the movement" for surrendering without resistance and his “Estat Catala” did not challenge private property nor the current social establishment, and that he just wanted to place "the leadership of the struggle in the hands of the petty bourgeoisie represented by the ERC (Catalan Republican Left)".
Although the vast majority of the events happened in Asturias and Catalonia, there were strikes, clashes, and shootings in the Basque country, northern Castile and León, Cantabria, and Madrid.
Aftermath
The insurgency in Asturias sparked a new era of violent anti-Catholic persecutions, initiated the practice of atrocities against the clergy and sharpened the antagonism between Spanish left and right. Franco and López Ochoa (who, prior to the campaign in Asturias, had been seen as a left-leaning officer) emerged as officers prepared to use 'troops against Spanish civilians as if they were a foreign enemy'. Franco described the rebellion to a journalist in Oviedo as, 'a frontier war and its fronts are socialism, communism and whatever attacks civilisation in order to replace it with barbarism.' Though the colonial units sent to the north by the government at Franco's recommendation consisted of the Spanish Foreign Legion and the Moroccan Regulares Indigenas, the right wing press portrayed the Asturian rebels as lackeys of a foreign Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy. At the start of the Civil War, López Ochoa was assassinated. Some time after these events, Franco was briefly commander-in-chief of the Army of Africa (from 15 February onwards), and from 19 May 1935, on, Chief of the General Staff.
After the "miners" had surrendered the investigations and repression were carried out by the brutal Civil Guard Major Lisardo Doval Bravo who applied torture and savage beatings. Several prisoners died. The independent journalist “Luis de Sirval” was arbitrarily arrested and shot dead in prison by a Bulgarian Legionnaire named Dimitri Ivan Ivanoff. Due to martial law and censorship, little or no information was officially made public, a group of Socialist deputies carried a private investigation and published an independent report that discarded most to the publicized atrocities but that confirmed the savage beatings and tortures.
In Catalonia Lluís Companys and his government were arrested. So too was Manuel Azaña, despite having taken no part in the events; he was released in December.The Statute of Autonomy was suspended indefinitely on 14 December, and all powers that had been transferred to Barcelona were returned to Madrid. The soldiers who had taken part of the insurrection, the commander Enric Pérez i Farràs and the captains Escofet and Ricart, were condemned to death, their sentence being commuted to life imprisonment by the President of the Republic, Alcalá Zamora, in spite of the protests of both the CEDA and the Republican Liberal Democrat Party of Melquiades Álvarez, who demanded a strong hand.
Martial law was in place until January 23, 1935. The government tried to be and was reasonable in dealing with insurrects in most cases, but in Asturias justice was uneven and the police administration was allowed to continue with excesses.
On February 23, 1935, the Mayor of Barcelona and the detained councilors were provisionally released.
In June 1935 The President and the Government of the Generalitat were tried by the Constitutional Guarantees Tribunal and were sentenced for military rebellion to thirty years in prison, which was carried out by some in the Cartagena prison and others in the Puerto de Santa María.
The government of Lerroux unleashed "a harsh repressive wave with the closure of political and trade union centers, the suppression of newspapers, the removal of municipalities and thousands of detainees, without having had a direct action on the facts", which showed "a punitive will often arbitrary and with vengeance components of class or ideological".
Ramón Gonzáles Peña the prominent leader of the Oviedo Revolutionary Committee was sentenced to death. One year later, however, he was reprieved. Gonzáles later served as the president of Unión General de Trabajadores, in which he was in conflict with Largo Caballero. He was also a Member of Parliament and was the Minister of Justice 1938–1939. After the Spanish Civil War González Peña went to exile in Mexico, where he died on 27 July 1952.
There were no mass killing after the fighting was over, completely different from the massacres that had taken place in similar uprisings in France, Hungary or Germany; all death sentences were commuted aside from two, army sergeant and deserter Diego Vásquez, who fought alongside the miners, and a worker known as "El Pichilatu" who had committed serial killings. Little effort was actually made to suppress the organisations that had carried out the insurrection, resulting in most being functional again by 1935. Support for fascism was minimal and did not increase, while civil liberties were restored in full by 1935, after which the revolutionaries had a generous opportunity to pursue power through electoral means.
Following the Spanish general election of 1936, the new government of Manuel Azaña released Companys and his government from jail.
At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, López Ochoa was in a military hospital in Carabanchel and was awaiting trial, accused of responsibility for the deaths of 20 civilians at a barracks in Oviedo. Given the violence occurring throughout Madrid, the government attempted to move Ochoa from the hospital to a safer location but was twice prevented from doing so by large hostile crowds. A third attempt was made under the guise that Ochoa was already dead, but the ruse was exposed and the general was taken away. One account states that an anarchist dragged him from the coffin in which he was lying and shot him in the hospital garden. His head was hacked off, stuck on a pole and publicly paraded. His remains were then displayed with a sign reading "This is the butcher of Asturias."
The eight martyrs of Turon were venerated on 7 September 1989, and beatified By Pope John Paul II on 29 April 1990. They were canonized on 21 November 1999.
See also
Notes
- In the original: “El alzamiento de 1934 es imperdonable. La decisión del presidente de la República de llamar al poder a la CEDA era inatacable y hasta debida desde hacía ya tiempo. El argumento de que el señor Gil Robles intentaba destruir la Constitución para instaurar el fascismo era, a la vez, hipócrita y falso. ….. Con la rebelión de 1934, la izquierda española perdió hasta la sombra de autoridad para condenar la rebelión de 1936."
References
- Julius Ruiz (30 April 2014). The 'Red Terror' and the Spanish Civil War. Cambridge University Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-107-05454-7.
- Keeley Rogers & Jo Thomas, Causes of 20th Century Wars, Page 228
- ^ Thomas 1977.
- Payne & Palacios 2018, pp. 84–85.
- Souto Sandra, “De la paramilitarización al fracaso: las insurrecciones socialistas de 1934 en Viena y Madrid ,” Pasado y Memoria. Revista de Historia Contemporánea 2 (2003), 5-74.
- Madariaga - Spain (1964) p.416
- Payne & Palacios 2018, pp. 88–85.
- Ranzato G., El eclipse de la democracia. La guerra civil española y sus orígenes, 1931-1939, (Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2006), 185-201; Manuel Álvarez Tardío, El camino a la democracia en España. 1931 y 1978 (Madrid: Gota a Gota, 2005), 307-380.
- Payne & Palacios 2018, p. 88.
- Las diferencias asturianas. Octubre 1934. Edit.Siglo veintiuno.Madrid 1985. Pág. 235
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