Anarchist Library Class: The Spanish Revolution and Civil War

Class begins Wed. Sep. 21st
next classes Sep. 28th, Oct. 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th
Location: Downtown Campus- 88 4th St., San Francisco ( across from the
Metreon )
Room #: 725
Course Description:
This course will examine the context of the anarchist contribution to
the
revolution and civil war that took place in Spain as a result of the
attempted coup d'etat by the military in July 1936. Topics that will be
covered include: the social context of Spain through the 1930s; a
history
of anarchist activity in Spain, 1880s-1930s; rivalry with socialists;
the
organizational ideas and structures of the CNT and the FAI; the CP,
electoralism, and the Popular Front; the attempted coup (which social
classes were involved and why) and its immediate aftermath; government
anarchists; foreign intervention; militias versus Popular Army;
internal
tensions among anti-fascist groups; Mujeres Libres and the women's
question; the May Days in Barcelona, the Friends of Durruti, and the
death
of the Revolution; ultimate military defeat; post-war
resistance/suppression.

Recommended readings: Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell (an
eyewitness
account of Orwell's experiences as a militia volunteer; his experiences
in
Spain led him to write "Animal Farm" and "1984"); The Spanish Civil War
by
Antony Beevor (a military historian sympathetic to the anarchists looks
at
the various tensions in Spanish culture and fits those into a highly
readable overview of the war years); We! the Anarchists by Stuart
Christie
(a detailed critical look at the FAI and its relation to the CNT, with
an
excellent history of how each organzation dealt with the revolution and
war).