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).