Contents Editors preface 11 Map of Spain 13 Chronology 15 Introduction by Les Evans 19 Part I: From monarchy to republic Preface 55 1. Tasks of the Spanish communists (May 25, 1930) 59 2. Spanish fascism (November 21, 1930) 66 3. The creation of soviets (December 12, 1930) 67 4. For Spanish soviets (January 8, 1931) 68 5. Soviets and the constituent Cortes (January 12, 1931) 70 6. The revolution in Spain (January 24, 1931) 71 7. For communist unity (January 31, 1931) 95 8. The boycott tactic (February 5, 1931) 96 9. Workers republic and constituent Cortes (February 13, 1931) 97 10. Berenguer s resignation (February 15, 1931) 98 11. Soldiers and workers juntas (March 13, 1931) 100 12. To say what is (April 12, 1931) 102 Part II: From republic to civil war Preface 107 13. Ten commandments of the Spanish communist (April 15, 1931) 113 14. Repressive measures of the republican government (April 20, 1931) 117 15. The Catalan Federation (April 23, 1931) 118 16. Unify the communist ranks! (April 24, 1931) 119
17. The progressive character of Catalan nationalism (May 17, 1931) 121 18. The need for a systematic picture (May 20, 1931) 123 19. The Spanish revolution and the dangers threatening it (May 28, 1931) 124 20. Anarcho-syndicalism and the Catalan Federation (May 31, 1931) 150 21. The Catalan Federation s platform (June 12, 1931) 151 22. The character of the revolution (June 18, 1931) 155 23. Down with Zamora-Maura! (June 24, 1931) 159 24. Maurín and the anarcho-syndicalists (June 29, 1931) 164 25. The election results and the tactics they indicate (July 1, 1931) 166 26. Spanish communism and the Catalan Federation (July 8, 1931) 170 27. The national question in Catalonia (July 13, 1931) 175 28. A turn by the Stalinists? (July 30, 1931) 177 29. The role of strikes in a revolution (August 2, 1931) 179 30. More on soviets and the Balkanization argument (September 1, 1931) 182 31. A narrow or broad faction? (September 27, 1931) 186 32. Greetings to El Soviet (September 29, 1931) 189 33. The leadership crisis in Spain (November 26, 1931) 191 34. Balance sheet of the Spanish section (December 22, 1931) 193 35. Message to the conference of the Spanish Left Opposition (March 7, 1932) 195 36. The international relations of the Spanish section (March 7, 1932) 197 37. To the Spanish youth (June 13, 1932) 204 38. The Spanish Kornilovs and the Spanish Stalinists (September 20, 1932) 206 39. The state of the Left Opposition (December 16, 1932) 213 40. Problems of the Spanish Left Opposition (December 1932) 217
41. Letter to Comrade Lacroix (March 25, 1933) 221 42. Letter to all members of the Spanish Left Opposition (April 24, 1933) 222 43. The impermissible conduct of Comrade Nin (August 10, 1933) 226 44. On entry into the Spanish Socialist Party (November 1, 1934) 230 45. The consequences of parliamentary reformism (November 9, 1934) 231 46. Passivity in the face of great events (December 16, 1934) 235 47. Letter to a comrade (October 18, 1935) 236 48. The treachery of the POUM (January 23, 1936) 237 49. Tasks of the Fourth International in Spain (April 12, 1936) 242 50. Is a rapprochement with Nin possible? I (June 3, 1936) 246 51. Is a rapprochement with Nin possible? II (June 5, 1936) 248 52. The POUM and the Popular Front (July 16, 1936) 249 Part III: Civil war Preface 257 53. The Popular Front in civil war (July 1936) 263 54. Letter to the International Secretariat (July 27, 1936) 265 55. The reactionary cowardice of the Popular Front (July 30, 1936) 268 56. The lesson of Spain (July 30, 1936) 270 57. Letter to Jean Rous (August 16, 1936) 276 58. For collaboration in Catalonia (August 18, 1936) 278 59. Interview with Havas (February 19, 1937) 279 60. A strategy for victory (February 25, 1937) 282 61. The proposed Barcelona conference (March 20, 1937) 283 62. To the editorial board of La Lutte ouvrière (March 23, 1937) 287
63. Revolutionary strategy in the civil war (April 14, 1937) 290 64. Is victory possible in Spain? (April 23, 1937) 296 65. The insurrection in Barcelona (May 12, 1937) 305 66. The murder of Andrés Nin by agents of the GPU (August 8, 1937) 309 67. The civil war in Spain (August 16, 1937) 311 68. A test of ideas and individuals through the Spanish experience (August 24, 1937) 312 69. Answer to questions on the Spanish situation (September 14, 1937) 326 70. Letter to James P. Cannon (September 21, 1937) 335 71. Ultralefts in general and incurable ultralefts in particular (September 28, 1937) 338 72. The POUM and the call for soviets (October 1, 1937) 344 73. For aid to the Spanish victims of Stalin-Negrín (October 6, 1937) 346 74. On the revolutionary calendar (October 22, 1937) 347 75. The lessons of Spain: The last warning (December 17, 1937) 354 76. The fifth wheel (January 27, 1938) 377 77. Traitors in the role of accusers (October 22, 1938) 380 78. The tragedy of Spain (February 1939) 381 79. Spain, Stalin, and Yezhov (March 4, 1939) 384 80. Mysteries of imperialism (March 4, 1939) 386 81. Once again on the causes of the defeat in Spain (March 4, 1939) 390 82. The culpability of left centrism (March 10, 1939) 396 83. Interview with Sybil Vincent (March 18, 1939) 401 84. Their friend Miaja (March 24, 1939) 403 85. Fighting against the stream (April 1939) 404 86. The counterrevolutionary role of the Kremlin (July 1, 1939) 405 87. No greater crime (July 15, 1939) 406 88. No confidence in the Negrín government (January 24, 1940) 407
89. The class, the party, and the leadership (August 20, 1940) 410 Appendix Preface (February 21, 1933) 427 Excerpts from the Trotsky-Nin correspondence Letters from Nin to Trotsky (October 23, 1930 November 25, 1932) 428 Letters from Trotsky to Nin (September 13, 1930 November 14, 1932) 441 Notes for Introduction 465 Notes for Part I 466 Notes for Part II 471 Notes for Part III 484 Notes for Appendix 490 Glossary of organizations and political parties 492 Glossary of periodicals 494 Index 495
Editors preface This is the first collection in English of Leon Trotsky s writings on the revolutionary developments in Spain during the decade of the 1930s. To the best of our knowledge, it contains everything by Trotsky on this subject in any language that was published by him during his lifetime or has been published since his death in 1940. Nearly 40 percent of the articles in this book are translated into English for the first time or have appeared previously only in internal bulletins with restricted circulation. Most have been out of print for decades. Other articles are published here under Trotsky s name for the first time, since they were unsigned or were signed with pen names when first printed. The date preceding each article indicates when it was completed. Translations that were originally done in the thirties have been revised to correct obvious errors and to achieve uniformity in spelling of names, style, etc. The source of each article and the name of its translator, if the latter is known, are presented in a note at the start of the article. Explanatory notes about the persons or events mentioned in the book follow the appendix. As further aids to the reader unfamiliar with the political developments in Spain during the thirties, prefatory notes precede each section of the book and a chronological outline of the decade follows the editors preface. 11
12 / the spanish revolution (1931 39) We would like to express our debt to Louis Sinclair s Leon Trotsky: A Bibliography (Hoover Institution Press, Stanford, California, 1972), without which the present collection could not have achieved its comprehensiveness. The Editors
Chronology 1930 January Dictator Primo de Rivera resigns; King Alfonso XIII appoints Berenguer to head interim government. April International Left Opposition (ILO) organized in Paris. December Liberal officers stage unsuccessful (Jaca) coup. 1931 February Berenguer resigns. April 12 14 Republicans carry all large towns in municipal elections; Alfonso goes into exile; republic declared; Alcalá Zamora is prime minister; Azaña is war minister; Maura is minister of interior; Caballero is minister of labor. April 15 Government calls constituent Cortes (assembly). May Clashes between monarchists and workers in Madrid; several churches are burned. June Elections to Cortes give overwhelming majority to pro-republican parties; Socialists largest party in Cortes; Catholic Church is disestablished; Alcalá Zamora and Maura, both Catholics, resign; Alcalá Zamora becomes president of republic; Azaña is prime minister. July August Strike wave; general strike in Seville crushed by republican government artillery. 1932 January Uprisings in Catalonia organized by the FAI. August Unsuccessful coup by monarchist general Sanjurjo. 15
16 / the spanish revolution (1931 39) 1933 January 30 Hindenburg appoints Hitler chancellor. April Municipal elections show big gains for rightists. July August Trotsky leaves Turkey for France; ILO abandons perspective of reforming Comintern and decides on necessity of forming 4th International. September Azaña resigns as prime minister; Lerroux forms government pending elections. October 29 Falange Española founded in Madrid. November Elections to Cortes give rightists and monarchists control when CNT abstains; Lerroux confirmed as prime minister; begins to repeal reforms. 1934 June Rural strike movement called by Anarchists; Macía dies; Companys takes over Catalan Generalitat (local government). October Lerroux forms new government, with members of rightwing CEDA of Gil Robles; General strike of Socialists and Anarchists crushed; Lerroux calls in Franco to crush uprising of Asturian miners. October November Fall of Oviedo, end of Asturian commune; 5,000 killed in savage reprisals; 30,000 arrested as political prisoners. 1935 June Norway grants Trotsky a visa. August Seventh Congress of Comintern proclaims Popular Front policy. September 25 Founding of the POUM. 1936 January Lerroux resigns amid financial scandal; Cortes dissolved. February 16 New elections bring Popular Front to power; Azaña is
chronology / 17 prime minister again; Anarchists and POUM support Popular Front in the election. March Peasants in Estremadura seize land. April General Mola issues circular calling for insurrection; Socialist and Communist youth groups merge; Hitler remilitarizes Rhineland. May 10 Azaña replaces Alcalá Zamora as president; Casares Quiroga is prime minister. May June Mass strikes in France; French Popular Front elected; Léon Blum is prime minister; Daladier is minister of war. July 13 Spanish CP declares full support to government. July 17 21 Fascist rising begins in Morocco and spreads to Spain; Casares Quiroga refuses arms to workers, and is replaced by Martínez Barrio; General Miaja is minister of war; Companys in Catalonia refuses to distribute arms; Giral replaces Martínez Barrio; arms are distributed to workers. August 15 France and England sign nonintervention pact. August 21 Zinoviev and Kamenev executed in USSR in first of big Moscow show trials. September 4 Giral resigns; Largo Caballero becomes prime minister on condition that CP join government; Uribe (CP) is minister of agriculture; six Socialists in cabinet include Prieto (minister of navy and air) and Negrín (minister of finance). September 26 CNT and POUM join Generalitat in Catalonia; Nin becomes minister of justice. October 10 Central government ends independence of militias. October 29 Siege of Madrid begins. November Central government reorganized to include Anarchists (García Oliver, minister of justice); Caballero moves government to Valencia. International Brigades arrive in Madrid. December 16 POUM expelled from government. December 21 Letter from Stalin to Caballero insists on protection of private property. December 25 German-Japanese Anti-Comintern Pact signed.
18 / the spanish revolution (1931 39) 1937 January 9 Trotsky arrives in Mexico. April 25 Bombing of Guernica. May Government attempt to seize Barcelona telephone exchange from Anarchists leads to new upsurge; Negrín replaces Caballero as prime minister. June 15 16 POUM outlawed by central government; leaders arrested. October 31 Central government moved to Barcelona. November 6 Italy signs Anti-Comintern Pact. 1938 January 11 Heavy bombardment of Barcelona begins. April June Franco reaches coast and cuts republican Spain in half. September International Brigade fights final battles in Ebro campaign; Chamberlain and Daladier sign Munich Pact with Hitler. November International Brigades withdraw from Spain. 1939 January 26 Barcelona surrenders. February 27 France and Britain recognize Franco while loyalists still hold a third of Spain. March 4 Republican general Miaja broadcasts manifesto proposing surrender. March 5 6 Hitler occupies Czechoslovakia. March 28 Madrid and Valencia surrender; Spain signs Anti-Comintern Pact. March 29 Active hostilities cease. April 1 United States recognizes Franco. August 22 Stalin-Hitler Pact signed.