Collectives in the Spanish Revolution

by Gaston Leval, Vernon Richards (Translator), Pedro García-Guirao (Introduction)

Revolutionary Spain came about with an explosion of social change so advanced and sweeping that it remains widely studied as one of the foremost experiments in worker self-management in history. At the heart of this vast foray into toppling entrenched forms of domination and centralised control was the flourishing of an array of worker-run collectives in industry, agriculture, public services, and beyond. Collectives in the Spanish Revolution is a unique account of this transformative process—a work combining impeccable research and analysis with lucid reportage. Its author, Gaston Leval, was not only a participant in the Revolution and a dedicated anarcho-syndicalist but an especially knowledgeable eyewitness to the many industrial and agrarian collectives. In documenting the collectives’ organisation and how they improved working conditions and increased output, Leval also gave voice to the workers who made them, recording their stories and experiences. At the same time, Leval did not shy away from exploring some of the collectives’ failings, often ignored in other accounts of the period, opening space for readers today to critically draw lessons from the Spanish experience with self-managed collectives. The book opens with an insightful examination of pre-revolutionary economic conditions in Spain that gave rise to the worker and peasant initiatives Leval documents and analyses in the bulk of his study. He begins by surveying agrarian collectives in Aragón, Levante, and Castile. Leval then guides the reader through an incredible variety of urban examples of self-organisation, from factories and workshops to medicine, social services, Barcelona’s tramway system, and beyond. He concludes with a brief but perceptive consideration of the broader political context in which workers carried out such a far-reaching revolution in social organisation—and a rumination on who and what was responsible for its defeat. This classic translation of the French original by Vernon Richards is presented in this edition for the first time with an index. A new introduction by Pedro García-Guirao and a preface by Stuart Christie offer a précis of Leval’s life and methods, placing his landmark study in the context of more recent writing on the Spanish collectives—eloquently positing that Leval’s account of collectivism and his assessments of their achievements and failings still have a great deal to teach us today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Spanish Civil War, Economics, Spain

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Pushon Bhattacharya · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential tome on the Spanish revolution with the full scoop on the Libertarian collectives' incredible achievements from region to region. This encompasses everything from bringing electricity and clean drinking water to countryside villages that didn't have them to giving elderly and disabled people life-saving financial aid to smaller achievements like giving people free clothes and haircuts.

[Left_coast_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a detailed description of the various economic and political transformations that occurred during the Spanish Revolution (1936-1939). Turmoil had been brewing in Spain for some time, culminating in a right wing coups. In the resulting Civil War, various factions battled for influence among the general population, one of them being the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo. This anarchist organization led some of the most impressive reorganizations of public and economic life in towns and cities across Republican-controlled Spain, which continue to inspire long after their defeat.

Villagers would agree to work their land in common, pooling their resources and taking over land abandoned by fascist sympathizers who fled. Decision-making would be done democratically. Usually the collective would decide upon a family wage or ration that would scale with number of children. Everyone was guaranteed food, shelter, and healthcare.

Similar steps were taken in many industrial facilities including hydroelectric dams, as well as public transport in Barcelona and railways in Catalonia. Workers in each enterprise would make decisions democratically, electing delegates and technical experts to form commissions to manage the affairs of the entire enterprise, including raw materials, maintenance, scheduling, technological improvements, employee safety, etc.

Their achievements are inspiring, often increasing output even as they lost many working-age men to the war. In most places, they eliminated hunger and unemployment and extended educational opportunities to children of the peasants and workers, sometimes building the first school the community ever had.

The author often discusses political developments, too. I think his treatment of this is perhaps a bit too simplistic or partisan, even though I'm inclined to agree with his conclusions. But I need to learn more about this time period before opining further.

Overall, the book is inspiring and absolutely bursting with detail. It started to drag a bit toward the end--there's only so many ways you can describe various committees and assemblies.

[Scott Would · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for socialists, Levals book describes the history of the Spanish anarchist/libertarian movement up to the Spanish Civil War, the underlying thought and practice on which the ends of the revolution were founded, and most importantly, the collectivization and socialization achievements of the Spanish working classes. We read about how they worked, in both agrarian and urban industrial settings. While so many of us still rightfully look to the Paris Commune for inspiration, few realize how far surpassed it was by revolutionary Spain. Read this book and discover what a libertarian movement can achieve.

[Alberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter, very badly written. Not sure if it is the translation into English, though. The book is probably due for a new edition with a better translation

[Stanisław Stępień · Rating 5 out of 5]

🇪🇸👊🫂🪖🚩

[Ian Chinich · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book there is on the Spanish Revolution and anarchism in practice. There are currently no competitors.

[Will Caraccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

he’s the goat