Великая испанская революция - Александр Шубин

However, the leading political forces of the Republic including the Prime Minister Negrin came to the conclusion that the defeat was inevitable and began to search for ways to minimize the costs of such catastrophe. The communists involved in the global struggle against fascism were ready to hold the last-ditch defense. But they also had to operate in the wake of the policy of Negrin whose maneuvers caused mistrust in the increasing republican part, who were afraid to be left in the evacuation basket.

As a result, Casado rebellion commanded the widest political support including that from the opponents of unconditional surrender. The rebellion provoked a collapse of the Republic five months prior to the beginning of the Second World War.

Its collapse became one of the signals (even though far from the major) for Stalin to change the foreign policy strategy. The collapse of the Spanish Republic became the visible proof of People’s Front strategy and collective safety crash which Stalin accepted in 1934–1936 with so much pain.

In the end of the civil war Franco defined his position as neutrality to which he began to incline as early as in the troubled Munich days. At least in that way the Republic won — it bled frankism and didn’t allow it to involve Spain in the Second World War.

At the same time, the first battle against fascism took place in Spain, which would end up with crash of the fascist block in 1945.

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The shift to industrial democracy was stopped not as a result of internal processes, but as a result of the violent suppression of the revolution. The military defeat taken by itself didn’t yet give grounds for the conclusion about crucial non-viability of these or those models. History provides many examples of military destruction of social and political structures which in the context of other military-political conditions gave an example of high efficiency and viability. The issue of syndicalist alternative viability was reduced to a question as to whether such society could exist by maintaining its originality with regard to the «capitalist» and «state-communist» models.

There is a strong probability that in those years the ideals of self-government and consecutive democracy could fight their way to become a reality only under the extreme circumstances. It is difficult to say whether the anarchist self-government could survive in the conditions of a quiet life. Experience of many countries in the West and «socialist» Yugoslavia showed that self-government and federalism in the conditions of industrially-bureaucratic society had been implemented more in manner than in matter, but nevertheless improved the living conditions. Global historical tendencies proved to be stronger than the ideas which were generated ahead of time. But, only reaching out beyond the horizon, it will be possible to overcome a vicious circle of routine.

The very development of non-capitalist system based on the principles of self-government instead of public administration made the Spanish revolution one of the key events in world history. It proved that the first word in a word-combination «social state» is the key one. Social transformations generated by a collapse of spontaneous capitalism could be implemented by strengthening the state — in an American, German, Italian and Soviet way. They could also be implemented by strengthening self-regulation structures of the society, such as trade unions, bodies of territorial self-government, democratic social movements. In short, in a Spanish way.

Regardless of the powerful laws of history development, much in the history flow direction depends on the «star moments» of the mankind, mentioned by Stefan Zweig. Social forces come to balance and then everything hangs on the «subjective factor». The outcome of «star moment» defines future for millions of people for decades forward.

The «star moment» of Spain history is the Great Spanish Revolution of the 1930s. That period of the Spanish history is an inexhaustible wealth of lessons for those who seek to transform the world on the basis of freedom and solidarity and who search for a real alternative to authoritarianism and capitalism.

Spain was in an epicenter of world politics and the destinies of the world depended upon it. Such role requires sacrifice. But at the same time it gives a life instead of wretched existence.

In a chain of events of the 1930s world politics, when the small caste of politicians shaped the future of millions of people, the events in Spain were distinct from other countries in that the history was made «from the bottom upwards», and the common people dared to settle their lives in their own way and not to take orders from «chiefs». Therefore, despite all blood and dirt which the history of Spanish Republic was not lacking, its leaders actually respected the will of common people. That doesn’t happen very often and stands high.

Аббревиатуры (с вариантами, встречающимися в документах)

НКТ (CNT, СНТ) — Национальная конфедерация труда

НК НКТ — Национальный комитет НКТ

ВСТ (UGT, УХТ, УГТ, ВСР) — Всеобщий союз труда

ФРЗ — Федерация работников земли

СИМ — Служба военной разведки

МАТ — Международная ассоциация трудящихся

ИСРП (PSOE, ПСОЕ) — Испанская социалистическая рабочая партия

КПИ — Коммунистическая партия Испании

ОСПК (PSUK, ПСУК) — Объединенная социалистическая партия Каталонии.

ИККИ — Исполнительный комитет Коммунистического интернационала.

ПОУМ (POUM) — Рабочая объединенная марксистская партия

ЭРК — Республиканская каталонская левая.

ЭК — Каталонская левая.

НСО — Национальный совет обороны.