Diego Abad de Santillán

Diego Abad de Santillán (sometimes under the pseudo one of “Sinesio García Fernández”) was born in Spain, in the province of the Leon, in Reyero, May 20 1897, and will die in Barcelona October 18 1983. Writer, editor and translator of many anarchistic works in Spanish. He will be one of many the theorist of anarcho-syndicalism, implied within FORA in Argentina, and within the CNT and of the FAI in Spain, and also during the Spanish revolution.

Biography

These parents (Donato García Paniagüa and Angela Fernández), poor, leave Spain, in 1905 (Diego is eight years old), to go to Argentina to find work. In 1912/13, Diego will turn over to Spain, and of 1915 to 1917, in Madrid, it will study philosophy. By a strong feeling of Solidarity for the people, Diego will be implied in the strikes of 1916 and 1917. At the time of the general strike of 1917, launched by the CNT and the UGT, it will be stopped, put in charges and will be thrown in prison for 1 year and half. It had at the time, no bond with the anarchistic movement; he will know the anarchistic movement and ideas during its stay in prison; friendship and existing solidartity within the anarchistic groupings of prisoners (of which Antonio lozano, latigo,…), will make it become anarchistic (friendship and solidarity will be for him an ethics essential with anarchism).

At its exit of prison, following the amnesty in 1918, to escape the obligatory military service, it will decide to leave for Argentina. In 1919, it will connaitra one period of répréssion of the Argentinian labour movement, during the “tragic week”, it worked then with “La protesta”, and it will decide to leave for Germany (to make studies of medicine).

In 1922, arrived to Germany, it will learn death from Kurt Wilckens, an Argentinian friend, assassinated by a prison warder. During its passage in Germany, it will continue as a correspondent with the publication of “protested”, like for supplements… the weight of bolchevic being increasingly important within the labour movement, it will write to make counterweight there… It will take part in the foundation of HAS which will be held in Berlin in 1922. It will meet max nettlau, voline and archinov during an improvised meeting, into which nettlau rejected archinov (not considering it anarchistic).

It will turn over to Argentina in 1926, in goal with conflicts intern within FORA. In spite of its forecasts of the coup d'etat (!!!! "state force" ?? - finiding the good word in english !!!!) and its requests for organization of a resistance, the coup d'etat (!!! idem !!!), in 1930, of the Uriburu general, did not offer resistance of FORA, and that will force (an anonymity prevented it that the government counted the éxecuter the next day) Diego with éxiler in Uruguay.

In 1931, it will come to Spain, to take part in congrés of the CNT and of AIT. Then, it will set out again in Argentina, where the répréssion on the labour movement and anarchistic had intensified; the conflicts intern were also trés difficult. In front of the incapacity to fight the dictatorship in place, it will leave Argentina.

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In 1933, diego, returns to Spain, in the town of Barcelona… It joins the FAI, it will write in “tierra y libertad” and took care of the newspaper, and it will also deal with “solidaridad obrera”. It will be opposed, within the Spanish anarchistic movement, to pestana. But, it did not take to share with the debates “trentists”.

Following the insurrectionary events of October 1934, which were a failure, where regionalistic the Catalan wished to make their independence, and, of the same step, to liquidate the anarchists (they failed). The Spanish government benefitted from it to put in prison innumerable anarchists, Diego will be thrown in prison, in a hold of a boat improvised like prison (other prisons being already full). It will come out from it later…

In 1935, Fascism being meadows with the dictatorship, the national committee of the CNT will entrust the spot to him to make an international round to obtain from the financiére assistance or others to obtain weapons (to be able to defend oneself against the fascists). Braulio, a companion who manufactured grenades will die by inexperience… Diego left and accepted many helps, information necessary to the clothes industry of weapons, and same of the Swedish specialists come to contribute to the creation of a workshop in Saragossa.

In spite of the threats of coup d'etat (!!! idem !!!) known and announced with the legal government, that was not heard. The coup d'etat (!!! idem !!!) burst July 19 1936, the government remained without reaction, but the search for weapons had continued for the anarchistic militants, and some soldiers allow to give weapons to the population (Diego succeeds in obtaining forty weapons of the civil guard), but the major part was obtained by the catch of the weapons by the population counters fascistic troops.

July 21 1936, he will become the representative of the FAI within the Central Committee of the Militia Antifascists of Catalonia, trying to organize the supply of weapons (existing not very) for the faces antifascists. The committee will ask France (Leon blum) to allow the acquisition of weapons, but all was refused (letting the Italian and German fascists however supply the nationalist camp). Only the president of mexic will send weapons to the republicans. Then, the committee was dissolves…

August 11 1936, it will make party of the economic council of Catalonia, as delegated FAI, this until December 17, dates to which he will become Minister for the economy, with the government of the general information, as a representative of the CNT. It will remain there until April 4.

During the days of May 1937, in connection with the "telefonica" held by the CNT and attacked by the government (Stalinist), informed these events, it will arrive to Barcelona and will try a cease-fire of the two with dimensions ones, which will be done; but, he will regret it later, informed too late (following an interview with the Russian consulate, concerning the massacres done by their forces; where it will include/understand too late their intentions) of the situation of the Stalinist coup d'etat (!!! idem !!!). A posteriori, it will think that it would have was necessary to let come the libertarian militia (much stronger) fifgt it Stalinist counters-revolution (even if that would have created the general defeat antifascist) moving in Barcelona during these days of May.

It will be put thereafter in withdrawal of the libertarian movement, and will be devoted to the writing of a book (the révolucion y la guerra en espana) concerning this experiment, which will leave the presses in September 1937; deliver that the national committee of the CNT wished to destroy (half of what had left will be burned), and the government of Stalinist the négrin, feeling on, asked for the arrest of Diego to him. Nevertheless, the FAI will support Diego and threaten the government, of declaration of war in its opposition, if there were arrest of Diego.

Then at the end of 1938, he was in éxil towards France… Then, it turned over to Argentina into clandestine.

He will publish “Gran Enciclopedia Argentina”.

He will return to Spain, in Barcelona, in 1977, after the death of Franco. And he will die October 18 1983.

philosophy

• spontaneism
• forism
• revolutionary finalism
• circonstancialism
• ...

quotations

• “Its mistrust of the revolutionary trade unionism - of which he criticizes the “neutralism” - and of the anarcho-syndicalism - of which he disputes the claim “to govern all the social life” - adhesive perfectly with “” revolutionary “finalism forist”, who allots to the trade unionism only one defensive role and preaches his disappearance with the abolition of the company of class and the introduction of anarchistic Communism”

- In “praise of the revolutionary finalism” of Frank Mintz.

Internal bonds

• CNT/FAI
• Working federation of the Argentinian area (FORA)
• International association of the Workers (1922)
• Spanish revolution

Sources

• Diego Abad de Santillán - by Encyclopédia anti-autorithative bleed
• Diego Abad de Santillán - by el historiador
• Diego Abad de Santillán - by International Institute of Social History Archives
• Diego Abad de Santillán - by buxaweb
• Diego Abad de Santillán - by Research on Anarchism

Oeuvres

• After the revolution (1937) from Diego Abad De Santillan.