Spanish Labor Movement History: Anarchism vs. Socialism (1879–1910)

Anarchism in Spain: From Direct Action to Anarcho-Syndicalism

The international section of Spanish anarchism, stemming from the Bakunin trend, changed its name to the Federation of Workers in the Spanish Region (FTRE). This adaptation was necessary due to new laws banning international organizations operating from abroad.

During the 1893–1897 period, Spain witnessed outstanding acts of social violence, including:

• Attacks against key figures in political life.
• Bombs at the Liceo de Barcelona (Bcn), a representative body of bourgeois society.
• Attacks against the procession of Corpus Christi, a symbol of popular ecclesiastical worship.

Anarchism was accused of being behind the "Black Hand," murders attributed to its members, and the burning of crops and buildings. The key moment in this spiral of violence was the Montjuïc trials, where five anarchists were convicted and executed.

The proliferation of attacks widened the gap between supporters of anarchism who favored continued direct action and those who advocated for mass action. Older anarchists, as well as extensive labor groups, opposed terrorism. They advocated for the need to establish organizations of a syndicalist character, posing this as a path toward social revolution.

This new trend, clearly anarcho-syndicalist in orientation, began to bear fruit in the early twentieth century with the creation of Solidaridad Obrera (1907) and the CNT (1910).

The Rise of Working-Class Socialism in Spain

The New Madrid Federation of the AIT (International Workingmen's Association), established by Marxist workers, had an ephemeral life. Following the disappearance of the International, its members decided to form a political workers' party.

In Madrid, a group including Pablo Iglesias founded the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in 1879. The Socialist Party was defined by its Marxist and clearly workerist orientation, supporting social revolution.

PSOE's Reform Program

The PSOE also presented a reform program that included:

• The right of association, assembly, and manifestation.
• Universal suffrage.
• Reduction of working hours.
• Prohibition of child labor and other social measures.

Socialism soon took root in areas like Madrid, the Basque Country, Asturias, and Málaga, but had uneasy development in places dominated by anarcho-syndicalism, such as Catalonia.

In 1889, the year of the founding of the Second International (Socialist), the PSOE joined this organization and helped introduce Labor Day on May 1st in Spain starting in 1890.

The General Union of Workers (UGT)

In 1888, the General Union of Workers (UGT) was founded. While it did not officially declare Marxist militancy, leaving politics to the freedom of its affiliates, the coincidence of its leaders with the Socialist Party increasingly introduced it into the field of Marxism.

The UGT organized trade unions in each locality and practiced a very cautious policy in its claims, resorting to strike action only as a last resort, in stark contrast to anarcho-syndicalism.