Asturian miners' strike of 1934
Encyclopedia
The Asturian miners' strike of 1934 was a major strike action
which took place in Asturias
in northern Spain
soon developing into armed insurrection against the Spanish government
.
(PSOE) linked Unión General de Trabajadores
(UGT), which organised the strike and the anarcho-syndicalist union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
(CNT), which was sceptical of the value of strike action as a political tactic. As a result, the strike failed in much of Spain.
, the provincial capital. With the exception of two barracks where fighting with government troops continued, the city was taken by October 6. The miners proceeded to occupy several other towns, most notably the large industrial centre of La Felguera
and set up town assemblies or 'revolutionary committees', to govern towns they controlled.
The government responded by organising troops led by Francisco Franco
to retake the towns from the miners. These troops were carried on the CNT-controlled railways to Asturias without resistance by the anarchists. On October 7, delegates from the anarchist controlled seaport towns of Gijón
and Avilés
arrived in Oviedo to request weapons to defend against a landing of government troops. Ignored by the socialist UGT controlled committee, the delegates returned to their town empty handed and government troops met little resistance as they recaptured Gijón and Avilés the following day. The capture of the two key ports effectively spelled the end of the strike.
was very harsh including looting, rape and summary executions. According to Hugh Thomas 2,000 persons died in the uprising: 230-260 members of the army forces, 33 priests, 1,500 miners in combat and 200 killed in the repression (among them the journalist Luis de Sirval, who pointed out the tortures and executions and was arrested and killed by three officers of the Legion
). The government suspended Constitutional guarantees, almost all the left's newspapers were closed, hundreds of town councils and mixed juries were suspended and the torture in prisons was widespread.
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
which took place in Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
in northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
soon developing into armed insurrection against the Spanish government
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
.
Background
Following the victory of the parties of the right in the General Election of 1933, the parties of the left became concerned that the new government would move towards authoritarianism and infringe worker's rights. As a result, they called a general strike. However the strike immediately exposed differences on the left between the Spanish Socialist Workers' PartySpanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
(PSOE) linked Unión General de Trabajadores
Unión General de Trabajadores
The Unión General de Trabajadores is a major Spanish trade union, historically affiliated with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party .-History:...
(UGT), which organised the strike and the anarcho-syndicalist union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
(CNT), which was sceptical of the value of strike action as a political tactic. As a result, the strike failed in much of Spain.
Asturian miners' strike
In several mining towns in Asturias, local unions gathered small arms and were determined to see the strike through. The strike began on the evening of October 4, with the miners occupying several towns, attacking and seizing local Civil and Assault Guard barracks. The following day saw columns of miners advancing along the road to OviedoOviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
, the provincial capital. With the exception of two barracks where fighting with government troops continued, the city was taken by October 6. The miners proceeded to occupy several other towns, most notably the large industrial centre of La Felguera
La Felguera
La Felguera is the largest parish in the municipality of Langreo, Asturias, in the north of Spain, with 21.000 inhabitants. It is the fifth largest town in Asturias, after Gijón, Oviedo, Avilés and Mieres. It is an 18 minute drive by car to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias...
and set up town assemblies or 'revolutionary committees', to govern towns they controlled.
The government responded by organising troops led by Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
to retake the towns from the miners. These troops were carried on the CNT-controlled railways to Asturias without resistance by the anarchists. On October 7, delegates from the anarchist controlled seaport towns of Gijón
Gijón
Gijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...
and Avilés
Avilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
arrived in Oviedo to request weapons to defend against a landing of government troops. Ignored by the socialist UGT controlled committee, the delegates returned to their town empty handed and government troops met little resistance as they recaptured Gijón and Avilés the following day. The capture of the two key ports effectively spelled the end of the strike.
Aftermath
In the armed action taken against the uprising some 3,000 miners were killed in the fighting with another 30,000-40,000 taken prisoner, and another thousands sacked from their jobs. The repression of the uprising carried out by the colonial troopsSpanish Legion
The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...
was very harsh including looting, rape and summary executions. According to Hugh Thomas 2,000 persons died in the uprising: 230-260 members of the army forces, 33 priests, 1,500 miners in combat and 200 killed in the repression (among them the journalist Luis de Sirval, who pointed out the tortures and executions and was arrested and killed by three officers of the Legion
Spanish Legion
The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...
). The government suspended Constitutional guarantees, almost all the left's newspapers were closed, hundreds of town councils and mixed juries were suspended and the torture in prisons was widespread.
External links
- 1934: The Asturias Revolt at libcom.org
- Republican Spain at countrystudies.us