Juan Negrín
Encyclopedia
Juan Negrín y López was a Spanish
politician and physician.
, Negrín came from a religious middle-class family. He was a pupil of the Nobel Prize of Medicine, Ramon y Cajal
, qualified as a doctor in Germany and later he became a university professor of physiology
at the Complutense University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) at the age of 29. Negrin spoke English, French, German and also a little Russian.
On 21 July 1914 he married María Fidelman y Brodsky and had Juan Negrín y Fidelman, married to Rosita Díaz y Gimeno, Rómulo Negrín y Fidelman (Madrid
, 1917 - 30 July 2004), married to Jeanne Fetter and father of Juan Román Negrín y Fetter (b. Mexico City
, 20 September 1945), and Miguel Negrín y Fidelman.
Negrín joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) in 1929. He belonged to the Indalecio Prieto
faction, opposed to that led by Largo Caballero, left-wing extremists. In 1931 was elected was elected deputy for Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. Negrin helped many people to escape from the revolutionary checas in July and August 1936.
. As the finance minister, he built up the carabineros (custom guards), a force of 20,000 men which was later nicknamed The Hundred Thousand Sons of Negrín
, in order to recover the control of the French frontier posts, which had been seized by the CNT
. He also took the controversial decision to transfer the Spanish gold reserves to the Soviet Union in return for arms to continue the war (October 1936). Worth $500 million at the time (another $240 million had been sent to France in July), critics argued that this action put the Republican government under the control of Joseph Stalin.
(after Largo was dismissed) named Negrín the 135th President of the Government
. Negrin's government included Indalecio Prieto named minister of War, Navy and Air, Julian Zugazagoitia as minister of interior (both socialists), the communists Jesus Hernandez as minister of education and Vicente Uribe as minister of agriculture, the republicans Jose Giral
as foreign minister and Giner de los Rios
as public work minister, the Basque Manuel Irujo as minister of justice and the Catalan Nationalist Ayguade as minister of labour. His main objectives were to fortify the central government, to reorganize and fortify the Republican army and to impose the law and order in the republican held area, against largely independent armed militias of the labor unions (CNT) and parties, thus curtailing the revolution inside the Republic. He also wanted to break the international isolation of the Republic in order to get the arms embargo lifted, and from 1938 to search an international mediation in order to finish the war. He also wished to normalize the position of the Catholic Church inside the Republic. All this was intended to connect the Spanish conflict with World War II
, which he believed to be imminent, although the Munich Agreement
definitively made all hope of outside aid vanish.
On the military level he launched a series of offensives at Brunete
, Belchite
, Teruel
and the one on the Ebro. Although Negrín had always been a centrist in the PSOE
, he maintained links with the Spanish Communist Party
(PCE), whose policies at that point ere in favor of a Popular Front
alignment.
One of the most controversial aspects of Negrín's government was its deep infiltration by the PCE, leading his critics - on both the Spanish left and right - to accuse him of being a puppet for the eventual establishment of a Stalinist communist state
. The collapse of his government against the military golpe of Franco's forces destroyed any future development of the Spanish Republic. Negrín relied on the Communists to curtail the Anarchist wing of the Spanish Left, and was forced to rely on the Soviet Union
, then led by Joseph Stalin
, for weapons and armament, because of the arms embargo imposed by the Non-Intervention Committee
. Soviet activities in Spain seemed to be focused as much or more on NKVD-directed purges of real or alleged Trotskyists and anarchists within the republican zone as on winning the war against the Phalange.
The military situation of the Spanish Republic deteriorated steadily under Negrín's government, largely because of the superior quality of the opposing generals and officers many of whom were veterans of the Rif War
, and by 1938 the overwhelming advantage of the Nationalists in the terms of men (20%), aircraft and artillery provided by Germany and Italy
. On May 1938, Negrin issued the "Thirteen Points" (Trece Puntos), a program for peace negotiations, including absolute independence of Spain, liberty of conscience, protection of the regional liberties, universal suffrage, an amnesty for all Spaniards and agrarian reform, but Franco rejected any peace deal. Before the fall of Catalonia
he proposed, in the meeting of the Cortes
in Figueres
, capitulation
with the sole condition of respecting the lives of the vanquished and the holding of a plebiscite so the Spanish people could decide the form of government, but Franco rejected the new peace deal. On 9 February 1939, he moved to the Central Zone (30% of the Spanish territory) with the intention of defending the remaining territory of the republic until the start of the general European conflict, and organize the evacuation of those most at risk. Negrin though that there were no other course but resistance, because the Nationalists rejected to negotiate any peace deal.
However, Colonel Segismundo Casado
, joined by José Miaja
, Julian Besteiro
and Cipriano Mera
, tired of fighting, which they regarded then as hopeless. Seeking better surrender terms, they seized power
in Madrid on 5 March 1939, created a National Defense Junta, and deposed Negrín. The same day, Negrin fled to France. Although the troops led by the PCE rejected the coup on Madrid
they were defeated by the Cipriano Mera's troops. The Junta tried to negotiate a peace deal with the nationalists, but Franco only accepted an unconditional surrender of the Republic. Finally all the members of the Junta (except Besteiro) fled, and by 31 of March 1939 the Nationalists seized all the Spanish territory.
Manuel Azaña
, Negrín remained in Spain until the final collapse of the Republican front and his fall from office in March 1939. He organized the S.E.R.E. (Servicio de Evacuación de Refugiados Españoles
) to help republican exiles. He remained prime minister of the Spanish Republican government in Exile
between 1939 an 1945 (although ignored by most of the exiled political forces) and died in Paris
in 1956.
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...
politician and physician.
Early years
Born in Las Palmas de Gran CanariaLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...
, Negrín came from a religious middle-class family. He was a pupil of the Nobel Prize of Medicine, Ramon y Cajal
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Santiago Ramón y Cajal ForMemRS was a Spanish pathologist, histologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel laureate. His pioneering investigations of the microscopic structure of the brain were original: he is considered by many to be the father of modern neuroscience...
, qualified as a doctor in Germany and later he became a university professor of physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the Complutense University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) at the age of 29. Negrin spoke English, French, German and also a little Russian.
On 21 July 1914 he married María Fidelman y Brodsky and had Juan Negrín y Fidelman, married to Rosita Díaz y Gimeno, Rómulo Negrín y Fidelman (Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, 1917 - 30 July 2004), married to Jeanne Fetter and father of Juan Román Negrín y Fetter (b. Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, 20 September 1945), and Miguel Negrín y Fidelman.
Negrín joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish 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) in 1929. He belonged to the Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto Tuero was a Spanish politician, one of the leading figures of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in the years before and during the Second Spanish Republic.-Early years:...
faction, opposed to that led by Largo Caballero, left-wing extremists. In 1931 was elected was elected deputy for Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands. Negrin helped many people to escape from the revolutionary checas in July and August 1936.
Minister of Finance
He was named Minister of Finance in September 1936 in the government of Francisco Largo CaballeroFrancisco Largo Caballero
Francisco Largo Caballero was a Spanish politician and trade unionist. He was one of the historic leaders of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and of the Workers' General Union...
. As the finance minister, he built up the carabineros (custom guards), a force of 20,000 men which was later nicknamed The Hundred Thousand Sons of Negrín
The Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis
The Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis was the popular name for a French army mobilized by the Bourbon King of France, Louis XVIII to restore King's Ferdinand VII of Spain absolute power of which he had been deprived during the Liberal Triennium. Despite the name, the actual number of troops was...
, in order to recover the control of the French frontier posts, which had been seized by the CNT
CNT
-Buildings:* Canadian National Tower, or CN Tower, a communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Businesses:* Cantiere Navale Triestino , an Italian shipbuilding company founded in 1908 and renamed Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico Monfalcone in 1929-Non-profit organizations:*...
. He also took the controversial decision to transfer the Spanish gold reserves to the Soviet Union in return for arms to continue the war (October 1936). Worth $500 million at the time (another $240 million had been sent to France in July), critics argued that this action put the Republican government under the control of Joseph Stalin.
Prime minister
On 17 May 1937, Manuel AzañaManuel Azaña
Manuel Azaña Díaz was a Spanish politician. He was the first Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic , and later served again as Prime Minister , and then as the second and last President of the Republic . The Spanish Civil War broke out while he was President...
(after Largo was dismissed) named Negrín the 135th President of the Government
Prime Minister of Spain
The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...
. Negrin's government included Indalecio Prieto named minister of War, Navy and Air, Julian Zugazagoitia as minister of interior (both socialists), the communists Jesus Hernandez as minister of education and Vicente Uribe as minister of agriculture, the republicans Jose Giral
José Giral
José Giral y Pereira was a Spanish politician during the Second Spanish Republic.He had degrees in Chemistry and Pharmacy from the University of Madrid. In 1905 he became professor of chemistry in the University of Salamanca. He founded Acción Republicana with Manuel Azaña...
as foreign minister and Giner de los Rios
Bernardo Giner de los Rios
Bernardo Giner de los Ríos was a Spanish architect and author of architectural works. He built many buildings in and around Madrid, including many schools.-Background:...
as public work minister, the Basque Manuel Irujo as minister of justice and the Catalan Nationalist Ayguade as minister of labour. His main objectives were to fortify the central government, to reorganize and fortify the Republican army and to impose the law and order in the republican held area, against largely independent armed militias of the labor unions (CNT) and parties, thus curtailing the revolution inside the Republic. He also wanted to break the international isolation of the Republic in order to get the arms embargo lifted, and from 1938 to search an international mediation in order to finish the war. He also wished to normalize the position of the Catholic Church inside the Republic. All this was intended to connect the Spanish conflict with World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which he believed to be imminent, although the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
definitively made all hope of outside aid vanish.
On the military level he launched a series of offensives at Brunete
Battle of Brunete
The Battle of Brunete , fought 15 miles west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War...
, Belchite
Battle of Belchite
Battle of Belchite may refer to:*Battle of Belchite during the Peninsular War*Battle of Belchite during the Spanish Civil War...
, Teruel
Battle of Teruel
The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War in December 1937 – February 1938. The combatants fought the battle during the worst Spanish winter in twenty years. It was one of the bloodier actions of the war. The city changed hands several times,...
and the one on the Ebro. Although Negrín had always been a centrist in the PSOE
Spanish 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...
, he maintained links with the Spanish Communist Party
Spanish Communist Party
Spanish Communist Party , was the first communist party in Spain, formed out of the Federación de Juventudes Socialistas . The founders of the party, that had belonged to leftwing within FJS, included Ramón Merino Gracia, Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Illescasm Luis Portela, Tiburicio Pico and Rito Estaban...
(PCE), whose policies at that point ere in favor of a Popular Front
Popular Front (Spain)
The Popular Front in Spain's Second Republic was an electoral coalition and pact signed in January 1936 by various left-wing political organisations, instigated by Manuel Azaña for the purpose of contesting that year's election....
alignment.
One of the most controversial aspects of Negrín's government was its deep infiltration by the PCE, leading his critics - on both the Spanish left and right - to accuse him of being a puppet for the eventual establishment of a Stalinist communist state
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
. The collapse of his government against the military golpe of Franco's forces destroyed any future development of the Spanish Republic. Negrín relied on the Communists to curtail the Anarchist wing of the Spanish Left, and was forced to rely on the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, then led by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, for weapons and armament, because of the arms embargo imposed by the Non-Intervention Committee
Non-Intervention Committee
During the Spanish Civil War, several countries followed a principle of non-intervention, which would result in the signing of the Non-Intervention Agreement in August 1936 and the setting up of the Non-Intervention Committee, which first met in September...
. Soviet activities in Spain seemed to be focused as much or more on NKVD-directed purges of real or alleged Trotskyists and anarchists within the republican zone as on winning the war against the Phalange.
The military situation of the Spanish Republic deteriorated steadily under Negrín's government, largely because of the superior quality of the opposing generals and officers many of whom were veterans of the Rif War
Rif War (1920)
The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...
, and by 1938 the overwhelming advantage of the Nationalists in the terms of men (20%), aircraft and artillery provided by Germany and Italy
Corpo Truppe Volontarie
The Corps of Volunteer Troops was an Italian expeditionary force which was sent to Spain to support General Francisco Franco and the Spanish Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War...
. On May 1938, Negrin issued the "Thirteen Points" (Trece Puntos), a program for peace negotiations, including absolute independence of Spain, liberty of conscience, protection of the regional liberties, universal suffrage, an amnesty for all Spaniards and agrarian reform, but Franco rejected any peace deal. Before the fall of Catalonia
Catalonia Offensive
The Catalonia Offensive was part of the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalist Army started the offensive on December 23, 1938, and rapidly conquered Republican-held Catalonia with its capital city from October 1937, Barcelona. Barcelona was captured on January 26, 1939. The Republican government...
he proposed, in the meeting of the Cortes
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
in Figueres
Figueres
Figueres is the capital of the comarca of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which attracts many visitors...
, capitulation
Capitulation (surrender)
Capitulation , an agreement in time of war for the surrender to a hostile armed force of a particular body of troops, a town or a territory....
with the sole condition of respecting the lives of the vanquished and the holding of a plebiscite so the Spanish people could decide the form of government, but Franco rejected the new peace deal. On 9 February 1939, he moved to the Central Zone (30% of the Spanish territory) with the intention of defending the remaining territory of the republic until the start of the general European conflict, and organize the evacuation of those most at risk. Negrin though that there were no other course but resistance, because the Nationalists rejected to negotiate any peace deal.
To fight on because there was no other choice, even if winning was not possible, then to salvage what we could -and at the very end our self respect... Why go on resisting? Quite simply because we knew what capitulacion would mean.
However, Colonel Segismundo Casado
Segismundo Casado
Segismundo Casado López was a Spanish Army officer in the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
, joined by José Miaja
José Miaja
José Miaja Menant was a Spanish Army Officer in the Second Spanish Republic.-Early life:He entered the Infantry Academy at Toledo in 1896. His first post was in Asturias...
, Julian Besteiro
Julián Besteiro
Julián Besteiro Fernández was a Spanish socialist politician and university professor.-Early life:...
and Cipriano Mera
Cipriano Mera
Cipriano Mera Sanz was a Spanish military and political figure during the Second Spanish Republic.-Early life:...
, tired of fighting, which they regarded then as hopeless. Seeking better surrender terms, they seized power
Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War
The Final offensive of the Spanish Civil War took place between the 26th of March and the 1st of April 1939, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War...
in Madrid on 5 March 1939, created a National Defense Junta, and deposed Negrín. The same day, Negrin fled to France. Although the troops led by the PCE rejected the coup on Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
they were defeated by the Cipriano Mera's troops. The Junta tried to negotiate a peace deal with the nationalists, but Franco only accepted an unconditional surrender of the Republic. Finally all the members of the Junta (except Besteiro) fled, and by 31 of March 1939 the Nationalists seized all the Spanish territory.
Exile and death
Unlike Spanish PresidentPresident of Spain
Today, Spain is a constitutional monarchy. King Juan Carlos I, the current monarch, is Head of State. The Head of Government has the official title of President of the Government....
Manuel Azaña
Manuel Azaña
Manuel Azaña Díaz was a Spanish politician. He was the first Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic , and later served again as Prime Minister , and then as the second and last President of the Republic . The Spanish Civil War broke out while he was President...
, Negrín remained in Spain until the final collapse of the Republican front and his fall from office in March 1939. He organized the S.E.R.E. (Servicio de Evacuación de Refugiados Españoles
SERE
SERE is a military acronym for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, a program that provides military personnel, Department of Defense civilians and private military contractors with training in evading capture, survival skills and the military code of conduct...
) to help republican exiles. He remained prime minister of the Spanish Republican government in Exile
Spanish Republican government in Exile
The Spanish Republican government in exile was a continuation of the government of the Second Spanish Republic, which was established in exile after the victory of Francisco Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War in April 1939...
between 1939 an 1945 (although ignored by most of the exiled political forces) and died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1956.
Further reading
- Beevor, Antony. The battle for Spain. The Spanish civil war. Penguin Books. 2006. London. ISBN 0-14-303765-X.
- Graham Helen. The Spanish Civil War. A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. New York. 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-280377-1
- Jackson, Gabriel. The Spanish Republic and the Civil War,1931-939. Princenton University Press. Princenton. 1967. ISBN 0-691-00757-8
- Preston, Paul. The Spanish Civil War. Reaction, revolution & revenge. Harper Perennial. 2006. London. ISBN 978-0-00-723207-9 ISBN 0-00-723207-1
- Thomas, Hugh. The Spanish Civil War. Penguin Books. London. 2003. ISBN 978-0-14-101161-5