Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
Encyclopedia
Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (JONS; Spanish
for "Unions of the National-Syndicalist Offensive") was a national syndicalist
movement in 1930s Spain
, eventually incorporated into the dictatorship of Francisco Franco
.
of Ramiro Ledesma and the Junta Castellana de Actuación Hispánica of Onésimo Redondo
. JONS was a small organization, primarily based amongst students in Madrid
and workers and peasants in and around Valladolid
. Its followers were called jonsistas.
The leadership of JONS was the Central Executive Triumvirate
.
In 1933, JONS experienced a period of expansion. It started publishing a theoretical journal, JONS. Amongst other things, it engaged in trade union
work in Castile
. In January 1933, Gutiérrez Palma set up a transport workers union in Valladolid. Later the same year, JONS founded the Agrarian Trade Union Federation
. In six months it had set up 175 trade unions, which together claimed around 3,000 members. During that year, Ledesma returned from exile in Portugal
, and restarted the publication Libertad.
JONS also expanded throughout the country. The party had its main strongholds in Valencia
, Granada
, Valladolid
and Santiago de Compostela
. It also formed nuclei in Zaragoza
, Bilbao
, Salamanca
and Barcelona
. The party also started publishing Revolución in Zaragoza, Unidad in Galicia and Patria Sindicalista in Valencia.
. The merger formed the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista, or FE-JONS.
A further merger with traditional Carlists three years later created FET y de las JONS, the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista, better known simply as the Movimiento Nacional (National Movement), which became the only legal political party in Francoist Spain
. The Movimiento was disbanded upon Spain's transition to democracy in the late 1970s.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "Unions of the National-Syndicalist Offensive") was a national syndicalist
National syndicalism
National syndicalism is a nationalist variant of syndicalism.- Founding of national syndicalism in France :National syndicalism was founded in France by the fusion of Maurrassian integral nationalism with Sorelian syndicalism. Interest in Sorelian thought arose in the French political right,...
movement in 1930s 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...
, eventually incorporated into the dictatorship of 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...
.
History
JONS was founded on October 10, 1931, as the fusion of the groups La Conquista del EstadoLa Conquista del Estado
La Conquista del Estado was a publication in Spain. It was launched in 1931 by Ramiro Ledesma Ramos.The first issue, issued on March 14, 1931, contained a manifesto in which National Syndicalism was elaborated...
of Ramiro Ledesma and the Junta Castellana de Actuación Hispánica of Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo Ortega was a Spanish Falangist politician, founder of Juntas Castellanas de Actuación Hispánica , a political group that merged with Ramiro Ledesma's Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and...
. JONS was a small organization, primarily based amongst students in 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...
and workers and peasants in and around Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
. Its followers were called jonsistas.
The leadership of JONS was the Central Executive Triumvirate
Triumvirate
A triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
.
In 1933, JONS experienced a period of expansion. It started publishing a theoretical journal, JONS. Amongst other things, it engaged in trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
work in Castile
Castile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
. In January 1933, Gutiérrez Palma set up a transport workers union in Valladolid. Later the same year, JONS founded the Agrarian Trade Union Federation
Agrarian Trade Union Federation
Agrarian Trade Union Federation was a national-syndicalist trade union in Spain, founded in 1933 in Castile. The federation was linked to the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista.-Sources:...
. In six months it had set up 175 trade unions, which together claimed around 3,000 members. During that year, Ledesma returned from exile in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and restarted the publication Libertad.
JONS also expanded throughout the country. The party had its main strongholds in Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
, Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
and Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
. It also formed nuclei in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The party also started publishing Revolución in Zaragoza, Unidad in Galicia and Patria Sindicalista in Valencia.
Merger with Falange
At the national council of JONS, held clandestinely in Madrid February 12-13, 1934, the organization formulated its intention to merge with the Falange Española of José Antonio Primo de RiveraJosé Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella , was a Spanish lawyer, nobleman, politician, and founder of the Falange Española...
. The merger formed the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista, or FE-JONS.
A further merger with traditional Carlists three years later created FET y de las JONS, the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista, better known simply as the Movimiento Nacional (National Movement), which became the only legal political party in Francoist Spain
Spanish State
Francoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....
. The Movimiento was disbanded upon Spain's transition to democracy in the late 1970s.