What happened to the police from July 19th-Sept 26th in Barcelona 1936
Jan 29 2009 12:38
This question popped up in a recent local SolFed talk/discussion we had on Anarcho-Syndicalism. As during this period there was no official regional government, was there an organised response by the police, did they ride it out collectively or go their own individual way. I've never read anything written directly by any members of the republican government which is where i'd assume you'd find this info.
Feb 4 2009 17:53
#2
Again, offhand I remember various texts saying things about some police units fighting for the reaction, and being defeated in the first day or two. Others fought for the republican side, with CP influence - which then progressively grew until the CP dominated the police force.
I don't know what happened in the interim however. I don't know if they were dismantled, much of the state machine was not because it appeared powerless at the time (but of course it reasserted itself later on)
Feb 4 2009 18:09
#3
The Generalitat had been restored by the time of the revolt. Lluís Companys had been released from prison and returned to office as regional president. Most sources say that at least in Barcelona and Madrid the local cops and Assault Guards resisted the coup. How they interacted with the CNT/FAI during the initial fighting would be the question.
Feb 6 2009 10:07
#4
David in Atlanta wrote:
Most sources say that at least in Barcelona and Madrid the local cops and Assault Guards resisted the coup.
You'd think so as the Assault guards had been formed by the republican government. And had been merrily butchering workers since it's inception in 1931.
So i should have written according to Jose Peirats, in The CNT in the Spanish revolution. part one.
"The government headed by Largo Caballero was a government with a mission. For, despite appearances, despite the declarations and the whole farrago of ordinances and decrees, government did not exist in the republican zone before 4th September 1936. The republican state collapsed on 18th July before the military revolt and the revolutionary populace gave it the coup de grâce on 19th July."
Just to flesh it out a bit, the Giral government resigned on 4th Sept, Largo Caballero's government was formed on 16th Sept.
Feb 7 2009 03:07
#5
i could be very wrong, but i was under the impression that the catalan police force survived, at least in part. the chief of police certainly stayed around and was important in helping Companys try to regain power for his party and to undermine the Anarchists - it seems almost impossible that the police force would've been eliminated altogether, considering the compromises the Anarchists made even early in the revolution. simply allowing Companys to stay in power, rather than accepting his bluff at face value that he'd leave his post and join the revolution as a common worker/fighter meant that they refrained from completely dismantling the state - i simply cannot imagine that Companys would've allowed his police to be totally disbanded, even in his terms of "surrender" early on, as he was planning right from the start to destroy Anarchist power. and the Anarchists became altogether too concerned with making it appear to foreign governments that things were normal enough, as long as it got them weapons (which it didnt, of course, but that didnt stop the Anarchists from naively hoping).
more likely than not, in the early days, the Catalan police's role became undermined by Anarchist alternatives, where the Anarchists were strong and active (including Barcelona, of course), but they likely didnt disband completely (though they probably lost some number for various reasons). they likely tried to lay low and engage in less important, controversial tasks until their leaders saw an opportunity to regain their power.
though i admit a lot of what i just said is conjecture, at least some of it i'm sure i've read about previously - particularly about the chief of police, probably in Beevor's works.
Feb 7 2009 11:59
#6
Feighnt wrote:
particularly about the chief of police, probably in Beevor's works.
Sounds like a good place to look, cheers everyone.
Offhand I recall Orwell writing in Homage to Catalonia that the pro-capitalist police forces were disarmed and replaced by workers' patrols, but he doesn't say what happened to the former cops.