International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

A Spanish anarchist known as the Herodotus of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Labor Confederation, CNT), Peirats began working at age 8, primarily as a bricklayer. He joined the CNT in 1922, was one of the founders of the Libertarian Youth, and participated actively in workers' ateneos (athenaeums). He tried to remain neutral during internecine conflicts before the civil war, but left the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (Iberian Anarchist Federation, FAI) in opposition to anarcho-bolshevism, and during the civil war he opposed collaboration of the anarchists with the government. He joined the Republican Army in 1937, and at the end of the war emigrated to South America. Returning to France, Peirats was often harassed by the police, and in 1951 he was beaten severely enough to permanently damage his health. This same year, the first volume of his major work, La CNT en la revolución española ( The CNT in the Spanish Revolution ), was published. Peirats later returned to Spain and died in 1989 while swimming in the Mediterranean. SEE ALSO: Abad de Santillán, Diego (1897–1983) ; Anarchism, Spain ; Ascaso Abadía, Francisco (1901–1936) ; Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) ; Durruti, Buenaventura (1896–1936) ; Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI) ; García Oliver, Juan (1902–1980) ; Pestaña Nuñez, Ángel (1889–1937) ; Spanish Revolution ( 2005 ) The ... log in or subscribe to read full text