We, the Anarchists!: A Study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), 1927–1937

"Christie's polemic underscores a great truth about the struggle against fascism: There is no middle ground. You may either resist fascism with all your might, or fall into the same abyss yourself."--__Rain Taxi__A detailed, scholarly study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), a group of twentieth-century militants dedicated to keeping Spain’s largest labor union, the CNT, on a revolutionary, anarcho-syndicalist path. Stuart Christie’s analysis covers the history of Spanish anarchism and the Spanish Civil War, and provides lessons relevant to today’s largely neutered labor movement. A gripping and informative tale! **Stuart Christie** is the co-founder of Anarchist Black Cross and Cienfuegos Press, and the author of __Granny Made Me an Anarchist__. He was imprisoned in 1964 for attempting to assassinate Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Since the official birth of organized anarchism at the Saint-Imier Congress of 1872, no anarchist organization has been held up to greater opprobrium or subjected to such gross misinterpretation than the Federacíon Anarquista Ibérica. Better known by its initials, the FAI was a group of twentieth-century militants dedicated to keeping Spain’s largest labor union, the CNT, on a revolutionary, anarcho-syndicalist path. There are two dimensions to Stuart Christie’s indispensable **We, the Anarchists!** The first is descriptive and historical: it outlines the evolution of the organized anarchist movement in Spain and its relationship with the wider labor movement and, at the same time, providing some insight into the main ideas that made the Spanish labor movement one of the most revolutionary of modern times. The second is analytical, as the book addresses—from an anarchist perspective—the problem of understanding and coping with change in the contemporary world; how can ideals survive the process of institutionalization? Stuart Christie’s analysis covers the history of Spanish anarchism and the Spanish Civil War, the affinity group organization of the FAI, and the misreadings and outright lies told about the FAI in numerous popular accounts of the period. *We, the Anarchists!* also provides lessons for today’s largely neutered labor movement. A gripping tale and informative historical corrective, Christie’s book jumps out of history with lessons for contemporary organizations and individuals struggling for social and economic change. "Christie's polemic underscores a great truth about the struggle against fascism: There is no middle ground. You may either resist fascism with all your might, or fall into the same abyss yourself."-- Rain Taxi A detailed, scholarly study of the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), a group of twentieth-century militants dedicated to keeping Spain’s largest labor union, the CNT, on a revolutionary, anarcho-syndicalist path. Stuart Christie’s analysis covers the history of Spanish anarchism and the Spanish Civil War, and provides lessons relevant to today’s largely neutered labor movement. A gripping and informative tale! Stuart Christie is the co-founder of Anarchist Black Cross and Cienfuegos Press, and the author of Granny Made Me an Anarchist . He was imprisoned in 1964 for attempting to assassinate Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Introduction Roots: 1872–1910—The First International The Confederatión Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) 1910–23 The Dictatorship 1923–27 The Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI) 1927 Founding Aims Secret Society—Revolutionary Elite? “Dirty Tricks Department?” A Parallel CNT? Unionism versus Anarcho-syndicalism 1930—A Revolutionary Instrument The Bourgeois Republic The “Storm Petrels” Return 1931—The Conservatorio Congress “The Manifesto of the Thirty” 1932, Insurrection—The Revolutionary Gymnasia Legitimacy Crisis The Road to 1936 December 1933: Millenarians or “Conscious Militants?” The “Planners” Move In Interregnum: 1934–35 Plots, Plans, and the Popular Front 19 July 1936 The FAI Turned Upside Down Index There are two dimensions to Stuart Christie's indispensable We, The Anarchists! The first is descriptive and historical: it outlines the evolution of the organized anarchist movement in Spain and its relationship with the wider labor movement, and, at the same time, it provides some insight into the main ideas that made the Spanish labor movement one of the most revolutionary of modern times. The second is analytical, as the book addresses-from an anarchist perspective-the problem of understanding and coping with change in the contemporary world; how can ideals survive the process of institutionalization? Since the official birth of organized anarchism at the Saint Imier Congress of 1872, no anarchist organization has been held up to greater opprobrium or subjected to such gross misrepresentation than the Federacion Anarquista Iberica. Better known by its initials, the FAI was a group of twentieth-century militants dedicated to keeping Spain's largest labor union, the CNT, on a revolutionary, anarcho-syndicalist path Stuart Christie's analysis covers the history of Spanish anarchism and the Spanish Civil War, the affinity group organization of the FAI, and the misreadings and outright lies told about the FAI in numerous popular accounts of the period. We, The Anarchists! also provides lessons relevant to today's largely neutered labor movement In 1964, at the age of 18, Stuart Christie was sentenced to 22 years in prison for attempting to assassinate the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. This is his fascinating history of the Iberian Anarchist Federation, one of Spain's most radical political organisations The climate that existed before 30 October 1910 - this being the birthdate of the CNT - was such as to favour the founding of a nationwide, revolutionary labour organisation.