Buenaventura Durruti

Buenaventura Durruti Domingo (León, July 14th 1896 - Madrid, November 20th 1936) was there one of the principal figures of the Spanish Anarchisme before and during the Guerre of Spain.

Biography

Durruti was born with León in Spain in a working-class family. It was a dissipated pupil. In 1903, his/her father was imprisoned for participation in the strike of the Corroyeur S asserting the eight hours day. In April 1913, he worked as a Tourneur and entered to the Union of the metallurgists. The following year he was engaged as railwayman. Summer 1917, the General Union of Trabajadores (UGT) launched a strike to which Durruti was a participating credit and preeminent. The Spanish government called upon the army to put an end to this strike, they killed and wounded more than 500 workers and 2000 strikers were imprisoned without lawsuit legal or right. The army had, according to an observer “saved the country”. Durruti was of these young saboteurs pyromaniacs. The trade union repudiated them and they were laid off. In September it took refuge with Gijón. Unsubmissive person and sought, it passed in France.

During its exile until in 1920, Durruti worked with Paris as mechanic. It will meet there Sebastien Faure, Louis Lecoin and Emile Cottin as well as exiled Spanish anarchists militant with CNT. Then it was persuaded to go to Barcelona to organize the workers over there.

With Barcelona, with García Oliver, Francisco Ascaso and other anarchists, they founded Los Solidarios (the Interdependent ones). Members of this group tried without success to kill the king of Spain: Alphonse XIII. In 1923, the group was implied in the assassination of the cardinal of Saragossa Juan Soldevilla there Romero in reprisals of the assassination of the militant El Salvador Seguí. Durruti and Oliver flew away for the Argentine.

Durruti turned over to Barcelona and became militant influential inside two of the largest anarchistic organizations of Spain at that time: the Confederación nacional LED trabajo (CNT) and the Federación anarquista ibérica (FAI). He poorly lived with his partner Mimi , enclosure of their daughter Colette . According to the militant one of the CNT Federica Montseny, " the imposing presence of Durruti, its stentorian voice, its manner of being expressed, simple and accessible to all, exerted on the masses a powerful attraction. García Oliver was persuaded of him to be higher, but the comrades and the people in general preferred Durruti, intuitively guessing the kindness of its heart and the uprightness of sound caractère."

Working narrowly with his/her comrades, Durruti helped with the coordination of resistance vis-a-vis the military coup d'etat. July 24th 1936, Durruti carried out several thousands of " guérilleros" (later known like the Column Durruti ) of Barcelona towards Zaragoza. After short and bloody battle with Caspe, they stopped with Pina of Ebro. On the councils of a regular officer of the army, employed in the column like adviser technical and in spite of the conviction of Durruti, they gave to later the attack of Zaragoza. Indeed, by quickly releasing all the north of Spain, which supposed to start with Saragossa, the social revolution could have progressed at the same time as the face antifascist; but it was precisely what the Stalinist ones, which controlled more and more the republican government of Madrid, wanted to avoid. After persuadebeing persuaded - at the beginning of November 1936 - to carry out a column of combatants to help to relieve Madrid, Durruti there was wounded seriously and died a few hours later. The exact circumstances of its death remain dubious. It was not obviously a pro-Franco ball. The Stalinist ones made run the noise that it would have been cut down by one of its men because of sound supposed " autoritarisme". Some show the Stalinist ones of course which were - it is true - hostile for him. Others still said that it was due to a dysfunction of its weapon. In fact, one thinks - but there is no tangible proof - that it is well the ball of one of its lieutenants who would have reached it accidentally.

The body of Durruti was transported through the country to Barcelona for its funeral. More than 250.000 people ravelled in the street to accompany the funerary procession on the road to the cemetery.

It was the last public demonstration with large scales of the force of the anarchists during the war of Spain.

Quotations

“We will show you, with you the Russian and Spanish Bolsheviks, how one makes the revolution and how one concludes it his. On your premise, there is a dictatorship, in your Red Army, there are colonels and generals, whereas in my column, there is neither superior nor inferior, we have all the same rights, we are all of the soldiers, me also I am a soldier. ”
“It would not be really the sorrow to disguise itself as a soldier if one were to again let oneself control by the pseudo-republicans of 1931; we agree to make great concessions, but never let us forget that we should carry out face the war and the revolution. ”
“We are not afraid of the ruins. We are able to build too. It is we who built the palates and the towns of Spain, America and everywhere. We, the workers, we can build cities to replace them. And will build we them well better; also we are not afraid of the ruins. We will receive the world in heritage. The middle-class can make jump well and demolish its world with it before leaving the scene of the History. We carry a new world in our hearts. ”

Last words

“We will give up all, except with the victory. ” These words are obviously not Durruti. They are there a handling Stalinist of the time! That is easily verifiable: to see Durruti in the labyrinth of Miguel Amoros. .

Song

Durruti Here is Durruti a letter with the hand, where all the misery of these sovereign people is written. Here is Durruti a book in its haversack, where it notes the million stolen by the capital. Here is Durruti with 14 comrades, and he says to the owners what the workmen want. Here is Durruti with a sheet of paper, who asks the soldiers to leave their barracks. Here is Durruti without fits with body and money, who greets everyone, peasants and days laborer. Here is Durruti with the Tables of the Law, so that the workmen know that there is neither fatherland, neither god, nor king.

(Translation of a song paying homage to Durruti; the author is unknown)

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