Enrique Líster

Enrique Líster Forján (born in Ameneiro, village of the commune of Teo, Province of Corogne - Galicia - Spain, the April 21st 1907 - deceased with Madrid, the December 8th of 1995) was a Spanish Communist militant, member of the Spanish Communist party (PCE), with a particular course and military leader of the republican forces during the Spanish civil war.

Beginnings of the Communist militant

Carrier of profession, Enrique Líster emigrated with Cuba at the eleven years age. he returns to Spain in 1925 and adheres to the Communist party of Spain. He takes an active part in the fights of the agricultural workers in Galicia. He quickly becomes an important trade-union activist in the difficult context of a " banditisme" employers' countered the trade unions in the final stage of the Dictature of the general Primo de Rivera.

At the beginning of the Thirty, the republic proclaimed, Enrique Líster from its condition of remarkable framework of the Spanish Communist party is sent in the USSR where it will make studies of formation politqie and soldier at the school of the executives of the Komintern to Moscow. During its period of training it will belong to the Brigade of the Workers of " choc" in the construction of the subway of the Soviet capital, on this occasion its experiment of youth in the careers will be very appreciated.

The Spanish civil war

In 1936, Enrique Líster returns in Spain and takes care of the political files relating to the military questions that the Spanish Communist party must ensure vis-a-vis the increasing danger of a coup d'etat. After the victory of the Popular front (coalition of the democratic forces going of the Republican parties until the radical left) to the elections of February 1936, plans of clandestine the Unión Militar Española - EMU (Spanish Military Union) accelerate. The EMU is made up officers ultra line, officers catholic reactionaries or officers openly phalangists. Vis-a-vis that, the network of contacts establishes by Líster in the barracks helped to know the extent of the danger and facilitated the smothering of the coup d'etat in many units of the army.

Enrique Líster, Communist militant during the Spanish Civil war, very quickly engaged in the fight against the Coup d'etat military. Its aptitude to be directed and its courage quickly do of it one of the leaders of the first militia: it is one of the founders of the fifth regiment ( Quinto Regimiento ), recruitment center and of formation soldiers which forges the first units of militiamans in an organized and effective way. After the militarization of the units of volunteers and the creation of the Popular Army of the Spanish Republic - Ejército Popular of República Española (EPR) - Enrique Líster became the commander of the 1st mixed brigade of the republican army, reaching during the war the rank of Major of the Militia - Mayor de Milicias - the highest rank for those which do not result from one of a professional training. In the republican army the command of the great units is not limited by the rank, so that a major could deal with at a time given the command of a division and, where necessary of a Army corps; with the head of the 11th division of the army republic and then as chief of police of army, Lister expressed an effectiveness and an energy extraordinary, it was thus promoted by decree Lieutenant-colonel in the last days of the civil war.

The second world war

During the Second world war, and after a stay in a Military academy Soviet, it acquired the General rank of and , in the armies of the the USSR Yugoslavia Poland.

Líster and the PCE after the Fifties

See too

Santiago Carrillo
Spanish Communist party

Works of Enrique Líster

Its experiment of the Spanish Civil war is transcribed in the two works, Nuestra will guerra (Our war) in 1966 and in Memorias of a luchador (Memories of a fighter) in 1977.
Its experiment political inside the Spanish Communist party is told in its work Así destruyó Carrillo el PCE (Thus Carrillo destroyed PCE) in 1983.

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