Francisco Caballero Largo

Francisco Largo Caballero (Madrid, October 15th 1869 - Paris, March 23rd 1946) was a politician and a Spanish trade unionist, member of the Spanish working Socialist party (PSOE) and General union of the workers (UGT) of which it was one of the historic leaders.

Biography

Stucco worker of profession, Largo Caballero took part in the first strike of the workmen of construction in 1890, before adhering to the PSOE in 1894.

He was member of the Steering Committee of the revolutionary general strike of 1917, and in spite of its failure was condemned to the prison with perpetuity and was locked up with Carthagène. However, there did not remain a long time not imprisoned: elected official appointed the following year, it was released.

In 1925, died of Pablo Iglesias, founder of the party, it succeeded to him the head of PSOE and the trade union which was associated to him, the UGT. He was successively vice-president (1908-1918) and general secretary (1918-1938) of the socialist central trade-union.

Rather moderated at the beginning of its engagement in policy, it wished to maintain a certain collaboration of the UGT with the dictatorial government of the general Primo de Rivera, which made it possible the sydicat to continue to function throughout military Directory. A polemic took place on this subject between itself and Indalecio Prieto, which wanted at no price to collaborate with a dictatorial mode.

In 1931, he was Minister for Labor in the first government of the Second Republic, government which was chaired by Alcalà-Zamora. It preserved its wallet until in 1933, in the two governments chaired by Azaña. It profited during this period from an immense popularity in the working masses.

In 1933, with the triumph of the YIELDED to the elections, he saw in the policy followed by this coalition a social regression, and its thought took a more radical turn: it started to speak about " revolution socialiste" and to support certain standpoint which led in October 1934 to the attempt at insurrection against the government of YIELDED and radical, insurrection which was particularly violent in Asturies and in Catalonia; the repression carried out by the Franco general, who applied the instructions of the government, was terrible. Again, Largo Caballero was condemned to 30 years of prison, and quickly given in freedom.

Partisan of an alliance between the various trade unions and working parties, it defended the idea of a pact with the Communist party and the anarchistic trade union CNT, and was opposed on this subject with the other socialist directors and in particular Indalecio Prieto. This confrontation between revolutionists " caballéristes" and moderate " priétistes" radicalized itself, so much so that much called Largo Caballero the " Lénine espagnol".

After the fall of the Giral government, the September 4th 1936, in full civil war, it is indicated as chief of the government and Minister for the War. Its great concern is to maintain the discipline within the army and the authority of the government in the republican zone. However, the dissatisfaction caused by the unfavourable course with the war and the insurrection organized by POUM and the CNT in Madrid in May 1937 are used by the Stalinist ones like pretexts to cause a governmental crisis and to force it with the resignation; it is replaced with the head of the government by Doctor Juan Negrín, Socialist him also, but nearer to the defended theses of the Communist party.

In 1939, after the defeat of the Republicans, it was exiled in France. Shortly after the invasion of France by the Nazi Germany in 1940, it was arrested by the troops of occupation and was imprisoned with the concentration camp of Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg, where it remained until the release of the camp by the Red Army. He died in exile in Paris. Its skin was transferred to Madrid in 1978, and 500.000 people attended the ceremony of funeral organized on this occasion.

Works

Principles and moral trade unionists

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