Torres, Margaret, 1944- (1987) Anarchism old and new : the reconstruction of the Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo, 1976-1979. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The major objective of my thesis was to understand why sectors of the reconstructed anarcho-syndicalist trade union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, were addressing concerns which were identical to sectors of the Marxist Left in other countries of Europe, For my views on anarchism had been informed by a Marxist interpretation of anarchism, which rested on the assumption that anarchism was an agrarian, and/or a petit bourgeois philopsopy which could have little relevance in advanced industrial societies. This anomaly - my experience of anarchist militants within the CUT, and the vision of anarchism expounded by "classical" Marxism - led me to undertake an historical study of the Spanish anarchist movement and a theoretical study of Marxist and anarchist thought. Moreover, in order to understand the demands of the anarchists and the CNT during the 1960's and 1970’s, I had to thoroughly study the developments which had taken place within the workers’ and student movements during the Francoist period, and the nature of the CUT organisation in exile, factors which would bear heavily on the CNT's attempt at reconstruction. Through extensive interviewing and the use of documents, I tried to piece together the process of anarchist re-emergence in Spain from the mid-1960s, and the nature of the reconstruction of the CUT during the political transition to democracy in Spain in 1976-1979.

The overall theme of my thesis centres on the relationship between Marxism and anarchism, and their relationship to historical development and tradition. By emphasising the importance of historical tradition - the political aspect most sorely underestimated in both Marxist and anarchist thought - I hope my thesis will contribute towards the possibility of a more realisable socialist utopia.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DP Spain and Portugal H Social Sciences > HX Socialism. Communism. Anarchism
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Anarchism -- History -- Spain, Anarchists -- History -- Spain, Spain -- History -- 20th century, Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (Spain)
Official Date:	1987
Dates:	Date Event 1987 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Sociology
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Frith, Simon 1946-
Extent:	2 volumes
Language:	eng

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