Joan Peiró

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Joan Peiró
Minister of Industry
In office
4 November 1936 – 17 May 1937
Preceded byAnastasio de Gracia
Secretary General of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
In office
January 1927 – May 1929
Preceded bySegundo Blanco
Succeeded byÁngel Pestaña
In office
May 1922 – December 1922
Preceded byJoaquim Maurín
Succeeded bySalvador Seguí
Personal details
Born
Joan Peiró Belis

(1887-02-18)18 February 1887
Syndicalist, Politician

Joan Peiró i Belis (sometimes Juan Peiró: 18 February 1887 – 24 July 1942) was a Catalan anarchist activist, writer, editor of the anarchist newspaper Solidaridad Obrera,[1] two-time Secretary General of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (National Confederation of Labor, CNT) and Minister of Industry[2] of the Spanish government during the Spanish Civil War.

Life

Though he was born in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona, Peiró spent a large portion of his life in Mataró, just outside Barcelona, where he worked as a glass worker all his life in the cooperative glass factory Cristalleries de Mataró .[3][4]

Contrary to most anarchists' principles, in 1930, during the reign of

Alfonso XIII of Spain, Peiró signed the "Manifesto of the Catalan Intelligentsia", which called for the establishment of a republic. A short time later, Peiró was stripped of his position of speaking for the CNT at a rally in Barcelona, but Peiró announced that he had removed his signature from the manifesto, and held his faith in anarcho-syndicalism.[5] Later, in 1931, Peiró signed Ángel Pestaña's Manifiesto de los Treinta ("Manifesto of the Thirty"), which was critical of the more radical Federación Anarquista Ibérica
influence on the CNT, which would have him temporarily removed from the CNT.

On 4 November 1936 Peiró, and three other members of the CNT leadership, were appointed to ministerial positions in the Spanish government by

Largo Caballero.[6] In 1937, he drafted a piece of legislation that would have collectivized all of Spain's industries, but after several redrafts, the final legislation provided virtually nothing of the original intent.[7] Peiró was removed from his position on 17 May 1937 but returned to the government under Juan Negrín
as Commissioner of Electricity.

Following the fall of the republic in 1939, Peiró fled to France, where he was turned over to Nazi Germany by the

Legacy

In Barcelona, a plaza adjacent to the main transportation terminal was named for Peiró.

In 2002, on the 60th anniversary of Peiró's death, a group in Mataró organized a celebration in honor of Peiró. The celebration took place at the cemetery in Mataró where Peiró's body lies, and was attended by his daughter Guillermina Peiró, the secretary of communication of the

Peiró's son Josep, like his father, went on to be a leader of the CNT in exile, after having fought in the Civil War as part of the Ascaso Column.[3]

Written works

  • Trayectoria de la Confederación Nacional del Trabajo.
  • Ideas sobre Sindicalismo y Anarquismo.
  • Perill a la reraguarda.
  • Problemas y cintarazos.
  • Problemas del sindicalismo y del Anarquismo.

References

  1. ^ Christie 2000, p. 52
  2. ^ Radosh & Habeck 2001, p. 89
  3. ^ a b c "Josep Peiró, hijo de Joan Peiró y dirigente de la CNT en el exilio". El Mundo (in Spanish). 28 October 2005. Retrieved 3 February 2008.
  4. ^ López Bulla, José Luis (1 April 2002). "Joan Peiró, sindicalista". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 February 2008.
  5. ^ Paz 2007, p. 148
  6. ^ Casanova 2005, p. 120
  7. ^ Bolloten 1991, p. 227
  8. ^ Beevor 2006, p. 413
  9. ^ "Los sindicatos homenajean a Joan Peiró en el 60º aniversario de su fusilamiento". El País (in Spanish). 25 July 2002. Retrieved 4 February 2008.

Sources

External links

Preceded by
Secretary General of the CNT

1922–1923
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Secretary General of the CNT

1928–1929
Succeeded by