To understand the role anarchist women played in the war and the Spanish Revolution of 1936, I had to rely on oral sources, that is, interviews with the protagonists who played a central role in these historical events. Women have often been rendered invisible in historical narratives, although their presence, in this case, was clearly evident in photographs and documentaries of the time. I was fortunate to conduct a dozen direct interviews with anarchist activists from different parts of Spain who had experienced and participated in revolutionary initiatives, both behind the lines and at the front, during the three-year period from 1936 to 1939. Gathering their experiences, hopes, and commitment to this revolutionary economic and social transformation was the highlight of my research.
It is impossible to fully understand their significant presence and role in the social revolution without considering the precedents established by the proclamation of the Second Republic in 1931. The elections that marked its birth saw the defeat of the monarchist and right-wing parties that had supported Primo de Rivera's dictatorship for seven years. The Republic sought to modernize Spain's political, social, economic, and cultural life and give women a greater role. Anarcho-syndicalist unions were legalized, and their ideas spread thanks to their presence in public life, the circulation of their publications, rationalist schools, and libertarian athenaeums. At the same time, the first women's organizations, predominantly anarchist, anti-fascist, and communist, began to emerge.
The military uprising of July 18, 1936, supported by large landowners, the upper middle class, and the Church, arose in opposition to this modernization of the Republic. A civil war ensued, characterized by a fierce conflict in which the insurgents attempted to physically eliminate all opposition, from anarchists and socialists to communists and republicans. The coup was met with a popular response, with the anarcho-syndicalist National Confederation of Labour (CNT) playing a leading role, particularly in Barcelona and throughout Catalonia. Workers and peasants, organized within the CNT and the socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), seized the opportunity to bring about a revolutionary transformation of the economy and society. In areas where resistance to the coup was successful, a broad movement emerged, characterized by the creation of militias (in the military), agricultural and industrial collectivization (in the economy), and a prominent role for unions and grassroots organizations (in society). Women also assumed a much more active role in public life, bringing about significant changes in everyday life.
Women on the front and in the rear
Women were assigned rearguard duties, replaced men in factory work, and participated in collectivization efforts organized in various economic sectors, both in cities and rural areas. The testimonies of anarchist women reveal their shared desire to be "useful to the revolution," to use their own words. Those most active during the Republic, former militants of the CNT, the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), or the Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth (FIJL), assumed greater responsibilities both in the rearguard and on the war front, fighting alongside their anarchist comrades in the militias. Among younger women, an "awakening" occurred following the military coup; they began a social and political commitment aimed at consolidating the new society. They intensified their activities, bringing about a change that forever transformed their identity. Many began their activism during this period by joining the FIJL or Mujeres Libres, or by regularly attending libertarian universities. At the same time, they abandoned their previous jobs to take on roles more instrumental to the revolution, working as nurses, as secretaries at revolutionary committees, in educational and social welfare centers, or within collectivizations.
At the same time, a personal revolution took place. Women freed themselves from the subordination and marginalization they had previously endured. Many young women seized the opportunity to increase their independence by living with their partners or friends, forming voluntary or informal unions. For many young women, raised with the expectation of marriage and motherhood, new life priorities emerged, accompanied by greater engagement in the public sphere and increased personal maturity.
The dissemination of contraceptive methods and birth control was strengthened. From the Generalitat of Catalonia, the renowned libertarian doctor Félix Martí Ibáñez, appointed Director General of Health and Social Care, drafted the decree legalizing voluntary abortion in December 1936. Furthermore, the Mujeres Libres organization promoted the concept of "conscious motherhood" from the Maternity Center in Barcelona, led by activist Áurea Cuadrado, through courses aimed at women to make free choices on this topic.
Women were organized into two main groups, both very active during the conflict: the Antifascist Women's Association (AMA) and Free Women. The former, communist-leaning, led by Dolores Ibárruri, prioritized war victory over revolutionary goals. Its activities focused, among other things, on establishing daycare centers, sending aid to the front and refugees, and training female workers to increase productivity. The issue of women's emancipation, however, was not addressed. The organization operated in the rearguard, the designated place for women in their support of the Republic. Ultimately, the AMA reinforced the maternal, caring, and domestic roles traditionally assigned to women in society. The association had approximately 60,000 members.
Mujeres Libres, precedent of anarcho-feminism
The other organization was Mujeres Libres, which, despite its anarchist inspiration, maintained its autonomy from the CNT. It was founded in April 1936, concurrently with the magazine of the same name, which published 13 issues during the war. Its founders were Lucía Sánchez Saornil, Mercedes Comaposada, and Amparo Poch y Gascón. The organization eventually numbered approximately 20,000 members. They believed it was essential to dedicate the same commitment to the revolution as they did to the anti-fascist struggle.
Mujeres Libres promoted women's emancipation from the triple bondage to which they were subjected: ignorance, women, and producers. It did not explicitly define itself as anarchist, but rather aspired to be an apolitical and class-based association dedicated to women's emancipation. The organization stood apart from other women's groups of the time and anticipated later anarcha-feminism, although its members never identified themselves as feminists , believing the word applied to bourgeois women and suffragists. Its original approach lay in the belief that the struggle for women's liberation would not end with the end of capitalism, but with the abolition of patriarchy and female subordination.
The modernity of the principles expressed by Mujeres Libres was not understood at the time by fellow fighters nor by many anarchist militants like Federica Montseny, who believed that both genders should fight together, within the same organization, to overthrow capitalism and build a new society. Testimonies from members of the organization explain the role and impact this experience had on their lives: " It was a detonator"; "It was like a light that went on"; "It wanted to give women a personality"; "It encouraged women to be courageous."
To eliminate the widespread ignorance and illiteracy in 1930s Spain, Mujeres Libres made the creation of an all-female educational network one of its top priorities, through courses, conferences, debates, and reading workshops. It also offered training in new professions to facilitate women's integration into the new revolutionary society. The first Mujeres Libres Institute, the Casal de la Dona Treballadora, opened in Barcelona in late 1936, with similar centers subsequently opening in Madrid and Valencia. These initiatives were highly successful, garnering widespread support from young working women.
By the end of 1938, the courses involved approximately 800 women from various neighborhoods of Barcelona. They could choose from a wide range of educational offerings, from basic education (reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, grammar, natural sciences, etc.) to language learning, typing, and shorthand, to professional training courses in nursing, childcare, business, tailoring, and eldercare, or even social work. All these activities were completely free. At the same time, they could train for professions useful to the war industry, roles once considered male, such as welding, assembly, and milling, working in the railway and aeronautical sectors. They also worked in construction, performing arduous tasks in the construction of shelters and assisting specialized craftsmen. In urban transport, they could train as tram or bus drivers.
To end their condition of slavery as women, Mujeres Libres promoted campaigns to defend women's dignity, aiming to eradicate prostitution. These initiatives targeted prostitutes, encouraging them to abandon their profession and pursue other occupations. Some women heeded the call and began frequenting the Casal de la Dona Treballadora in Barcelona. The same goal was pursued by the Liberatorios de Prostitución, an initiative promoted by F. Martí Ibáñez of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
The third slavery was linked to production and discrimination at work, with wages much lower than those of males.
As the armed conflict continued and spread, Mujeres Libres established chapters to provide aid and assistance to soldiers. The organization promoted visits to the various war fronts, distributing parcels, books, and other requested supplies. Reception centers were also set up for soldiers returning on leave. At the same time, residential facilities were established in several neighborhoods of Barcelona to care for the children of refugees, many of whom came from Madrid. Truckloads of food aid were sent to the capital, which returned with children and elderly people seeking refuge in Catalonia.
Ultimately, during these years of war and revolution, the Mujeres Libres organization played a significant role in many areas of social, political, and economic life, marking a further step toward women's emancipation. A transformation began that shifted mentalities, personalities, activities, and roles from the private sphere (marriage and motherhood) to the public sphere of the new society.
For the anarchist women interviewed, building the new revolutionary society represented one of the culminating moments of their lives, as they were able to experience the utopia and atmosphere of solidarity and brotherhood they had always dreamed of. This light still burns today, 90 years later.
Eulalia Vega
Barcelona, July 2026
https://umanitanova.org/mujeres-libres-una-luce-che-si-accese-donne-anarchiche-nella-rivoluzione-e-guerra-di-spagna/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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