Buenaventura Durruti, Libertarian Communist Militant of Spain

One of the most prominant libertarian communist militants at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was Buenaventura Durruti.

Durruti was an anarchosyndicalist CNT (Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo) member, and a skillful militant and tactician, and posessed an intense drive and sense of soliderity with the working class of Spain at the time when the Fascist forces of General Franco staged a military coup, taking over much of the country.

Articles:

• An essay called "Getting to Know Durruti"

• A Durruti Biography

• The anarchists of revolutionary Spain have sometimes been accused of siding with the government, acting authoritarian, and worse when they participated in the Spanish Civil War - however, many anarchists opposed participation in the government of Madrid and Barcelona... one group, the Friends of Durruti, expressed their steadfast anarchist principles in the pamphlet, "Towards a Fresh Revolution", written in 1937. Also available at this link.
  

• Buenaventura Durruti, by Peter E. Newell (Freedom Press)

• Durruti on Aragon's front, by Miguel A. Estrugo

• Spain's Revolutionary Anarchist Movement - with illustrations!

• The Spanish Revolution Page *

• Excripts from DURRUTI the People Armed, by Abel Paz (Black Rose Books) *

• Anarchism in Spain, by Gerald Brenan, from The Anarchists, Irving Horowitz/Dell Pub./1964 *

• The Spanish Case, by J. Romero Maura,
  from Anarchism Today, David Apter/Anchor Pub./1972 *

  

• Libertarian Communism. What is libertarian communism? The basic principles, written by Dr. Isaac Puente in 1932, were adopted on the eve of the Spanish Revolution in July, 1936 by the CNT.
  

  From Dana Ward's Anarchist Archives:

• The Tragedy of Spain, by Rudolf Rocker
• Collectives in Spain, by Gaston Leval

  From Spunk Press:

• The Friends of Durruti, by the WSM
• The CNT as I Saw It, by Fenner Brockway
• The Collectives in Aragon, by Gaston Leval
• Barcelona, 1936 from Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell.
• More from Homage to Catalonia
• Introduction to History of the F.A.I., by Abe Bluestein
• Spain and its Relevance Today (part 1 of 2), by Iain MacSaorsa
• The Spanish Civil War: Anarchism in Action, by Eddie Conlon
• Anarchist economics in civil war Spain, by Mikael Cardell (in Swedish)
• Collectivism in Barcelona, by Mikael Cardell (in Swedish)

Controversies

• A reply to James Donald's attacks on the anarchists of the Spanish Revolution where he used the book "Blood of Spain"
• A reply to Bryan Caplan's attacks against the anarchists of the Spanish Revolution where he used the book "The Spanish Labyrinth". Also available at Spunk Press.
• Controversy: Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution, by Sam Dolgoff - Based not on attacks from the right, but on attacks against the CNT-FAI's position in the Spanish Revolution made by Carlos Semprun Maura and Vernon Richards. The article cites work by Jose' Peirats and Gaston Leval in refutation.