Diego Abad de Santillán facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diego Abad de Santillán
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Santillán in 1971
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| Minister of Economy of Catalonia | |
| In office 17 December 1936 – 3 April 1937 |
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| President | Lluís Companys |
| Preceded by | Joan Porqueras i Fàbregas |
| Succeeded by | Josep Juan i Domènech |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sinesio Baudillo García Fernández
20 May 1897 Reyero, León, Spain |
| Died | 18 October 1983 (aged 86) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish Argentine |
| Political party | Iberian Anarchist Federation |
| Alma mater | University of Madrid |
| Occupation | |
Diego Abad de Santillán (born Sinesio Baudillo García Fernández; May 20, 1897 – October 18, 1983) was an important writer and thinker from Spain and Argentina. He was known for his ideas about how society and the economy should work, especially for workers.
Born in Spain, his family moved to Argentina when he was young. He later returned to Spain for college. There, he became involved in movements that wanted more fairness for workers. After his studies, he went back to Argentina and helped start groups like the International Workers' Association (IWA). This group aimed to unite workers around the world.
When a new government started in Spain, he moved back again. During the Spanish Civil War, he even served as the Minister of Economy in the Catalan government. After the war, he returned to Argentina. He continued to write books and articles, sharing his thoughts on history and society. He came back to Spain later in his life.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Sinesio Baudillo García Fernández was born in 1897 in Reyero, a small town in Spain. His father was a blacksmith, and his mother came from a family of miners. In 1905, when he was eight years old, his family moved to Santa Fe, Argentina.
After working different jobs, Sinesio returned to Spain in 1913. He earned his bachelor's degree at a local university. He then traveled around parts of Spain, including Catalonia and the Basque Country. In 1915, he started studying at the University of Madrid. He studied subjects like history and literature, earning a degree in philosophy. During this time, he began using the pen name Diego Abad de Santillán. He wrote for magazines that shared different ideas about society.
Activism and Exile
In 1917, Santillán took part in a big workers' strike in Spain. Because of this, he was put in prison for a year. After he was released, he went back to Argentina. He joined a workers' group called the Argentine Regional Workers' Federation (FORA). He became the editor of their newspaper, La Protesta.
In 1922, he traveled to Germany. There, he helped create the International Workers' Association (IWA). He stayed in Berlin to study medicine. He met many important thinkers there, including Max Nettlau, whose writings he helped translate into Spanish.
He briefly visited Mexico in 1925. He helped organize a workers' union there before returning to Argentina. He also wrote a book about the history of workers' movements in Argentina. After a government change in Argentina in 1930, he faced serious trouble. He managed to escape and went to Spain, which had just become a republic.
Role in the Spanish Civil War
In Spain, Santillán joined the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), a large workers' union. He also became a leader in the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI). He edited their newspapers, Solidaridad Obrera and Tierra y Libertad.
When the Spanish Civil War began, he became very active. He joined a special committee in Catalonia that worked against fascism. He was then appointed as the Minister of Economy in the Catalan government. This was a time when many people were trying to create a new way of organizing society.
After some conflicts in May 1937, Santillán became critical of the government. He wrote a book called After the Revolution. In this book, he shared his ideas for how workers could manage the economy themselves. He believed that land, factories, and transportation should belong to everyone, not just a few private owners. He quoted the philosopher John Stuart Mill, saying that a society where only a few own everything should change completely.
Later Life and Return to Spain
When the Spanish Republic lost the Civil War, Santillán had to leave Spain. He first went to France, then returned to Argentina. He continued his work as a historian, writing for dictionaries and encyclopedias. He wrote Why We Lost the War, which his son later made into a film.
He became less involved in politics. He started to believe that working with the government during the war was a good idea. He also focused more on ending the idea of a powerful state, rather than just changing the economy.
During Spain's move to democracy, Santillán finally returned to Spain. He settled in Barcelona, where he passed away in 1983.
Selected works
- After the Revolution: Economic Reconstruction in Spain (1937)
- Why We Lost the War: A Contribution to the History of the Spanish Tragedy (1940)
See also
In Spanish: Diego Abad de Santillán para niños
- Anarchist economics
- Gaston Leval
- Matteotti Battalion
