Federica Montseny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Federica Montseny
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Frederica Montseny i Mañé
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| Minister of Health and Social Assistance | |
| In office 4 November 1936 – 17 May 1937 |
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| Preceded by | Josep Tomàs i Piera |
| Succeeded by | Jesús Hernández Tomás (Health) Jaume Aiguader (Social Assistance) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 February 1905 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | 14 January 1994 (aged 88) Toulouse, France |
| Spouse | Josep Esgleas Jaume |
| Children | Vida Esgleas Montseny Germinal Esgleas Montseny Blanca Esgleas Montseny |
Frederica Montseny i Mañé (1905–1994) was an important Spanish writer and thinker. She was an anarchist, which means she believed in a society without a government. She also served as the Minister of Health and Social Assistance in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
Montseny was a talented writer, known for her novels and essays. She made history by becoming one of the very first female government ministers in Western Europe.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Frederica Montseny i Mañé was born on February 12, 1905, in Madrid, Spain. Her parents, Joan Montseny and Teresa Mañé, were both teachers and anarchists from Catalonia. They lived in Madrid because her father had been in prison and then forced to leave Spain. They returned secretly to the capital city.
From 1898, her parents worked together on a journal called La Revista Blanca. This was a very important anarchist publication at the time. The family often had to move because of their political beliefs. Sometimes, the police would even visit their home looking for her father. Frederica would try to slow them down so her father could hide.
Montseny was taught at home by her parents. Her mother used special teaching methods to make Frederica curious. She gave her many different books to read, which helped Frederica explore her own interests. She learned a lot about literature, as well as social and political ideas. Growing up in the countryside also helped her thinking. She often went back to nature when she was trying to solve big social problems.
Role in the Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War started in July 1936. Frederica Montseny decided to support the republican side against the nationalists. She believed that all groups who were against fascism needed to work together. This was important for the anarchist movement in Spain. However, she quickly disagreed with the violence happening in the areas controlled by the republicans.
In November 1936, the leader Francisco Largo Caballero asked anarchists to join the Spanish government. Anarchists were the largest anti-fascist group. Other political parties wanted to work with them. Montseny explained that anarchists joined the government because they worried about the Communist Party becoming too powerful. They saw this as a danger to the Revolution.
Despite her own doubts about joining the government, Montseny became the Minister of Health and Social Assistance. This made her the first woman in Spain's history to be a cabinet minister.
As a minister, Montseny was in charge of all the medical facilities in Spain. The war had caused many problems, and hospitals were overwhelmed. She helped build orphanages and provided aid for refugees. She also worked with a group called Mujeres Libres to improve women's rights. She introduced many important changes, such as:
- Providing child care for working women and those in the militias.
- Improving education and healthcare for women.
Soon after Montseny took office, the republican government moved to Valencia. They were worried that Madrid would be captured by the nationalists. Montseny convinced an anarchist militia leader, Buenaventura Durruti, to go and defend Madrid. He fought and died there.
Later, anarchists in Barcelona started a revolt during the May Days. Montseny asked them to stop fighting on behalf of the government. When she was not successful, the government decided to use force to stop the anarchists. Montseny called this "the most terrible and bitter days of my life."
By the time Juan Negrin took power, Montseny felt the war was already lost. She believed the only thing left to do was to save as many lives as possible. She left the government but tried to keep republican forces united. By 1938, the war was going badly, and she had to focus more on feeding her own family.
Life in Exile
In February 1939, Frederica Montseny and her family had to leave Spain. Nationalist forces were taking over Catalonia. Her mother died in France, her father was put in prison, and her husband was held in a camp. Montseny first moved to Paris, where she helped other Spanish refugees. Even though she struggled to make a living herself.
During World War II, when the Nazis occupied France, Montseny went into hiding. She was later arrested by the French authorities. They had orders to send her back to Spain, but they released her because she was pregnant with her youngest child.
In 1942, Montseny and her family tried to move to Mexico. But the war in North Africa blocked their way. Both the Allies and Axis powers stopped Spanish refugees from leaving France. So, they had to stay in Toulouse.
After France was freed, Montseny helped reorganize the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (a large anarchist union) in exile. She also edited the union's weekly newspaper. From Toulouse, she wrote a weekly column for a French anarchist newspaper called Espoir. She also edited a journal called Cénit.
She briefly returned to Spain when the country was becoming a democracy again. Her books were finally being published there. After her youngest daughter died in 1977 and her husband in 1981, Montseny wrote her life story. It was published in 1987.
Frederica Montseny i Mañé passed away in Toulouse, France, on January 14, 1994, at the age of 88.
Personal Life
In 1930, Montseny started a relationship with Germinal Esgleas. They had three children together. Their oldest daughter, Vida, was born in 1933. Their son, Germinal, was born in 1938. Their youngest daughter, Blanca, was born in 1941. Montseny tried to raise her daughters to be "free women" and her son to respect women. However, she later said it was difficult because traditional gender roles were still very strong.
Legacy
Many streets, parks, and schools are named after Frederica Montseny. You can find them in Spain, especially in Catalonia, and also in cities like Paris.
Works
Frederica Montseny was a very active writer. She wrote many novels and other works throughout her life.
Selected Novels
- Horas trágicas (1920)
- Amor de un día (1920)
- Ana María (1920)
- Maternidad (1920)
- Florecimiento (1925)
- La victoria (1925)
- Vida nueva (1925)
- Los hijos de la calle (1926)
- La última primavera (1926)
- Resurrección (1926)
- El hijo de Clara (1927)
- La hija del verdugo (1927)
- La ruta iluminada (1928)
- El último amor (1928)
- Frente al amor (1929)
- Sol en las cimas (1929)
- La infinita sed (1930)
- Pasionaria (1930)
- Aurora roja (1931)
- Cara a la vida (1931)
- Una mujer y dos hombres (1932)
- Amor en venta (1934)
- Nada más que una mujer (1935)
- Tres vidas de mujer (1937)
- La indomable (1938)
- Una vida (1940)
Other Important Works
- La mujer, problema del hombre (1932) - About women's issues.
- Heroínas (1935) - About heroines.
- Buenaventura Durruti (1936) - About the anarchist leader.
- El anarquismo militante y la realidad española (1937) - About anarchism in Spain.
- Cien días de la vida de una mujer (1949) - One hundred days in a woman's life.
- El Éxodo: pasión y muerte de españoles en el exilio (1969) - About the exile of Spaniards.
- Qué es el anarquismo (1974) - What is anarchism.
- Mis primeros cuarenta años (1987) - Her autobiography.
See also
In Spanish: Federica Montseny para niños
