Grandizo Munis facts for kids

Grandizo Munis (born in Torreón, Mexico, on April 18, 1912, and died in Paris, France, on February 4, 1989) was a Spanish politician. He followed the ideas of Leon Trotsky, a famous revolutionary. Later, he developed his own ideas, becoming known as a "left communist." This meant he believed in a very pure form of communism, different from what most communist parties practiced.

Early Life and Political Start

Grandizo Munis first became involved in politics as a young man. He joined a group called the Izquierda Comunista de España (ICE). This group supported the ideas of Leon Trotsky, who was a key leader in the Russian Revolution. Because of this, the ICE was connected to Trotsky's international group, the International Communist League.

However, Trotsky and the ICE leaders had some disagreements. Trotsky thought the group's name was unclear. He also wanted them to join a youth group of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), but the ICE leaders refused. Most of the ICE then broke away from Trotsky. Grandizo Munis was one of the few who stayed loyal to Trotsky's original ideas.

Spanish Civil War and Exile

When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, Munis was part of a very small group called the Seccion Bolshevik-Leninista. This group tried to influence a larger workers' party, the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM). They also worked with some more radical anarchists, like those in the Durruti Column.

Munis and his group were among the few who opposed the "Popular Front" government, which was a mix of different political parties. They openly took part in the May Days of 1937, a series of street fights in Barcelona. After these events, the government, which was now controlled by followers of Joseph Stalin, cracked down on them. Munis had to go into hiding and eventually flee to save his life.

He was arrested on February 13, 1938. But the next year, just before the city of Barcelona fell to Franco's forces, he managed to escape from Monjuic Prison. He crossed the battle lines and made it safely to France. He shared his escape story in a French newspaper.

In the spring of 1940, Munis left France and went to Mexico. There, he met with Leon Trotsky. He then traveled to New York to attend a meeting of the Fourth International, a global organization of Trotskyists. In August of that year, back in Mexico, he spoke at Leon Trotsky's funeral.

Life in Mexico and Political Differences

Munis stayed in Mexico for the rest of the war years. He worked to restart a part of the Fourth International among Spanish people who had also fled their country. He published a magazine called 19 de Julio and later a newsletter called Contra la Corriente. Some of his writings were even translated and published in the United States. A French poet named Benjamin Péret, who was also in Mexico, helped him with this work.

During and after the war, Munis started to disagree with the leaders of the Fourth International in New York and the Socialist Workers Party in the United States. He believed that the Soviet Union was no longer a "workers' state" (a country run by and for workers). Instead, he thought it had become "state capitalist," meaning the state controlled everything like a giant company. He also disagreed with working together with Stalinist parties and some key ideas of the Fourth International's plan, such as nationalizing industries (making them government-owned) and forming governments with traditional workers' parties. Natalya Sedova, Leon Trotsky's widow, supported some of his criticisms.

At a big meeting of the Fourth International, Munis teamed up with another political figure, Max Shachtman. However, the main leaders of the Fourth International eventually criticized Munis for his views.

Post-War Activities and Later Life

After the war, Munis settled in Paris, France. He started publishing a new magazine called Revoluciòn. In November 1948, this magazine officially announced his group's break from the Fourth International. By 1949, his followers called themselves the Grupo Comunista Internacionalista de España.

In 1951, Munis and a colleague named J. Costa returned to Spain. They tried to organize a secret political movement after a big tramway strike in Barcelona. However, they were not successful. The authorities arrested them in 1952, and they were sentenced to ten years in prison. Munis was released in 1957 and went back to Paris. There, he began publishing another newspaper called Alarma.

As the strict Franco regime in Spain became more relaxed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Munis's group was able to gain a small number of followers within Spain. Even though Munis himself continued to live in France, his group grew to about 50 people by the mid-1970s, around the time Franco died. However, disagreements between the exiles in Paris and the younger members in Barcelona led to problems. By 1983, only a few members were left in the Spanish group.

Munis also had followers in other countries. In the late 1970s, these groups formed the Revolutionary Workers Ferment, with sections in France, Italy, Greece, and the United States. The American group, called the FOR Organizing Committee of the United States or FOCUS, left in 1981 to show support for the Spanish members who had been expelled.

Grandizo Munis wrote many articles and books throughout his life. His most famous works include A Second Communist Manifesto and a book about the Spanish Civil War.

Selected Works

• Unions Against Revolution
• Qua son las Alianzas Obreras Madrid : Ediciones Comunismo, 1934

See also

In Spanish: Grandizo Munis para niños