Jesús Larrañaga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jesus Larrañaga Churruca
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| Born | 17 April 1901 Urretxu, Spain
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| Died | 21 January 1942 (aged 40) Madrid, Spain
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| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | Metalworker, Trade Union leader |
| Known for | Civil War army commissioner |
Jesus Larrañaga Churruca (born April 17, 1901 – died January 21, 1942) was a Spanish leader from the Basque Country. He was known for being a communist union leader. He also became an important military leader during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). After the war, he had to leave Spain. He was later arrested and put to death.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jesus Larrañaga Churruca was born on April 17, 1901. His hometown was Urretxu, in the Gipuzkoa region of the Basque Country. His father worked as a building contractor. His mother earned money by doing ironing for others.
Jesus had two brothers who became Jesuits. They studied at a special school called a seminary in Javier. Jesus also studied at this seminary for several years. He was a very good student. However, he was asked to leave because he did not follow the rules.
Becoming a Union Leader
Jesus Larrañaga started working as a metalworker. He got a job at a large factory in Beasain, Gipuzkoa. This factory made wagons and had about 2,000 workers.
He joined a group called Juventud Nacionalista (Nationalist Youth). He also became part of the Solidaridad de Trabajadores Vascos (Basque Workers' Solidarity) union. He helped organize a strike at his factory. Because of this, he lost his job.
He then moved to San Sebastián. In 1926, he had to move to France. This was because he did not agree with the government of Miguel Primo de Rivera. In France, he lived in Boucau. There, he learned about communist ideas.
In 1927, he came back to the Basque Country. He joined the local Metalworkers' Union. This union was part of the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT). He also joined the Spanish Communist Party (PCE). He quickly became a leader in the union. He was also chosen to be on the PCE committee for Gipuzkoa.
Political Activities and Challenges
Jesus Larrañaga was taken to jail in December 1930. This was just before a military uprising in Jaca. He was let out of prison in February 1931. When the Second Spanish Republic was declared, he became a secretary for a local union group. He played a big part in many strikes in Gipuzkoa.
In 1932, he was chosen to be a member of the Central Committee of his party. This happened at a party meeting in Seville. That same year, his party sent him to Moscow. He went there to get advice on how to handle a certain issue.
In 1933, he started a newspaper called Euskadi Roja (Red Basque Country). He wrote, printed, and sold this newspaper himself. In 1935, Larrañaga attended a secret meeting. At this meeting, the Communist Party of Basque Country was formed. He was chosen to be on the Central Committee and the Bureau of this new party.
Larrañaga was a candidate for the Popular Front (Frente Popular) in the elections of February 1936. In those elections, a Republican and a socialist leader were chosen.
Role in the Spanish Civil War
After the attempted military takeover in July 1936, Larrañaga was given an important job. He became a war commissioner in the new San Sebastián Defense Board. Later, the government in Madrid made him the general war commissioner for the Basque Country.
In July 1936, General Francisco Llano de la Encomienda led the Republican Army of the North. This army included forces from Catalonia and the northern coast. But the groups in this area did not want to work together. Larrañaga was the commissioner in the Basque Country. Other commissioners were in Asturias and Santander. Some people in the Basque Country did not trust Larrañaga because he was a communist. Communists, on the other hand, sometimes did not trust him because he was Basque.
The Basque government, led by José Antonio Aguirre, built an army of 25,000 men. This army was officially part of the Army of the North. Larrañaga was its leader. In December 1936, this army tried to move south towards Villarreal. They had very little air support. Their only large guns were pulled by oxen. But the soldiers were very determined at this time.
The Basque Government did not officially accept Larrañaga's role until May 1937. During this time, the Communist Party had a difficult relationship with the Basque leaders. At a party meeting in July 1937, Larrañaga spoke against the Basque government. This caused a lot of criticism from other leaders. He had to explain that he was speaking as a communist, not as an army commissioner. On August 4, 1937, he was confirmed as a Deputy Commissioner for the North Brigade of the army.
After the northern part of Spain fell later in 1937, Larrañaga went to France. He later found his way back to Spain. He was arrested and put on trial by his own party members in Alicante. But he was found innocent. He continued to fight on the Aragon front. In Aragon, he was part of a special military and political committee for his party. After the Republic lost the war, he managed to escape and hide in Boucau, France.
Final Years
When World War II started in September 1939, Larrañaga was in Paris. He sailed from Le Havre, France, to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. From there, he went to Havana, Cuba. In Havana, he had important meetings with Vicente Uribe and Julián Grimau. He then moved to New York, where he met Ramón Ormazábal. In late September 1941, he sailed back to Europe on a Portuguese ship called Gaza.
The police in Portugal arrested Larrañaga and others in Lisbon on October 5, 1941. They were handed over to the Spanish authorities on October 8, 1941. They were held by the police for twenty days. Then, they were sent to Porlier jail in Madrid.
Jesus Larrañaga and three other people faced a special court on January 19, 1942. They were accused of serious crimes against the government. They were sentenced to death. They were put to death by a firing squad on the morning of January 21, 1942. Jesus Larrañaga was thirty-nine years old.
See also
In Spanish: Jesús Larrañaga para niños
