Juan López Sánchez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan López Sánchez
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| Minister of Commerce | |
| In office 4 September 1936 – 17 May 1937 |
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| Preceded by | Anastasio de Gracia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 January 1900 Bullas, Spain |
| Died | 25 August 1972 (aged 72) Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | Construction worker |
| Known for | Co-founder of the Federación Sindicalista Libertaria |
Juan López Sánchez (born January 16, 1900 – died 1972) was a Spanish construction worker who became an important political figure. He was an anarchist and a member of a big workers' group called the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT). He also helped start another group, the Federación Sindicalista Libertaria. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), he even served as the Minister of Commerce in the government. After the war, he lived outside Spain for some years before coming back.
Contents
Early Life and Union Work (1900–1936)
Juan López Sánchez was born in Bullas, Spain, in 1900. His father was a member of the Civil Guard, a police force. A few years later, his family moved to Barcelona. There, Juan worked as a laborer, building things.
He became involved in politics by joining a construction workers' union in Barcelona. He was put in prison in 1920. In 1926, he was set free because of an amnesty, which is like a general pardon. He then joined a group called Solidaridad.
Joining the CNT and Political Ideas
During the time when Miguel Primo de Rivera was a dictator, Juan López Sánchez worked secretly against the government. He took part in a meeting that led to a split between two important groups: the CNT and the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI). He decided to stay with the CNT.
In 1929, López was part of the CNT's national committee, led by Ángel Pestaña. He also edited a newspaper called Acción from 1930 to 1931. He was more interested in syndicalism (workers' unions having power) than anarchism (a belief in no government). He wanted the CNT to focus more on workers' unions.
In August 1931, he was one of the people who signed the Manifiesto de los Treinta (Manifesto of the Thirty). This document criticized how much influence the FAI had within the CNT.
Forming New Groups
After Pestaña left the CNT in 1932, López supported working with the government. Because he signed the Manifiesto de los Treinta, he was not allowed to be part of the CNT's leadership, which was mostly anarchist. He was even kicked out of the CNT in 1932.
López then became a leader of the Sindicatos de Oposición (Opposition Unions). In January 1933, Pestaña and his friends started a new group called the Federación Sindicalista Libertaria (FSL). Pestaña was its first secretary. The FSL quickly joined the Opposition Unions, giving them a clear political idea, just like the FAI did for the CNT.
In January 1934, Pestaña and other moderate anarcho-syndicalists formed a political party called the Partido Sindicalista. López and Joan Peiró became the main thinkers for the FSL. They worked to bring the FSL back together with the CNT. In February–March 1936, a meeting of the Opposition Unions chose a new national committee. This committee arranged for the unions to rejoin the CNT.
Role in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
The Spanish Civil War started in July 1936 when Nationalist forces, led by Francisco Franco, rebelled against the government. At the beginning of the war, López started a newspaper called Fraga Social.
Joining the Government
In early November 1936, as Nationalist troops got closer to Madrid, the government of Prime Minister Francisco Largo Caballero was changed. For the first time, anarchists joined the government. Juan López Sánchez became the Minister of Commerce. Other anarchists who joined were Joan Peiró (Industry), Federica Montseny (Health), and Juan García Oliver (Justice). Peiró had also signed the August 1931 Manifiesto de los Treinta.
Some Spanish anarchists strongly disagreed with these four ministers for joining the government. They believed anarchists should not be part of any government.
Minister of Commerce
López was the Minister of Commerce from November 3, 1936, until May 1937. In February 1937, he issued a rule that helped explain what would happen to businesses that had been taken over by the state or by workers' groups. He also visited Paris to meet with the French government.
The presence of anarchists in the government might have played a part in the May 1937 uprising. This led to weeks of street fights where communists took control of the government. They stopped the revolutionary actions of other groups, including the anarchists. The anarchist ministers did not have the most important jobs, but their presence gave an excuse for more moderate left-wing groups to act.
After Largo Caballero's government fell, López disagreed with the new government of Juan Negrín. He formed a group with Segismundo Casado, Cipriano Mera, and Julián Besteiro.
End of the War
In February 1939, López and other anarchist leaders met with Prime Minister Negrín. López represented the CNT. López was also a member of Casado's National Defense Council. This council was formed when Casado rebelled against the Republican government in Madrid in March 1939. This happened just a few weeks before General Francisco Franco's Nationalist forces won the war.
After the National Defense Council was formed, a new Comité Nacional del Movimiento Libertario Español (National Committee of the Spanish Libertarian Movement) was created on March 7, 1939. Juan López became its secretary-general. This group met several times that month. It kept calling for people to resist. It also demanded that anarchist leaders who had escaped to France should return to Spain.
Life After the War (1939–1972)
After the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, López had to leave Spain. He found safety first in France and then in England. In London, he published a document called Material de Discusión. In this, he argued for working with the new government. He even suggested that the CNT should do the same. He later stopped supporting anarcho-syndicalism. Instead, he believed that powerful trade unions should replace political parties and rule the country. However, his ideas did not gain much support.
He stayed in England until 1954, when he moved to Mexico.
Return to Spain
López returned to Spain in 1966. In May 1968, he attended a meeting of the Sindicato Vertical (Spanish Trade Union Organisation) in Tarragona as an observer. He even supported the idea of getting rid of the CNT. He accepted a job as the head of the Society of Transport Workers of Valencia.
He was part of a group called the Alianza Democrática Española (ADE, Spanish Democratic Alliance). This group also included Segismundo Casado and the socialist Wenceslao Carrillo. This organization was against the more moderate ideas of Franco's government.
Juan López Sánchez died in Madrid on August 25, 1972.
Sources
See also
In Spanish: Juan López Sánchez para niños
