Seville Congress facts for kids
| Native name | Congreso de Sevilla |
|---|---|
| Date | September 24–26, 1882 |
| Location | Seville, Andalusia, Spain |
| Also known as | 2nd Congress of the FTRE |
| Type | Congress |
| Organised by | Federation of Workers of the Spanish Region |
| Outcome |
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The Seville Congress was an important meeting held in Seville, Spain, in September 1882. It was the second big meeting of a group called the Federation of Workers of the Spanish Region (FTRE). This group was made up of workers who wanted to improve their lives and working conditions.
How It Started
The Federation of Workers of the Spanish Region was created in 1881. This happened after the government, led by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, allowed people to form groups and associations freely. Before this, it was hard for workers' groups to meet openly. The FTRE was a new version of an older, secret group.
Even after years of being secret, the workers' movement grew a lot. In 1873, the older group had about 30,000 members. By 1882, the FTRE had around 60,000 members! This was a big surprise to many.
The new FTRE was also different from the older group. In 1873, most members were from big cities like Barcelona and Madrid. But in 1882, many new members were from Andalusia. These were often farmers who had joined the Union of Rural Workers. This union focused on organizing farm workers in Spain.
What Happened at the Congress
The Congress took place from September 24 to 26, 1882, at the Cervantes Theater in Seville. There were 251 people attending, representing many different worker groups. The biggest group was the Rural Workers, with over 20,000 members.
During the meeting, two main ideas clashed for the first time. One group, led by Josep Llunas and Ricardo Mella, believed in achieving change through peaceful and legal ways. They thought workers should learn and use their intelligence to make things better. They wanted the movement to be open and public.
The other group, led by Miguel Rubio, believed in more revolutionary and sometimes secret actions. They thought that change might need stronger methods. They were willing to take more direct action to achieve their goals. This difference caused some tension, especially in the countryside of Andalusia.
In the end, the more moderate ideas won at the Congress. The group agreed to use strikes only when necessary and to do them in an organized way. This pleased some newspapers, like El Imparcial, which praised the Spanish workers for being so calm and organized.
However, not everyone agreed. Soon after the Congress, the group that favored more direct action formed a new federation called Los Desinheredados. They felt that the main group had not shared all the ideas about direct action that had been discussed in earlier meetings.
Also, the government and business owners were not always happy about the workers organizing. Sometimes, members of the FTRE found it hard to get jobs. Many lost their jobs just for being part of the group. The FTRE's newspaper, The Social Magazine, reported that authorities would arrest workers who asked for "bread and work." They would also send the Civil Guard to investigate meetings. The newspaper asked the authorities to stop using unfair methods and to let the courts decide if workers had done anything wrong.
See also
In Spanish: Congreso de Sevilla (1882) para niños
