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| Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth | |
|---|---|
| Name | Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth |
| Native name | Federación Ibérica de Juventudes Libertarias |
| Formation | 1932 |
| Dissolution | 1939 |
| Headquarters | Barcelona |
| Region served | Spain; Portugal |
| Ideology | Anarcho-syndicalism; Anarchism |
| Predecessor | National Confederation of Labor Youth |
| Successor | Libertarian Youth groups in exile |
Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth was a transnational anarchist youth organization active in the Iberian Peninsula during the 1930s, associated with anarcho-syndicalist movements in Spain and Portugal. It emerged amid the political turmoil of the Second Spanish Republic, the Spanish Civil War, and rising authoritarianism in Portugal. The federation coordinated activism, education, and paramilitary training across urban centers such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia and interfaced with exile networks in France, Mexico, and Argentina.
The federation developed from earlier youth currents tied to the National Confederation of Labor (CNT) and the General Union of Workers (UGT) milieu in the wake of the Bienio Negro and the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. Influenced by figures and events like Buenaventura Durruti, Federica Montseny, Francisco Largo Caballero, and the Casa del Pueblo tradition, it formalized coordination during the escalation toward the Asturian miners' strike of 1934 and the general strikes preceding the Spanish Civil War. During the Spanish Civil War it mobilized alongside columns and militias that intersected with units linked to the CNT-FAI, International Brigades, and regional councils such as the Generalitat of Catalonia. Following the fall of the Spanish Republic and the Victory of the Nationalists, many members went into exile via Perpignan, Marseilles, and Alicante ports, joining émigré communities in Paris, Brussels, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo.
The federation adopted federative committees modeled on the CNT and the Argentine Regional Workers' Federation (FORA), organizing local sections in neighborhoods and universities across Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Sabadell, and Santander. Leadership rotated through assemblies inspired by the practices of activists like Raimundo Antón, Federico Urales, and networks connected to the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI). Youth militias coordinated with union federations such as the National Confederation of Labor (CNT) and clandestine groups in Lisbon and Oporto. Decision-making relied on local plenums, syndicalist delegates, and liaison with cultural institutions including the Ateneo de Madrid and the Centre Autonomista de Dependents del Comerç i de la Indústria (CADCI).
Rooted in anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism, the federation advocated direct action, anti-fascism, and self-management, aligning with theoretical currents present in the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin, Peter Kropotkin, and contemporaries such as Buenaventura Durruti and Federica Montseny. It opposed the programs of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), and conservative forces represented by José Antonio Primo de Rivera and the Falange. Goals included collectivization in industrial zones like Catalonia and Aragon, libertarian pedagogy in cultural projects linked to Escuela Nueva initiatives, and youth emancipation through mutual aid networks modeled after CNT-FAI praxis.
The federation organized antifascist rallies, solidarity caravans, and solidarity brigades that intersected with the operations of the International Brigades, Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), and relief efforts coordinated with the Comité de No Intervención context. Their campaigns included recruitment for militia columns such as the Durruti Column, support for collectivized industries in Catalonia and Aragon, and participation in strikes and barricades during episodes like the Revolutionary Insurrection of 1934. They ran night schools and cooperative kitchens in neighborhoods near Poblenou, Raval, and Gràcia, and organized exiled relief operations through committees in Marseilles, Toulouse, and Hendaye.
The federation produced periodicals, pamphlets, and posters distributed alongside major libertarian titles such as Solidaridad Obrera, CNT, Tierra y Libertad, and La Revista Blanca traditions. Local bulletins circulated in cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville, and clandestine printing presses operated in conjunction with printers linked to the Ateneo Libertario networks. They used cultural vehicles like theater troupes, benefit concerts with musicians from the Novecentismo and popular song traditions, and leaflets referencing texts by Rafael Barrett, Helena Malatesta, and international anarchists like Errico Malatesta.
The federation maintained complex relations with the CNT-FAI, sometimes cooperating closely and at other times contesting strategy with leaders from the POUM and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Internationally it connected with anarchist youth bodies in France, networks of exiles in Mexico, and libertarian federations in Argentina and Uruguay. It opposed authoritarian currents represented by Francisco Franco, Salazar in Portugal, and the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS. Relations extended to humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross-adjacent relief committees and to labour federations like the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) when joint antifascist mobilization was necessary.
After 1939, surviving members influenced postwar libertarian currents in exile communities in France, Mexico, and Argentina, contributing to journals, cultural associations, and libertarian education projects linked to the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (exile) and later libertarian youth revivals in Spain during the late 20th century. Their model informed contemporary youth collectives in Basque Country, Catalonia, and transnational antifascist networks active in later protests such as those surrounding Transition to Democracy in Spain and labor solidarity campaigns with organizations like the World Federation of Trade Unions and various International Workers' Association-affiliated bodies. The cultural memory of the federation appears in historical studies, archives in Archivo General de la Guerra Civil Española, and commemorations in municipal museums of Barcelona and Madrid.
Category:Anarchist organizations Category:Youth organizations Category:Spanish Civil War