It started on the railroads: the journey of an anarcho-syndicalist in the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper aims to trace the journey of Manuel António Bôto, a Portuguese anarcho-syndicalist militant during the Spanish Civil War, who lived and worked in the region of Setúbal, near Lisbon. Bôto, along with many other militants, was forced to flee to Spain as a result of the repression and violence that followed the general strike and bomb attacks of the 31 January 1934 movement. This was one of the biggest attacks against the Estado Novo, organised by multiple factions of anarchists, anarcho-syndicalists and communists. In Spain, Bôto took part in the Spanish Civil War, voluntarily enlisting himself in the Quinto Regimiento de Milícias Populares (5º RMP) in Madrid, and, later, was given missions by the SIM (Servicio de Información Militar). Given Salazar’s support to Franco’s forces, men like Bôto saw this participation as a way to oppose the Estado Novo and the fascist wave that crossed Europe. We will focus on the social aspects of Bôto’s experience in these years, mainly with his integration in groups of support and communication with Portugal, through organisations like the Federación Anarchista Ibérica (FAI) and the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), or the Núcleo Cultural Português de Madrid.