REVOLUTION AND SOCIAL REVOLUTION

The thesis that John Brademas wrote in Oxford in 1953 was entitled Revolution and social revolution: a contribution to the history of the anarcho-syndicalist movement in Spain, 1930-1937 and it was overseen by Gerald Brenan and Raymond Carr (who at the time was lecturing at New College, Oxford). The thesis was never published in English until now. The Spanish translation, Anarcosindicalismo y revolución en España (1930-1937), was published by Editorial Ariel (Barcelona) in 1974. It was prepared by Joaquin Romero Maura, a friend and colleague of Brademas's at St Anthony's College in Oxford and an expert historian on the "Tragic Week," which he discussed in his book on Barcelona working class during the period 1899-1909.5 It was never reprinted.

Oddly enough, the book made barely a ripple in the academic world and in anarcho-syndicalist circles. This can, perhaps, be explained by essentially three reasons. First, it was a thesis penned in the 1950s by an author who had long since stopped working as an historian (his doctorate was in the social sciences). The author himself never disowned his work but he also failed to give it due attention. Secondly, the publication of the book coincided with the mid-1970s bibliographic boom on the role of anarchism in Spain, the story very often being told by the protagonists themselves (who were still in exile), which may explain how the book passed unnoticed in the midst of a flurry of publications on the topic. And, lastly, Franco's death on 20 November 1975 implied a radical shift in focus and concerns in Spain. The failure of the book to make a great impact at the time in no way detracts from either its significance or the quality of the scholarship contained within.

Dettagli