Binefar

From AnarWiki

Binefar is a small town in Aragon, Spain, with around 9,288 residents. It was a part of Revolutionary Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

Revolution

On the 20th of July, fascists barricaded themselves into military barracks, and anarcho-syndicalist workers battled them, defeating them in just an hour. Popular assemblies were set up and a month later agreed to abolish private ownership of land. Twelve hundred hectares of land were collectivised. The land was divided into parcels. Seven work groups cultivate the collectivised land. The group delegates meet each evening at the meeting hall to exchange impressions and benefit from the lessons of experience.

At the time, there were only 5,000 people, and the CNT was the only organisation, and it issued vouchers as money, and issued many goods and healthcare freely. The town sent two trucks of food to the front lines of the war everyday, and 32 truckloads to Madrid.

The town suffered a shortage of workers due to most young men going to the army. Despite this, the town expanded its electric grid, telephone coverage, established a hospital and other collective buildings. Consumption and living standards improved for the majority of the population despite the war.

References

Augustin Souchy - With The Peasants of Aragon