Not to be confused with the National Confederation of Labour in France
The National Confederation of Labour or Confederación Nacional del Trabajo or CNT is a confederation of anarcho-syndicalist trade unions across Spain, it is the largest and most powerful anarcho-syndicalist organisation in the world.
History
Founding
The CNT was founded in 1910 as a combination of the growth of anarcho-syndicalism in Spain and many workers hostility to the socialist UGT union. It was planned to be founded in 1909, but pushed back the conference in response to massacres.
Spanish Civil War
The CNT oversaw the collectivization of farmland, factories, railways, docks, trams and the organisation of various militias.
Repression and Survival
After the Spanish Civil War, the CNT was outlawed and its assets expropriated by the new government. Roughly 180,000 members of the CNT were executed by the government during World War II, causing many members to flee the country. Many CNT members lived in other countries in exile, and others joined the Spanish Maquis to fight the new fascist government, or else others just stayed quiet. In 1960, the Libertarian Movement in Exile (MLE) was formed by members of the CNT, FAI and FIJL, holding a conference in Limoges, Southwest France. Anarcho-syndicalism was nearly destroyed as a political force, but remained somewhat popular with non-fascist catholics.[1]