Timeline of Anarcho-Syndicalism

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A timeline of Anarcho-Syndicalism, the movement aiming to establish an anarchist society through trade unionism and strikes.

1900s

• 1901: The Argentine Regional Workers' Federation is founded in Buenos Aires and gains a strong anarcho-syndicalist influence.
• 1903: Sam Mainwaring coins the term 'anarcho-syndicalism' in pamphlets criticising reformist trade unionism.
• 1905: The Industrial Workers of the World is founded in Chicago, USA, although it is still debated whether or not it is an anarcho-syndicalist organisation.
• 1906: The Brazilian Workers Confederation is established in Rio de Janeiro.
• 1910: The Central Organisation of the Workers of Sweden is established in Sweden after the failure of the Swedish General Strike in 1909.
• 1912: The Italian Syndicalist Union is established in Modena.
• 1916: The Norwegian Syndicalist Federation is established in Oslo.
• 1919: The Vaga de La Canadenca strike in Barcelona forces the Spanish government to establish an 8-hour workday after anarcho-syndicalists shut down 70% of the cities economy.
• 1919: The Bienno Rosso sees anarcho-syndicalists lead workplace occupations and create workers' councils.
• 1919: The Free Workers' Union of Germany is established after the merge of Free Association of German Trade Unions and several small anarcho-syndicalist groups in the Ruhr region.
• 1922: The International Workers' Association (IWA) is established at an illegal conference in Berlin, Germany by delegates from the Italian Syndicalist Union, Argentine Regional Workers' Federation, General Confederation of Workers in Portugal, Free Workers' Union of Germany, Committee for the Defense of Revolutionary Syndicalism in France, Federation du Combattant from Paris, Central Organisation of the Workers of Sweden, National Labor Secretariat in the Netherlands, the IWW in Chile and the Union for Syndicalist Propaganda in Denmark.
• 1922: Guayaquil General Strike
• 1924: The Italian Syndicalist Union is driven underground by the fascist regime.
• 1926: The National Libertarian Federation of Trade Unions is established in Tokyo, Japan.
• 1928: The Continental Association of American Workers is founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina to form a broad anarcho-syndicalist movement across Latin America.
• 1933: The Free Workers' Union of Germany is disbanded in response to the rise of the Nazis, although underground groups begin resistance to the regime.
• 1936: The Spanish Civil War breaks out and anarcho-syndicalists begin to collectivise industry, agriculture, transport and utilities in a third of the country.
• 1946: The National Confederation of Labour is founded in Paris, France by CNT members from Spain and former anarcho-syndicalists in the CGT.
• 1950: The Syndicalist Workers' Federation is founded in the UK by former members of the Anarchist Federation.
• 1950: The Italian Syndicalist Union is refounded.
• 1951: The IWA is reestablished at a conference in Toulouse, France.
• 1954: A second Libertarian League is established in New York City, USA centered around anarchist bookshops
• 1956: The Central Organisation of the Workers of Sweden leaves the IWA over disputes over the SACs running of a state-funded unemployment benefits scheme. This nearly destroys the IWA.
• 1977: The Free Women's and Workers' Union is established in Germany, inspired by the reconstruction of the CNT in Spain. It sees itself as the successor to the Free Workers' Union of Germany.
• 1979: The General Confederation of Labor splits from the CNT in Spain over issues of taking government subsidies and participating in union elections.
• 1979: The Syndicalist Workers' Federation changes its name to the Direct Action Movement.
• 1984: The Workers' Solidarity Alliance is established in the USA.
• 1985: The Brazilian Workers Confederation is reestablished.
• 1986: The Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation is founded in Sydney, Australia, by Bulgarian and Spanish exiles with some Australian anarchists.
• 1989: The Awareness League is founded in Nigeria.
• 1994: The Direct Action Movement in the UK changes its name to the Solidarity Federation.
• 1995: The Confederation of Revolutionary Anarcho-Syndicalists is established in Moscow, Russia as anarcho-communist members split from the Confederation of Anarcho-Syndicalists.
• 1996: The Awareness League joins the IWA as the Nigerian section.

2000s

• 2006: The SAC organises Malmö26 to protest the unjust dismissal of a cook from a sushi restaurant.
• 2009: Libertære Socialister is founded in Denmark, holding an estimated 300 members across three cities, they espouse an anarcho-communist and anarcho-syndicalist position.
• 2010: The Federation of Brazilian Revolutionary Syndicalist Organizations is founded to offer an anarcho-syndicalist option for Brazil.
• 2015: The Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation is founded in Bangladesh.
• 2017: Libertære Socialister is dissolved after a period of inactivity.
• 2018: The International Confederation of Labor is established at a conference in Italy from organisations that left the IWA, arguing for a more syndicalist approach for anarchism.