In Defence of October

Study the lessons of the Russian Revolution

About us 1917 Live

Spain: Mass mobilisations force the unions to call for a one day General Strike against the war

The UGT and CIG (one of the biggest union federations in Galicia) have called for a two hours stoppage against the war.

The Workers' Commissions (formerly the Communist-led confederations) are split down the middle over this issue. Whole federations have decided to support the call for the two-hour General Strike. The Executive voted and 15 voted against the call and 11 in favour. We should not rule out an especial conference over this issue. The decision of José María Fidalgo was to oppose the strike, The leadership of the union has provoqued a wave of revulsion. The Asturian federation (a highly industrialised area), the metal worker's federation and some youth sections (like the Madrid South section) are openly calling for support to the strike.

The CGT (the anarchosyndicalist Confederation) has called for a 24 hour General Strike.

The pressure that is piling up has increased after yesterday's student demos. This should help to convince the leaders of the unions to organise for the General Strike to force the resignation of the Government. The demonstrations called by the Students Union have been a great success, bringing on to the streets thousands of students. 30,000 in Madrid, 20,000 in Barcelona, 10,000 in Seville, etc are proof that the students will not stop until a real 24 hour general strike is called.

The CGT has called independently for a 24 hour General Strike. The Students Union, a driving force in the mass mobilizations against the imperialist war, has welcomed this decision and is organising with both hands.

The mood against the war in society is massive. Not only the polls show the isolation of the right-wing Government, the Popular Party (and the latest polls tells us that 91% of the population is against the war) but also we can see this in the daily mass actions as thousands take the streets. For the first time for many years millions of people are entering in the political process. The streets are witnessing politicization of the population of all ages and social classes. The “cacerolazos” (banging pots and pans as a way to express their opposition) that forced the overthrown of De La Rua in Argentina at the end of 2001 have appeared in the big cities all over Spain. Every night at ten o'clock, lasting for fifteen minutes the people in Madrid or Barcelona bang their pots. Hundreds of thousands hang over their balconies and make a noisy point to remind the Government that they are the ones that really have the power.

The call of the General Strike should not be an end, it is the means and must be followed by the creation of committees against the war in the neighbourhoods, factories, schools and universities. The movement must be spread to all sections of societies

The leadership of the labour Movement must raise to the occasion and openly call for a 24 hour general strike to force Government resignation as well as prepare for the coming local elections to return the local governments to the left.

Read More

23.02.1917
The February Revolution
Strikes and protests erupt on women's day in Petrograd and develop into a mass movement involving hundreds of thousands of workers; within 5 days the workers win over the army and bring down the hated and seemingly omnipotent Tsarist Monarchy.
Read more here
16.04.1917
Lenin Returns
Lenin returns to Russia and presents his ‘April Theses’ denouncing the Bourgeois Provisional Government and calling for “All Power to the Soviets!”
Read more here
18.06.1917
The June Days
Following the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the reformist leaders called a demonstration to show the strength of "democracy". 400,000 people attended, the vast majority carried banners with Bolshevik slogans.
Read more here
16.07.1917
The July Days
Spontaneous, armed demonstrations against the Provisional Government erupt in Petrograd. The workers and soldiers are suppressed by force, introducing a period of reaction and making the peaceful development of the revolution impossible.
Read more here
9.09.1917
The Kornilov Affair
Following the July days, the Bolsheviks were driven underground and the forces of reaction were emboldened. This process culminated in the reactionary forces coalescing around General Kornilov, who attempt to march on Petrograd and crush the revolutionary movement in its entirety.
Read more here
26.10.1917
The October Revolution
The Provisional Government is overthrown. State power passes to the Soviets on the morningm of 26th October, after the Bolsheviks’ Military Revolutionary Committee seize the city and the cabinet surrenders.
Read more here
  • V. I. Lenin

    V. I. Lenin

    "The dominating trait of his character, the feature which constituted half his make-up, was his will..."
  • L. Trotsky

    L. Trotsky

    “Astounding speeches, fanfares of orders, the unceasing electrifier of a weakening army.”
  • G. Plekhanov

    G. Plekhanov

    "In the final analysis the brilliant aspects of Plekhanov’s character will endure forever."
  • G. O. Zinoviev

    G. O. Zinoviev

    "Zinoviev has won the reputation of being one of the most remarkable orators – a difficult feat."
  • Y. M. Sverdlov

    Y. M. Sverdlov

    “He did not die on the field of battle, but we are right to see him as a man who gave his life for the cause.”
  • V. Volodarsky

    V. Volodarsky

    “He was always to be seen in the front row, the on-the-spot leader. So, they killed him.”
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Reading Guides

  • The 1917 February Revolution

    The 1917 February Revolution

    The February Revolution saw a mass strike develop from below at a furious pace which posed the question of state power within a week of its inception. Workers in Petrograd took to the streets against intolerable bread shortages, the slaughter…
  • Lenin Returns in April

    Lenin Returns in April

    This reading guide contains some of Lenin’s most important writings and speeches made in the April period, accompanied by works which provide further details of events at that stage of the Revolution.
  • The June Days 1917

    The June Days 1917

    This reading guide informs the May-June period of the Revolution with analysis, accounts of those who were involved and important speeches and writings of the time.
  • The July Days 1917

    The July Days 1917

    This selection of texts covers the background, events and consequences of the July Days. Next, we will turn our attention to one of those consequences – the Kornilov putsch in late August.
  • The Kornilov affair

    The Kornilov affair

    Kornilov’s failed coup brought the direct action of the masses into play again, and proved to them once and for all that they were the only force in society capable of transforming their own living conditions. For the first time,…
  • The October Insurrection 1917

    The October Insurrection 1917

    The following series of articles provides in-depth analyses and first-hand accounts of the events immediately preceding, during and after the greatest event in human history: the October Revolution, in addition to reflections on its aftermath.
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