Choosing hate | Jorge Gonzlez-Gallarza – The Critic
On Monday last week, the Spanish authorities were confronted with one of mankinds eternal dilemmas: resolving to choose revenge over redemption and hate over hope. To mark his 120th anniversary, the left-wing coalition led by PM Pedro Snchez had legislated earlier last summer to disinter the bodily remains of Jos Antonio Primo de Rivera, the icon behind the far-right Falange party and a mainstay of the countrys turmoil leading up to the 1936-1939 Civil War. The exhumation fits into a larger law that claims to restore democratic memory, which built on an earlier and similarly aimed historical memory law passed by Snchezs socialist predecessor in 2007. Both laws amount to an Orwellian rewriting of History, one that overturns the pact of forgetting that underpinned Spains democratic transition upon the death of the wars victor, strongman Francisco Franco, in 1975. In its stead, on the pretext of honouring the memory of Francos victims (many of whose families are being compensated for recovering their bodies from unmarked mass graves), these two laws propound a slanted account of the war and the ensuing 40-year dictatorship as a Manichean contest of good (the republicans) versus evil (Francos nationalists).
De Riveras flirtations with fascism followed the cadence of a seesaw
Yet the logic of repairing past wounds seems, in Primo de Riveras case, to be working in reverse, with his desecration a redux of his execution after living through the wars initial months from prison. Up until Monday, his corpse lay in the Valley of the Fallen, a complex encompassing a memorial and a basilica near El Escorial, in Madrids northwest. Franco had intended the complex as a national act of atonement and reconciliation following the war, but Snchezs law has renamed it Valley of Cuelgamuros, exhuming Franco and evicting the basilicas Benedictine monks. Though their relations were strained and Francos so-called National Movement was distinct from Primo de Riveras brand of fascism it is hard not to see the latter as having laid the ideological groundwork for the strongmans 40-year rule. The two men were more in competition than in tandem, with Primo de Rivera angling to position Falange in the epicentre of any potential rebellion against the Republic which Franco would come to lead and corresponding with other chieftains. Until it made his death public in 1937, the regime referred to him as the absent (el ausente), moving his remains to El Escorial at the wars end and to the Valley of the Fallen in 1959.
His desecrators are right that Primo de Riveras deeds leading up to the war do merit greater scrutiny. He was in his 20s under the rule of his father, the right-wing strongman Miguel Primo de Rivera, becoming later convinced that his 1920s regime had failed for lack of a clear ideological foundation, something he single-mindedly put his mind to fashioning. In October 1933, along with two acolytes, he founded Falange as a four-legged ideological stool seeking at once (1) a Spain united by its universal destiny transcending class war and nationalism, (2) the idea of a new man carrying eternal values, (3) social justice availing everyone a dignified and humane life and (4) a sense of Spains Catholic roots. Profound as though they may seem on paper, De Riveras flirtations with fascism followed the cadence of a seesaw. In 1935, he was known to be paid a salary by Mussolinis fascist Italy to produce various reports on Spains political situation. His single visit with Hitler, however, had no import in his life. Starting in 1934, he gradually began to forswear fascism, claiming Falange would counter Spains decadent parliamentary democracy which he saw as beholden to communists by pursuing its own brand of right-wing illiberalism.
Equally illuminating in its ambivalence was Primo de Riveras approach to violence. Known to be hot-tempered, he indulged in rage when his fathers accomplishments were questioned and regularly quarrelled with magistrates and prison guards each time he was imprisoned. He once wrote that war is absolutely necessary and inevitable and cryptically extolled the dialectics of fist and gun. In March 1936, having lost his seat in that years February race which the left-wing Popular Front won and therefore his parliamentary immunity, he was detained for illegal possession of firearms and violent activities, leading Falange to be banned and 2000 of its adherents detained. The violent incidents featuring the party nonetheless continued in quick succession up until the wars eruption in July, with Primo de Rivera seeking to position the party as a driving force of the looming insurrection. On March 14th, he authored a sombre manifesto from prison, claiming that communism runs our streets. On 4 May, he sent a letter to the armys top brass many of whom he had been regularly corresponding with calling for an insurrection. The day before Franco rose up in arms, on 17 July, he expressed Falanges unreserved adherence to the rebellion.
Primo de Rivera stands as a testament that a different Spain is possible
Yet, in a stark depiction of his epoch, Primo de Rivera falls on the peaceable side of his contemporaries. Stanley Payne writes of him that he was, amongst the Falange leaders, the one who most shied away from employing violence and murder in a systematic way. In the months leading up to his execution by firing squad in November, he markedly softened his views, not least on whether violence against the institutions of the Republic was warranted morally. In April, made aware of the plans to kill socialist doyen Francisco Largo Caballero, who had served as his fathers minister, Primo de Rivera disowned the plot. During those early months of the war, he became the object of various prisoner swap plots, all admittedly with the aim of breaking free from prison to broker an armistice that would put an end to the hostilities, ushering in a reconciliation government. He wrote that Spain is undoing itself and that the absolute triumph of one side can bring back the Carlist wars, the series of civil conflicts that rocked Spain throughout the 19th century. Even Paynes nemesis, left-wing hispanist Paul Preston writes, Primo de Riveras apparent transformation fed the idea that he could have incarnated the great, lost opportunity for reconciliation.
He would soon be sentenced with conspiracy and rebellion, all but assuring him an afterlife as a martyr for his many acolytes. Payne writes that he became the object of the most extraordinary martyrs cult in all of Europe. Zira Box writes that for the falangistas, he would be exalted as a prophet, and even hailed for emulating Christ himself, spilling his young blood for Spains redemption. His last few words before death on 20 November ring ominously for eternity: May mine be the last Spanish blood spilled in civil discord. He went on: May all the peoples of Spain feel harmonized in an irrevocable unity of destiny. In the age of memes, these are often cited in contrast to a quote by Dolores Ibrruri, one of the Communist partys icons, who said in a meeting in Valencia in 1938: Rather than letting a single fascist free, we ought to rather convict 100 innocents. Although celebrating Primo de Rivera can cue support for a deathly ideology, it can also be construed as the opposite spirit to Ibrruris avengement. For all his youthful ideological fervour, he stands as a testament that a different Spain is possible, one reaching for concord amidst dissent. His arm lies outstretched to any who dare shake it. Snchezs government chose not to shake it. It chose to hate.
Go here to see the original:
Choosing hate | Jorge Gonzlez-Gallarza - The Critic
- Florida Governor DeSantis signs new law mandating teaching the evils of communism to children as young as five - WSWS - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Trump, Biden, communism and more: Letters to the Editor, April 28, 2024 - Florida Today - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Communists to run in Karl Marx hometown's election - In Defense of Communism - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Slow Down. How Degrowth Communism Can Save the Earth book review - Counterfire - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Ron DeSantis wants to teach young people about communism. He should use rock n roll - Washington Examiner - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- A Survivor of the Cultural Revolution Reviews New Book, 'The Devil and Communist China' - The Stream - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- European Communist Action: Long live the 1st of May Long live socialism! - In Defense of Communism - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Florida children to learn that communism is evil, slavery a skills training program - The South Florida Times - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- 'Unbridled Agenda of Communism or Socialism, Not in the Constitution Today': SC - ETV Bharat - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Pol Pot's Atrocities Still Matter, 45 Years After Khmer Rouge's Fall - Reason - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Taiwan election: victory in the face of Chinese communism as country gears up for 'fair election' - GB News - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Lenin lives! Join the communists to celebrate his life and ideas! - Socialist Appeal - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Goodbye Socialist Appeal The Communist is coming! - Socialist Appeal - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Xi Jinpings once-unquestioned authority is showing cracks - The Hill - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- UK told to 'wake up' to Poland crisis with Donald Tusk 'turning back clock to communism' - Express - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- The Reality of CommunismWhat Is Social Democracy and Why Is It a Capitalist Dictatorship? - revcom.us - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Why Did the Berlin Wall Fall? - The Imaginative Conservative - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- 1947 and now - The Interpreter - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Albania's deal with Italy on migrants has been welcomed by many ... - Las Vegas Sun - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Grothman's Bipartisan Hmong New Year Resolution | U.S. ... - Glenn Grothman - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Another View: DeSantis was strong, Haley was sharp, Ramaswamy ... - Press Herald - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Communism in Britain: The unbroken thread - Socialist Appeal - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2023 - Reason - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Fate of the West - Breakpoint - BreakPoint.org - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Cruzs new book Unwoke shows readers how to defeat cultural ... - 1330 WFIN - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The aftermath of the Velvet Revolution was justice delivered? - Radio Prague International - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Remember, Remember, the 9th of November - The Imaginative Conservative - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Country Road Chronicles: Communist camp in Westerly in the '30s - The Westerly Sun - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The Russian Revolution: The greatest event in history - Socialist Appeal - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- What Happened to the ACLU by Helen Andrews | Articles - First Things - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Open Forum: Thinking of Donald Trump after Tuesday's election - The Winchester Star - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Was the USSR Socialist?: an Interview with Alexander Nogovishchev - Lefteast - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Remembrance Day: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - Fairfaxtimes.com - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- New York Man Sentenced on Felony Assault Charge for Actions ... - Department of Justice - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- U.S. Rep. Grothman: Bipartisan Hmong New Year resolution - WisPolitics.com - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- 'Nazigate' Has Been Quickly Forgotten, But Scholars Warn Its ... - The Maple - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Defining the US-China cold war - - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Green Township voters remove 5 officials who support Gotion ... - FOX 17 West Michigan News - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Louisiana's 'In God We Trust' law tests limits of religion in public ... - American Press - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Czechast with Irena Kalhousov, Director of the Herzl Center for ... - Radio Prague International - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Letter to the editor: We mustn't forget communism's many victims - Bozeman Daily Chronicle - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Writing triumphed over 'hell of communism', says Albania's Kadare - Yahoo News - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Opinion Showing anti-communism the red card - Morning Star Online - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Letter to the Editor: The Minnesota Daily is against communists ... - Minnesota Daily - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Long before the Kentucky legislature waged war on 'woke,' it ... - The Hastings Tribune - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- All the traditions lost after the Communists entered Beijing The China Project - The China Project - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Communism, the youth, and the fight for revolution - Socialist Appeal - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Salazar, 27 GOP cosponsors offer bill to educate students about ... - Ripon Advance - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Head of Zeus seizes history of communism by broadcaster and ... - The Bookseller - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Death threats, communism claims swirl around EV battery project - Automotive News - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- The New Useful Idiots - Shield of the Republic - The Bulwark - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Rift in Samastha over stand towards CPM - Times of India - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- South Korean president's anti-communist taunts are opening up ... - The Conversation - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Argentine priests celebrate reparation Mass after presidential ... - America: The Jesuit Review - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Oppenheimer: communism, McCarthyism, and the bomb | United ... - In Defence of Marxism - August 12th, 2023 [August 12th, 2023]
- When teachers have more say than parents, communism has arrived - Hernando Sun - August 12th, 2023 [August 12th, 2023]
- 130 years of Mayakovsky: Art, communism, and revolution - Socialist Appeal - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Captive Nations Week Marked for First Time in Ukraine - Jamestown - The Jamestown Foundation - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- What Was the Marshall Plan? - The Collector - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Politics of the Rift: On Thorie Communiste - Notes - E-Flux - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- The return of EU enlargement | The Strategist - The Strategist - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Putin's holy war on Ukraine - UnHerd - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- The zing zazz factor in a slogan - RNZ - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Family who carried Sacred Heart statue were carried by Sacred ... - Catholic Diocese of Lincoln - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Risk and Revolution | Wen Stephenson - The Baffler - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Victims of Communism, Victims of Modernism - Heritage.org - June 7th, 2023 [June 7th, 2023]
- Communism: FIU event discusses Soviet influence in Cuba and the ... - PantherNOW - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Nuclear communism: Lukashenka offers 'nukes for everyone' - TVP World - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Georgi Gospodinov and Angela Rodel win International Booker ... - NPR - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- The China Dragon Roars Back Whether the US Likes It or Not - KCRW - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- EU, US might not be best digital ID models, but they can help African ... - Biometric Update - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Opinion: Young Canadians should learn about the Polish ... - The Hub - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Gig Line: Memorial Day - The Coastland Times | The Coastland Times - The Coastland Times - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- What's on? 10 top TV and streaming tips for Wednesday - RTE.ie - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Putin Wants You to Think He's an Anti-Woke Crusader - Foreign Policy - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Turkey elections: Erdogan's win highlights political fault lines - Middle East Eye - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Is History Written by the Winners? - History Today - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- The AI Capitalists Don't Realize They're About To Kill Capitalism - Worldcrunch - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Alaska House follows Senate to pass bill authorizing sale of carbon ... - Alaska Beacon - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Victims of Communism Day - 2023 - Reason - May 4th, 2023 [May 4th, 2023]