Ready for Revolution

Seeing the writing on the wall, one of Spain’s largest unions began secretly arming workers throughout the country. The anarcho-syndicalist union evolved from overseeing workers’ defense to organizing armed resistance to the Fascist coup. From there, it administered entire militias and finally coordinated industrial self-management and food distribution, leading a revolution within the Spanish Civil War. A fascinating new history and a lively narrative of ordinary men and women making history. Agustin Guillamon is an independent historian and the author of “The Friends of Durruti Group, 1937-39” and “The Committees Revolution.”