Joaquin Maurin papers, 1870-1976
Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- MaurÃn, JoaquÃn, 1897-1973
- Abstract:
- Correspondence, writings, clippings, photographs, and printed matter relating to communism and socialism in Spain, the Spanish Civil War, and the American Literary Agency.
- Extent:
- 32 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 3 envelopes (13.7 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- Primarily in Spanish
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Joaquin Maurin papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Correspondence, writings, clippings, photographs, and printed matter relating to communism and socialism in Spain, the Spanish Civil War, and the American Literary Agency.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Date Event 1896, January 13 Born in Bonansa, Huesca (Spain), of Aragon mother and Catalan father1914-1918 Member of "Juventud Republicana", Lerida Writer for El Ideal, the daily mouthpiece of "Juventud Republicana"Teacher of geography and history at Lerida high-school1919, December 2nd Congress of the "Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo" (C.N.T.) in Madrid during which it decided to affiliate itself with the Communist International1919-mid 1920 Stationed in Madrid during his tour of duty in the Spanish armymid 1920 Joined the C.N.T.fall 1920-1921 Member of the regional committee of Catalonia of the C.N.T., representing the province of LeridaSecretary of the "Confederacion Provincial del Trabajo", Lerida1920-1922 Editor of Lucha Social, Lerida, a trade-unionist weekly founded by Pedro Bonet in 19191921, May Left with Andres Nin, Arlandis and Ibanez for Moscow1921, June-August Delegate of the C.N.T. to the 3rd Congress of the Communist International and to the Founding Congress of the Red International of Labor Unions (Profintern)1921, October National plenum of the C.N.T. in Lerida at which the report of the delegation, written by Maurin, was unanimously approved1921, October-end of February 1922 Provisional secretary of the executive committee of the C.N.T.1922, June National conference of the C.N.T. in Saragossa at which it rejected the Communist International and the Profintern (triumph of the anarcho-sindicalist position within the C.N.T.)1922, December Co-founder at a meeting in Bilbao of the "Comites Sindicalistas Revolucionarios" (C.S.R.), minority within the C.N.T., close to the "Partido Comunista de Espana" (P.C.E.) and which wanted the C.N.T. to reaffiliate itself with the Communist International1922, December 21-December 1924 Founder and editor of La Batalla, Barcelona, a trade-unionist communist weekly, mouthpiece of the C.S.R., around which gathered a group of Catalan communists and which was subsequently incorporated into the P.C.E. in 19241923 Left the C.N.T.1924, May Author, L'anarcho-syndicalisme en Espagne (Anarcho-sindicalism in Spain), Paris, Librairie du Travail; 47 p.1924, June-July Delegate to the 3rd Congress of the Profintern sent by the executive committee of the C.S.R.1924, mid November Plenum of the regional federations of the P.C.E. in Madrid at which Maurin and his group (the "Federacion Comunista Catalano-Balear", F.C.C.B.) criticized the policy of the executive committee, forcing it to resign1925, January 12 Arrested as he was coming out of the Ateneo of Barcelona1925, January 12-October 4, 1927 Political prisoner, first in the prison "Modelo" in Barcelona, then in the fortress of Montjuich, then again in Barcelona1926, November 23 Acquitted, but not released immediately1927, November-June 1930 Correspondent for Tass and Izvestia on Spanish issuesWorked for Le MondeResided in Neuilly s/Seine (Paris)1927, November 26 Married Jeanne Lifchitz (sister of Boris Souvarine)1928, March-May Went to Moscow to justify his position to the Control Commission of the Communist International; whitewashed and offered to be member of the executive committee of the P.C.E.: refused1928, December 22 Birth of son Mario in Paris1929, August 3rd Congress of the P.C.E. in Paris. The F.C.C.B. had to send its proposals, Maurin and Bonet not having been allowed to attend as delegates1930, June Returned to Spain after the fall of Primo de Rivera1930, Summer Maurin expelled from the party. The F.C.C.B. sided with him and was also expelled, and started seeking contacts with the "Partit Comunista Catala" that Jordi Arquer and other members of the F.C.C.B. founded in the years 1928-1929, refusing to follow the discipline of the Communist International any longerSo-called Conference of Pamplona of the P.C.E. to which the F.C.C.B. was not invited1930, October 24 Author, Los Hombres de la Dictadura (The men of the dictatorship), Madrid, Cenit; 241 p.1931, March 1 Founded the "Bloque Obrero y Campesino" (B.O.C.) as a rallying platform and framework for communist sympathisers and as a propaganda organization. The F.C.C.B., in effect, was converted into being the administrator of the B.O.C. Maurin was secretary-general1st Congress of the F.C.C.B. at Tarrasa. Incorporated the "Partit Comunista Catala" which had agreed to the fusion at its congress in the beginning of November 19301931, April 12 The B.O.C. participated in the municipal elections which brought about the end of the monarchy and the proclamation of the Republic on April 141931, June Visited by a delegation of the Communist International which wanted the B.O.C. to be incorporated into the P.C.E.; Maurin refused and was expelled from the Communist International in July1932, January 25 Author, La Revolucion Espanola. De la Monarquia Absoluta a la Revolucion Socialista (The Spanish revolution. From absolute monarchy to the socialist revolution), Madrid, Cenit; 196 p.1932, April 4 2nd Congress of the F.C.C.B. in Barcelona. Changed its name to "Federacion Comunista Iberica" (F.C.I.)1933, February Working classes conference convened by the B.O.C. in Barcelona1933, March The B.O.C. suggested the formation of the "Alianza Obrera Antifascista" which organized the October 1934 uprising1933, end of June 1st Congress of the F.C.I.1934, April 2nd Congress of the F.C.I.1935, April Author, Hacia la Segunda Revolucion (Until the second revolution), Barcelona, Alfa; 253 p. Translated into French in 1935 and published in Paris by Rieder under the title Revolution et Contre-revolution en Espagne; 367 p. Reedited in Spanish in 1966 and published in Paris by Ruedo Iberico under the title Revolucion y Contrarrevolucion en Espana (Revolution and counter-revolution in Spain); 289 p.1935, September Founded the "Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista" (P.O.U.M.) through the fusion of the B.O.C. and the "Izquierda Comunista" that Nin founded in 19321936, February Elected Deputy to the Cortes for the city of Barcelona under the "Front d'Esquerres", the Republican coalition of Catalonia, in which he was politically active since the end of 19351936, July Wife and son left for Paris Found himself in insurgent territory (Bisquaye, Galicia) at the outbreak of the civil war. Hid under false names1936, September 3 Arrested. Detained in Panticosa, Huesca, and then in the provincial prison of Jaca, Huesca, under the name of Joaquin Julio Ferrer1936, September Various newspapers announced his capture and execution1937, early September Released. Tried to reach France1937, September 6 Recognized at the border. Arrested under his real name and transferred to Saragossa1937, October 8 Brother Manuel died in the prison "Modelo" in Barcelona1937-May 1942 In solitary confinement in the provincial prison of Salamanca1941, August 30 Wife and son arrived in New York (American citizens in April 1953)1942, May-November Provincial prison of Barcelona1942, November-March 1944 Central prison of Burgos Wrote draft of En las Prisiones de Franco (In the prisons of Franco) under the title of "Los Siete Circulos"1944, March-October 1946 Provincial prison of Barcelona1944, August 19 His case came up for trial; sentenced to 30 years1946, October 1 Paroled under an amnesty for some political prisoners, but confined to Madrid where he worked as a translator for Jose Janes Publications1947, July 4 Was given a passport to visit his family in New York, provided he returned to Spain. Left for Neuilly s/Seine1947, September 30 American embassy in Paris granted him a temporary visitor's visa1947, October 16 Arrived in New York (his visa was extended twice, the second time until April 16, 1949)1947 Held a position with Dana Perfumes of Buenos Aires, which wanted him to undergo a 6-months training period in New York1948, end of February Injured his back: immobilized for a few months and incapacitated for a year and a half. Unable to return to Spain, he thus forfeited his conditional liberty1948, March-March 1950 Commercial representative in the U.S. of the Spanish firm PRADESA1949, July Founded the American Literary Agency (A.L.A.), a newspaper agency which distributed articles written by him and others to some 35 Central and Latin American newspapers1949, September-July 1952 Commercial representative in the U.S. of the Spanish firm Jose Collado Herrero1951, January-April 1954 Chief writer for the Boletin de Informac on de Dana, New York1953 The F.B.I. asked him to leave the country1954, April September 1957 Press attache to the Costa Rican delegation to the United Nations in New York1961, April 24 American citizen1973, November 12 Died in New York1974, May 5 Author, En Las Prisiones de Franco (In the prisons of Franco), Mexico, B. Costa-Amic; 210 p. - Acquisition information:
- Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1977.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Box 29 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Joaquin Maurin papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563