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Joan Comorera
Joan Comorera i Soler (or Juan Comorera y Soler; 5 September 1894 – 7 May 1958), was a Spanish Communist politician, journalist and writer from Catalonia who spent several years in Argentina before returning to Spain in 1931 at the start of the Second Spanish Republic. He was a Catalan nationalist, and was elected chairman of the Socialist Union of Catalonia in 1933. In 1936 he became Secretary General of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC), in alliance with the Spanish Communist Party. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) he built up his party into a major political force during the struggles among the supporters of the Republic between Socialists, Stalinists, Trotskyists and Anarcho-syndicalists. After the Republicans were defeated by the right-wing forces led by Francisco Franco he went into exile, living in Mexico and then in France. In 1949 he was expelled from the Communist party for his Catalan nationalism, and survived an assassination attempt. In 1951 he moved back to Catalonia using a false name. He was arrested in 1954 and died in prison four years later.
Joan Comorera i Soler was born in Cervera, Segarra, Catalonia on 5 September 1894. He took a teacher's training course in Lérida, but never taught. In 1913 he began work as a journalist, acting as the Madrid correspondent of the newspaper La Publicidad. In the summer of 1913 he founded the anticlerical magazine La Escuela in Cervera. In 1914 he moved to Barcelona, where he became involved in the republican movement. He was a cofounder of the Bloc Republicà Autonomista (BRA), and then of the Partit Republicà Català (PRC). He was active in journalism as a regular contributor to La Lucha and editor of El Pueblo. In 1916 he married Rosa Santacana.
Comorera lived in France from 1917 to 1919. In 1919 he published La trágica ignorancia española (The Tragic Ignorance of Spain). He emigrated to Argentina in 1919, where he continued to work as a journalist. He joined the Argentine Socialist Party. He was naturalized and headed the bilingual weekly paper Nación Catalana (Catalan Nation) from 1923 to 1930. He was forced to leave Argentina after the coup of General José Félix Uriburu in September 1930. He moved to Uruguay that year.
With the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931 Comorera returned to Catalonia, where he joined the Socialist Union of Catalonia (Unió Socialista de Catalunya, USC). He headed the socialist weekly Justicia Social (Social Justice) from 1931 to 1936. Comorera was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia in November 1932, and was elected chairman of the executive committee of the USC in April 1933. He was Minister of Agriculture and Economy in the first government of Catalonia formed by president Lluís Companys, from January to October 1934. He organized the Higher Council of Cooperation and the Agricultural and Cooperative Bank of Credit. Comorera participated in the events of 6 October 1934 and was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment.
A meeting of the six Marxist parties of Catalonia was held on 3 February 1935 to prepare for the formation of the partido socialista catalán. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Unió Socialista de Catalunya (USC), Federación Catalana del PSOE, Partit Comunista Catalá (PCC), Bloc Obrer i Camperol (BOC) and the Izquierda Comunista. Comorera's USC took the position that the Socialists should unify into one group, the Communists into another, and then the two groups should join. This was the start of extended negotiations in which a liaison committee was formed to resolve issues between the Socialist groups. The growing strength of the Trotskyist POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) encouraged the PCC to enter into negotiations with the liaison committee. On 24 November 1935 the committee held a meeting in Barcelona which the PCC was invited to attend. Comorera wrote from prison urging a quick union of the groups, and the PCC joined the committee in the first half of January 1936.
When the Popular Front gained power in February 1936 Comorera was released and returned to the Ministry of Agriculture and Economy. Comorera led the USC into unification with the Proletarian Catalan Party (Partit Català Proletari) in April 1936, followed by formation in July 1936 of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, PSUC) Comorera was appointed PSUC secretary general. In the government of the Catalan Generalitat named by President Companys on 31 July 1936 the PSUC was given three ministries. Comorera was Minister of the Economy, Rafael Vidiella was Minister of Communications and Estanislau Ruiz Ponsetti was Minister of Supplies. However, the dominant CNT-FAI objected to the inclusion of the PSUC, and on 6 August 1936 a new government of autonomous Catalonia was formed that excluded the PSUC.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) Comorera held various ministerial positions in the government of Catalonia. He was active in the movement to unify the Anarchist Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and the PSUC, and attended plenary meetings of the Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España PCE). At the end of November 1936 the Trotskyist POUM denounced the Soviet Union for preventing them from joining the Madrid Defense Council. On 13 December 1936 Comorera said, "the POUM has initiated a shameful campaign of attacks and slanders against the great proletarian country and friend, using exactly the same arguments as the fascist Germans and Italians." The CNT chose to ignore the dispute between the POUM and the PSUC, arguing in favor of the unity government. However, a new "syndical" government was formed on 17 December 1936 that excluded POUM members and included Comorera, Rafael Vidiella and Miquel Valdés of the PSUC.
Comorera was Minister of Supplies in the "syndical" government, and was soon accused of causing the shortage of bread in Barcelona. In turn, the PSUC accused the CNT's supplies committees of causing the problem. On 22 February 1937 CNT unions confiscated 15,000 sacks of flour from a Barcelona warehouse. On 27 February Comorera introduced bread rationing throughout Catalonia. The cabinet was reshuffled frequently. On 3 April 1937 Comorera became Minister of Labor, and on 16 April became Minister of Justice. An article in the CNT newspaper Solidaridad Obrera on 17 April 1937 stated that "[The] way to prevent the sacrifices of our comrades from being reduced to naught is... to create an army that will guarantee victory in the war and the Revolution and to remove Comorera, Aiguadé, Rodríguez Salas, etc. from the public life of Catalonia."
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Joan Comorera
Joan Comorera i Soler (or Juan Comorera y Soler; 5 September 1894 – 7 May 1958), was a Spanish Communist politician, journalist and writer from Catalonia who spent several years in Argentina before returning to Spain in 1931 at the start of the Second Spanish Republic. He was a Catalan nationalist, and was elected chairman of the Socialist Union of Catalonia in 1933. In 1936 he became Secretary General of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC), in alliance with the Spanish Communist Party. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) he built up his party into a major political force during the struggles among the supporters of the Republic between Socialists, Stalinists, Trotskyists and Anarcho-syndicalists. After the Republicans were defeated by the right-wing forces led by Francisco Franco he went into exile, living in Mexico and then in France. In 1949 he was expelled from the Communist party for his Catalan nationalism, and survived an assassination attempt. In 1951 he moved back to Catalonia using a false name. He was arrested in 1954 and died in prison four years later.
Joan Comorera i Soler was born in Cervera, Segarra, Catalonia on 5 September 1894. He took a teacher's training course in Lérida, but never taught. In 1913 he began work as a journalist, acting as the Madrid correspondent of the newspaper La Publicidad. In the summer of 1913 he founded the anticlerical magazine La Escuela in Cervera. In 1914 he moved to Barcelona, where he became involved in the republican movement. He was a cofounder of the Bloc Republicà Autonomista (BRA), and then of the Partit Republicà Català (PRC). He was active in journalism as a regular contributor to La Lucha and editor of El Pueblo. In 1916 he married Rosa Santacana.
Comorera lived in France from 1917 to 1919. In 1919 he published La trágica ignorancia española (The Tragic Ignorance of Spain). He emigrated to Argentina in 1919, where he continued to work as a journalist. He joined the Argentine Socialist Party. He was naturalized and headed the bilingual weekly paper Nación Catalana (Catalan Nation) from 1923 to 1930. He was forced to leave Argentina after the coup of General José Félix Uriburu in September 1930. He moved to Uruguay that year.
With the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931 Comorera returned to Catalonia, where he joined the Socialist Union of Catalonia (Unió Socialista de Catalunya, USC). He headed the socialist weekly Justicia Social (Social Justice) from 1931 to 1936. Comorera was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia in November 1932, and was elected chairman of the executive committee of the USC in April 1933. He was Minister of Agriculture and Economy in the first government of Catalonia formed by president Lluís Companys, from January to October 1934. He organized the Higher Council of Cooperation and the Agricultural and Cooperative Bank of Credit. Comorera participated in the events of 6 October 1934 and was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment.
A meeting of the six Marxist parties of Catalonia was held on 3 February 1935 to prepare for the formation of the partido socialista catalán. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Unió Socialista de Catalunya (USC), Federación Catalana del PSOE, Partit Comunista Catalá (PCC), Bloc Obrer i Camperol (BOC) and the Izquierda Comunista. Comorera's USC took the position that the Socialists should unify into one group, the Communists into another, and then the two groups should join. This was the start of extended negotiations in which a liaison committee was formed to resolve issues between the Socialist groups. The growing strength of the Trotskyist POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) encouraged the PCC to enter into negotiations with the liaison committee. On 24 November 1935 the committee held a meeting in Barcelona which the PCC was invited to attend. Comorera wrote from prison urging a quick union of the groups, and the PCC joined the committee in the first half of January 1936.
When the Popular Front gained power in February 1936 Comorera was released and returned to the Ministry of Agriculture and Economy. Comorera led the USC into unification with the Proletarian Catalan Party (Partit Català Proletari) in April 1936, followed by formation in July 1936 of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, PSUC) Comorera was appointed PSUC secretary general. In the government of the Catalan Generalitat named by President Companys on 31 July 1936 the PSUC was given three ministries. Comorera was Minister of the Economy, Rafael Vidiella was Minister of Communications and Estanislau Ruiz Ponsetti was Minister of Supplies. However, the dominant CNT-FAI objected to the inclusion of the PSUC, and on 6 August 1936 a new government of autonomous Catalonia was formed that excluded the PSUC.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) Comorera held various ministerial positions in the government of Catalonia. He was active in the movement to unify the Anarchist Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and the PSUC, and attended plenary meetings of the Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España PCE). At the end of November 1936 the Trotskyist POUM denounced the Soviet Union for preventing them from joining the Madrid Defense Council. On 13 December 1936 Comorera said, "the POUM has initiated a shameful campaign of attacks and slanders against the great proletarian country and friend, using exactly the same arguments as the fascist Germans and Italians." The CNT chose to ignore the dispute between the POUM and the PSUC, arguing in favor of the unity government. However, a new "syndical" government was formed on 17 December 1936 that excluded POUM members and included Comorera, Rafael Vidiella and Miquel Valdés of the PSUC.
Comorera was Minister of Supplies in the "syndical" government, and was soon accused of causing the shortage of bread in Barcelona. In turn, the PSUC accused the CNT's supplies committees of causing the problem. On 22 February 1937 CNT unions confiscated 15,000 sacks of flour from a Barcelona warehouse. On 27 February Comorera introduced bread rationing throughout Catalonia. The cabinet was reshuffled frequently. On 3 April 1937 Comorera became Minister of Labor, and on 16 April became Minister of Justice. An article in the CNT newspaper Solidaridad Obrera on 17 April 1937 stated that "[The] way to prevent the sacrifices of our comrades from being reduced to naught is... to create an army that will guarantee victory in the war and the Revolution and to remove Comorera, Aiguadé, Rodríguez Salas, etc. from the public life of Catalonia."
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