The POUM: Those who would?

Doug Enaa Greene discusses The POUM: Those who would?.

In the end, the revolution in Spain was lost not during the May Days of 1937, but long before. While the POUM arguably possessed a revolutionary program of victory, they had made a number of strategic errors before the war which isolated their influence to Catalonia. And during the war itself, the POUM's policies were two-faced: looking toward the Popular Front and for revolution. This was not helped by their ineffective leadership and their lack of allies.

The anarchists by contrast had the potential mass influence and zeal to carry a revolution across Spain. However, their own doctrine prevented them from doing what was necessary in order to win. At the moment when victory was possible, and power was in their hands, they threw it away. The Spanish Civil War also threw up new problems that anarchism couldn't comprehend. It showed that the path to victory was not as easy as abolishing the state and proclaiming libertarian communism. Rather, a state was needed to plan production, organize the war effort and mobilize the populace. And despite the later myth-making, the Spanish anarchists recognized this in practice when they joined the Generalitat and Republican government to prosecute the war.

And in light of the fact that neither of the options proposed by the POUM or the anarchists were viable options — whether through lack of will or ability — that left only the Communist Party's strategy. The PCE, whatever other mistakes they may have made, clearly recognized that a centralized regular army was needed to win the war. And in light of everything, they possessed both the means and the will to put their plans into action.

Emphasis Mine

The Spanish Civil War is seen as a battle between the ideals of Bolshevikism and Anarchism. It is also a lesson in not compromising the strategy of armed insurrection in order to seize state power.

Popular fronts are a means of drawing workers and others into active politics, and for various political parties to explore ideas and actions in common. But they are not a means of waging a revolution.

The lessons of Russian Revolution cannot be directly applied to other revolutions. There are general lessons like democratic centralism, and soviets. There are the particular lessons, relevant to Russia, of how to approach and involve the peasants.

The success of the Boliveran Revolution in Venezuela is due the radicalisation of the armed forces, and the capture of state power through the electoral process. The former allowed the latter to happen. Yet, this revolution is not secure because the economic power is divided in Venezuela thereby contributing to a prolonged period of dual power.