Maurín, Joaquín, 1897-1973

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1896-01-12
Death 1973-11-05
Spaniards,
Spanish; Castilian,

Biographical notes:

Spanish socialist, journalist, and author.

From the description of Joaquín Maurín papers, 1870-1976. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754870804

Biographical Note and Chronology of Related Events

1896, January 13 Born in Bonansa, Huesca (Spain), of Aragon mother and Catalan father 1914 1918 Teacher of geography and history at Lerida high-school Member of "Juventud Republicana", Lerida Writer for El Ideal, the daily mouthpiece of "Juventud Republicana" 1919, December 2nd Congress of the "Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo" (C.N.T.) in Madrid during which it decided to affiliate itself with the Communist International 1919 mid 1920 Stationed in Madrid during his tour of duty in the Spanish army mid 1920 Joined the C.N.T. fall 1920 1921 Secretary of the "Confederacion Provincial del Trabajo", Lerida Member of the regional committee of Catalonia of the C.N.T., representing the province of Lerida 1920 1922 Editor of Lucha Social, Lerida, a trade-unionist weekly founded by Pedro Bonet in 1919 1921, May Left with Andres Nin, Arlandis and Ibanez for Moscow 1921, June 1921 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 approved 1921, 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 International 1922, 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 1924 1923 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 1924 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 resign 1925, January 12 Arrested as he was coming out of the Ateneo of Barcelona 1925, January 12 October 4, 1927 Political prisoner, first in the prison "Modelo" in Barcelona, then in the fortress of Montjuich, then again in Barcelona 1926, November 23 Acquitted, but not released immediately 1927, November June 1930 Resided in Neuilly s/Seine (Paris) Worked for Le Monde Correspondent for Tass and Izvestia on Spanish issues 1927, November 26 Married Jeanne Lifchitz (sister of Boris Souvarine) 1928, March 1928 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.: refused 1928, December 22 Birth of son Mario in Paris 1929, 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 delegates 1930, June Returned to Spain after the fall of Primo de Rivera 1930, Summer So-called Conference of Pamplona of the P.C.E. to which the F.C.C.B. was not invited 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 longer 1930, October 24 Author, Los Hombres de la Dictadura (The men of the dictatorship), Madrid, Cenit; 241 p. 1931, March 1 1st 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 1930 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-general 1931, 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 14 1931, 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 July 1932, 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 Barcelona 1933, March The B.O.C. suggested the formation of the "Alianza Obrera Antifascista" which organized the October 1934 uprising 1933, 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 1932 1936, 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 1935 1936, July Wife and son left for Paris Found himself in insurgent territory (Bisquaye, Galicia) at the outbreak of the civil war. Hid under false names 1936, September 3 Arrested. Detained in Panticosa, Huesca, and then in the provincial prison of Jaca, Huesca, under the name of Joaquin Julio Ferrer 1936, September Various newspapers announced his capture and execution 1937, early September Released. Tried to reach France 1937, September 6 Recognized at the border. Arrested under his real name and transferred to Saragossa 1937, October 8 Brother Manuel died in the prison "Modelo" in Barcelona 1937 May 1942 In solitary confinement in the provincial prison of Salamanca 1941, August 30 Wife and son arrived in New York (American citizens in April 1953) 1942, May 1942 November Provincial prison of Barcelona 1942, 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 Barcelona 1944, August 19 His case came up for trial; sentenced to 30 years 1946, October 1 Paroled under an amnesty for some political prisoners, but confined to Madrid where he worked as a translator for Jose Janes Publications 1947, July 4 Was given a passport to visit his family in New York, provided he returned to Spain. Left for Neuilly s/Seine 1947, September 30 American embassy in Paris granted him a temporary visitor's visa 1947, 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 York 1948, 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 liberty 1948, March March 1950 Commercial representative in the U.S. of the Spanish firm PRADESA 1949, 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 newspapers 1949, September July 1952 Commercial representative in the U.S. of the Spanish firm Jose Collado Herrero 1951, January April 1954 Chief writer for the Boletin de Informac on de Dana, New York 1953 The F.B.I. asked him to leave the country 1954, April September 1957 Press attache to the Costa Rican delegation to the United Nations in New York 1961, April 24 American citizen 1973, November 12 Died in New York 1974, May 5 Author, En Las Prisiones de Franco (In the prisons of Franco), Mexico, B. Costa-Amic; 210 p.

For further information, see the correspondence file for the following correspondents, to which Maurin gave answers to specific reference questions about his past activities and Spanish politics of the 1920s and 1930s: Arquer, Jordi; Bonamusa Gaspa, Francisco; Cardona, Jose Manuel; Connelly Ullman, Joan; Kairis, Robert A.; Meaker, Gerald H.; Pages, Pedro (Victor Alba); Payne, Stanley; Portela, Luis; Thomas, Hugh; Wolfe, Bertram and Ella

From the guide to the Joaquin Maurin Papers, 1870-1976, (Hoover Institution Archives)

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Subjects:

  • Communism
  • Communism
  • Fascism
  • Fascism
  • Labor movement
  • Labor movement Spain
  • Socialism
  • Socialism

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • Spain. (as recorded)
  • Spain (as recorded)

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