The "debate" was elsewhere. coommunist policy as laid down by Moscow, and embrace by most communist parties — was to establish a Popular Front — that is, political alliances with other progressive parties that would allow them to overcome right wing (particularly fascist) domestic opposition, and adopt an anti-fascist foreign policy that would allow for fascism to be effectively confronted and contained. This shift in policy was in reaction to events in Germany, where divisions on the left had fatally undermined efforts to prevent the Nazis coming to power. While the communists had hoped that Hitler was merely capitalism's last, desperate throw of the dice before collapsing, the swift and brutal consolidation of Nazi power dashed these hopes and made it clear that fascists could not be allowed to gain power. This new Popular Front approach meant seeking a common platform with more moderate, liberal and socialist parties, which meant the implicit abandonment of any short-term revolutionary aims. Spain in fact became the first country to see a Popular Front government in practice — the Spanish Popular Front had won the February 1936 elections, setting in motion the train of events that would lead to the July uprising. Its important to note that while the communists had played a role in this process, they were far from the most influential or numerous political grouping among the parties supporting the new government (they had only about 15 seats and no representation in the pre-civil war cabinet).
So, when the question of whether or not the Spanish Civil War was a revolutionary struggle came up, communist policy was shaped by their acceptance of the Popular Front as a strategy. This meant emphasising anti-fascist unity — which given that it involved allying with moderate socialists and liberal republicans as well as those on the far left such as anarchists, wasnt to be fought on specific revolutionary goals of one tendency. As such, the communists consistently advocated unity in the face of the 'fascist enemy, prioritising their defeat over any particular partisan programme, revolutionary or not. In other words, win the war first, worry about the revolution later. It's worth noting that despite mutual suspicion, the bulk of the Spanish anarchist movement (the world's largest) never split with the Republic, despite their own revolutionary beliefs. They, like others on the Republican side, accepted that the war effort came first, although they naturally disagreed with specific policies and decisions, and fought (politically) against the real and perceived encroachment of communist influence on the state, and, on the eventual defeat of the Republic, there were plenty of recriminations to go around.
Alongside domestic political unity, a key element of communist calculation was diplomatic. One of the Spanish Republic's weaknesses was its isolation, with few firm allies apart from the Soviet Union willing to supply aid or even sell it weapons, and it couldnt do much more given its inability to project power at the time and its critical state domesticaly. Much of the wariness of other Western democracies could be traced to the perceived revolutionary nature of the Republican Government, which eventually included communists and even anarchists. Shedding its revolutionary reputation was vital if the Republic was to gain meaningful diplomatic support, and provided strong impetus for most parties to shelve the more radical aspects of their agendas and present themselves as a liberal parliamentary democracy as far as possible.
The "debate" was elsewhere. coommunist policy as laid down by Moscow, and embrace by most communist parties — was to establish a Popular Front — that is, political alliances with other progressive parties that would allow them to overcome right wing (particularly fascist) domestic opposition, and adopt an anti-fascist foreign policy that would allow for fascism to be effectively confronted and contained. This shift in policy was in reaction to events in Germany, where divisions on the left had fatally undermined efforts to prevent the Nazis coming to power. While the communists had hoped that Hitler was merely capitalism's last, desperate throw of the dice before collapsing, the swift and brutal consolidation of Nazi power dashed these hopes and made it clear that fascists could not be allowed to gain power. This new Popular Front approach meant seeking a common platform with more moderate, liberal and socialist parties, which meant the implicit abandonment of any short-term revolutionary aims. Spain in fact became the first country to see a Popular Front government in practice — the Spanish Popular Front had won the February 1936 elections, setting in motion the train of events that would lead to the July uprising. Its important to note that while the communists had played a role in this process, they were far from the most influential or numerous political grouping among the parties supporting the new government (they had only about 15 seats and no representation in the pre-civil war cabinet).
So, when the question of whether or not the Spanish Civil War was a revolutionary struggle came up, communist policy was shaped by their acceptance of the Popular Front as a strategy. This meant emphasising anti-fascist unity — which given that it involved allying with moderate socialists and liberal republicans as well as those on the far left such as anarchists, wasnt to be fought on specific revolutionary goals of one tendency. As such, the communists consistently advocated unity in the face of the 'fascist enemy, prioritising their defeat over any particular partisan programme, revolutionary or not. In other words, win the war first, worry about the revolution later. It's worth noting that despite mutual suspicion, the bulk of the Spanish anarchist movement (the world's largest) never split with the Republic, despite their own revolutionary beliefs. They, like others on the Republican side, accepted that the war effort came first, although they naturally disagreed with specific policies and decisions, and fought (politically) against the real and perceived encroachment of communist influence on the state, and, on the eventual defeat of the Republic, there were plenty of recriminations to go around.
Alongside domestic political unity, a key element of communist calculation was diplomatic. One of the Spanish Republic's weaknesses was its isolation, with few firm allies apart from the Soviet Union willing to supply aid or even sell it weapons, and it couldnt do much more given its inability to project power at the time and its critical state domesticaly. Much of the wariness of other Western democracies could be traced to the perceived revolutionary nature of the Republican Government, which eventually included communists and even anarchists. Shedding its revolutionary reputation was vital if the Republic was to gain meaningful diplomatic support, and provided strong impetus for most parties to shelve the more radical aspects of their agendas and present themselves as a liberal parliamentary democracy as far as possible.