{{anti-fascism sidebar, Interwar anti-fascism The Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias ( es, Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas, MAOC) were a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

group founded in the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

in 1934. Their purpose was to protect leaders of the

Communist Party of Spain The Communist Party of Spain ( es, Partido Comunista de España; PCE) is a Marxist-Leninist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is part of Unidas Podemos. It currently has two of its politicians serving as ...

(PCE) and

Unified Socialist Youth The Unified Socialist Youth (Spanish: Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas; JSU) was a youth organization formed in the spring of 1936 in Spain through the amalgamation of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and Communist Party of Spain (PCE) ...

(JSU) from the attacks of Fascist militia groups such as the Falange Blueshirts. The MAOC were especially active in the few months preceding the 1936 coup and the first months of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Many of the members of the Popular Army's

Fifth Regiment The Fifth Regiment ( es, Quinto Regimiento, the full name ''Quinto Regimiento de Milicias Populares)'', was an elite corps loyal to the Spanish Republic at the onset of the Spanish Civil War. Made up of volunteers, the Fifth Regiment was active ...

during the war belonged to the Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias.

History

Most of the MAOC members belonged to the

, ''Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas'' (JSU),

youth organization The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for Minor (law), minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted othe ...

. They received weapons and basic paramilitary training.De Miguel, Jesús y Sánchez, Antonio: ''Batalla de Madrid,'' in his ''Historia Ilustrada de la Guerra Civil Española.'' Alcobendas, Editorial LIBSA, 2006, pp. 189-221. Shortly after the Spanish coup of 17 July 1936, the MAOC formed five battalions that took an active part in the

defence of Madrid The siege of Madrid was a two-and-a-half-year siege of the Republican-controlled Spanish capital city of Madrid by the Nationalist armies, under General Francisco Franco, during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). The city, besieged from Oct ...

. One of these battalions eventually became the renowned "Fifth Regiment" (''5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares''), a military unit directly supported by the

and intended as a model for other military units in the initial chaotic period of the civil war. In the first critical phase of the war the Communists and Socialists led the implementation of a policy that sought to replace the spontaneous and disorganized bands fighting for the Spanish Republic with loyal, disciplined and militarized units. Thus the MAOC members eventually became integrated in different units of the Spanish Republican Army and their militia became extinct.Comín Colomer, Eduardo (1973); El 5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares. Madrid. The Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias members used to wear a uniform featuring a light blue shirt and a red tie. The political commissars wore a

red star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...

on the shirt's breast pocket.

References

Bibliography

*Carlos Rojas, ''Por qué perdimos la guerra.'' Barcelona, Ediciones Nauta, 1970 Second Spanish Republic Militias in Europe Communist Party of Spain Anti-fascist organisations in Spain Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War Left-wing militant groups in Spain Military units and formations established in 1934 Military units and formations disestablished in 1937 Military wings of political parties

History

See also

References

Bibliography