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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 Unidas Podemos (), formerly called Unidos Podemos () and also known in English as United We Can, is a democratic socialist electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, and other left-wing to far-left parties in May to contest the 2016 Sp ...
. It currently has two of its politicians serving as government ministers in the
Spanish government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...
, in the roles of Minister of Labour and Social Economy and Minister of Consumer Affairs respectively. The PCE was founded by 1921, after a split in the
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...
( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español; PSOE). The PCE was founded by those who opposed the
social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...
wing of the PSOE, because the social democrat wing did not support the PSOE's integration in the
Communist International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by a ...
founded by
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
two years prior. The PCE was a merger of the
Spanish Communist Party The Spanish Communist Party (in es, Partido Comunista Español), was the first communist party in Spain, formed out of the Federación de Juventudes Socialistas (Federation of Socialist Youth, youth wing of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party). Th ...
( es, Partido Comunista Español) and the Spanish Communist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Comunista Obrero Español). The PCE was first legalized after the proclamation of 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 April 1931. The republic was the first democratic regime in the
history of Spain The history of Spain dates to contact the pre-Roman peoples of the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula made with the Greeks and Phoenicians and the first writing systems known as Paleohispanic scripts were developed. During Classical A ...
. The PCE gained much support in the months before the Spanish coup of July 1936, which marked the beginning 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 ...
, and it was a major force during the war as well. The Republicans lost, and Franco established a
military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
, under which the PCE was one of the most heavily repressed parties, with specific laws banning communist parties, among others. Under the dictatorship, the PCE was the main opposition to the Francoist dictatorship. In the early years of the dictatorship, many PCE members joined the
Spanish Maquis The Maquis were Spanish guerrillas who waged an irregular warfare against the Francoist dictatorship within Spain following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War until the early 1960s, carrying out sabotage, robberies (to help fund g ...
, a group of guerrillas who fought against the regime. Years later, the Maquis' power declined, and the PCE abandoned the military strategy. Instead, it chose to interfere in the only legal syndicate (which was part of the Francoist apparatus), the Vertical Syndicate. Franco died on 20 November 1975, and two days later, Juan Carlos I was crowned. Juan Carlos I would lead the
Spanish transition to democracy Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, a time when the PCE became also extremely relevant, due to Franco's anti-communist legacy. Prime Minister
Adolfo Suárez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in th ...
legalized the PCE on 9 April 1977, a decision which was particularly controversial, but ended peacefully. The PCE largely contributed to the restoration of democracy in Spain during the lead of Secretary-General
Santiago Carrillo Santiago José Carrillo Solares (18 January 1915 – 18 September 2012) was a Spanish politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (main), Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. His role in the Paracu ...
. Since 1986, it is part of the United Left coalition. In its
statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...
s, the PCE defines its goals as "democratically participate in a revolutionary transformation of society and its political structures, overcoming the capitalist system and constructing
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
in the Spanish State, as a contribution to the transition to socialism worldwide, with our goals set in the realization of the emancipating ideal of
communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
". It defines itself as revolutionary,
internationalist Internationalist may refer to: * Internationalism (politics), a movement to increase cooperation across national borders * Liberal internationalism, a doctrine in international relations * Internationalist/Defencist Schism, socialists opposed to ...
, solidarity,
republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
,
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, and
secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...
, specifically, of the
laïcité (; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as discouraging religious involvement in government affairs, especially religious influence in the determin ...
variety. The youth organization of PCE is the
Communist Youth Union of Spain The Communist Youth Union of Spain ( es, Unión de Juventudes Comunistas de España, UJCE; also simply the Communist Youth) is the youth organisation of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The UJCE merged with the Federation of the Socialist Yout ...
. PCE publishes ''
Mundo Obrero ''Mundo Obrero'' (Spanish: ''Workers World'') is the periodical of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The paper is based in Madrid, Spain. History and profile ''Mundo Obrero'' was first published on 14 November 1931. During its initial phase the p ...
'' (Workers World) monthly.


History


Establishment and pre-republican era

The PCE was the result of a merger between two organizations: the original Spanish Communist Party (''
Partido Comunista Español The Spanish Communist Party (in es, Partido Comunista Español), was the first communist party in Spain, formed out of the Federación de Juventudes Socialistas (Federation of Socialist Youth, youth wing of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party). Th ...
'' or PCE) and the Spanish Communist Workers' Party ('' Partido Comunista Obrero Español'' or PCOE). The former was created in April 1920 from portions of the
Socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...
' youth organization (''Federación de Juventudes Socialistas'' or FJS) while the latter had been formed from a union of dissident Socialists (''terceristas'') and members of the General Union of Workers (''
Unión General de Trabajadores The Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT, General Union of Workers) is a major Spanish trade union, historically affiliated with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). History The UGT was founded 12 August 1888 by Pablo Iglesias Posse ...
'' or UGT) who regarded the original PCE as not properly representative of the working class.S.G. Payne,''The Spanish Civil War, the Soviet Union, and Communism.'' New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004; pg. 12. The two parties joined in the new Partido Comunista de España on 14 November 1921. The unified PCE became a member of the
Third International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by a ...
and held its first congress in
Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...
in March 1922. In May,
Jules Humbert-Droz Jules-Frédéric Humbert-Droz (23 September 1891, La Chaux-de-Fonds – 16 October 1971) was a Swiss pastor, journalist, Socialist and Communist. A founding member of the Communist Party of Switzerland, he held high Comintern office through the 192 ...
, the top
Comintern The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...
official in Western Europe, arrived in Spain to supervise the still fractious party and would continue to do so until the establishment of the republic. By the end of 1922, the party had approximately 5,000 members.Payne,''The Spanish Civil War, the Soviet Union, and Communism,'' pg. 15. The PCE's left-wing engaged in political violence, especially in
Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...
, largely directed against other leftists. A party leader's bodyguard shot and killed a Socialist in November 1922 and organized party militants attempted a general strike in August 1923 that ended in a shootout at the barricaded party headquarters, resulting in twenty communists dead or injured and another seventy arrested. With the advent of the dictatorship of
Miguel Primo de Rivera Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquess of Estella (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a dictator, aristocrat, and military officer who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during Spain's Restoration era. He deepl ...
in September 1923, political parties, including the PCE, were repressed and rendered largely powerless though not dissolved. The party continued to publish its weekly newspaper '' La Antorcha'' until 1927. In November 1925, PCE leaders joined with Comintern officials and leaders of the Catalan-separatist
Estat Català Estat Català (, literally "Catalan State") is a pro-independence nationalist historical political party of Catalonia (Spain). History Estat Català is a historical pro-independence political party in Catalonia, Spain. It was founded by France ...
in endorsing a revolutionary program calling for the following: :*Abolition of Primo de Rivera's dictatorship and of the monarchy, :*Creation of a ''república federativa popular'' (federal popular republic), :*Recognition of independence for
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
, the Basque Country, and
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
, :*Total freedom of association, :*Expropriation of large estates and distribution of land to peasants, :*Organization of workers' councils in industry, :*Formation of a central committee for revolution consisting of representatives from several parties as well as a military committee, and :*A planned insurrection in Madrid. However, Moscow urged a cautious approach, and the CNT and Basque nationalists were reluctant to cooperate with communists, so the plans were never carried out. The PCE continued to suffer from repression and dissension. The party's second secretary general, José Bullejos, purged the party of politically suspect members, and was himself arrested in 1928. In 1930, the arguments over doctrine led the
Catalan-Balearic Communist Federation Catalan-Balear Communist Federation (in Catalan: ''Federació Comunista Catalano-Balear'') was a communist group in Spain. Formed in 1924, it joined the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), and functioned as the PCE federation in Catalonia and the Ba ...
(FCCB) to break from the party and associate with the
International Right Opposition The Right Opposition (, ''Pravaya oppozitsiya'') or Right Tendency (, ''Praviy uklon'') in the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) was a conditional label formulated by Joseph Stalin in fall of 1928 in regards the opposition against certain m ...
. Amid this infighting, Comintern official
Dmitry Manuilsky Dmitriy Manuilsky, or Dmytro Zakharovych Manuilsky ( Russian: Дми́трий Заха́рович Мануи́льский; Ukrainian: Дмитро Захарович Мануїльський; October 1883 in Sviatets near Kremenets – 22 ...
reportedly stated that, while Spain had "an excellent
proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...
", it had only "a few little groups, but not a communist party". Thus, the PCE was in a very debilitated state when 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 ...
was proclaimed in 1931. On 3 December 1933 the first PCE parliamentarian, Cayetano Bolívar Escribano, was elected. Bolívar was jailed at the time of elections and left imprisonment to occupy his post in the parliament.


Popular Front and Civil War

PCE was a small party during the initial years of the Republic, until it began to grow due to the victory of the
Popular Front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...
(of which the Communists had been a constituent part) in February 1936 and the beginning 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 ...
in July of that year. The PCE, directed by José Díaz and
Dolores Ibárruri Isidora Dolores Ibárruri Gómez (; 9 December 189512 November 1989), also known as (English: "the Passionflower"), was a Spanish Republican politician of the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and a communist known for her slogan ''¡No Pasará ...
(known popularly as ''La Pasionaria''), worked consistently for the victory of the Republican forces and the Popular Front government, but was wary of the social revolution that was being waged by Spanish workers. The PCE leadership judged that while progressive laws could be passed, an attempt at a full-scale socialist revolution would needlessly divide the forces of the Republic. It would cause massive conflict behind republican lines, thus diverting military forces from the battle against Franco and driving many democratic republicans who were prepared to fight against the rebels into the arms of the rebels. Being a well-knit and highly disciplined organization, the PCE could in spite of its numerical weakness play an important part in the war. In the first five months of the war, PCE grew from 30,000 members to 100,000. It also founded a Spanish branch of the
International Red Aid International Red Aid (also commonly known by its Russian acronym MOPR ( ru , МОПР, for: ''Междунаро́дная организа́ция по́мощи борца́м револю́ции'' - Mezhdunarodnaya organizatsiya pomoshchi bor ...
, which assisted the Republican cause considerably. In 1936, due to the special political situation in
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
, Partit Comunista de Catalunya (the Catalan branch of PCE) was separated from the party to fuse with other socialists to form
Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya The Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia ( ca, Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, PSUC) was a communist political party active in Catalonia between 1936 and 1997. It was the Catalan branch of the Communist Party of Spain and the only party ...
. Since then the PCE does not have an organization in Catalonia, but relies on a regional referent party. This set-up has been imitated by many of the communist splinter groups in Spain.


Resistance and reorientation

After the Republican defeat in April 1939, the PCE was persecuted by the Nationales of
caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; osp, cabdillo, from Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise definition of ''caudillo'', which is often used interchangeably with " ...
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
(1939–1975), although maintained the best organization among the opposition parties inside Spain. During the initial years of the Francoist State, PCE organized guerrilla struggles in some parts of the country. From the signing of
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled those powers to partition Poland between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ri ...
to the German assault on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, Spanish communists pursued neutralist policies with regards to Germany's aggression against Poland and France, regarding the war as imperialist and unjust. Much like the identical positions of other Moscow-directed
Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...
parties, this position was changed immediately after Germany invaded the Soviet Union. A large part of the party membership was forced into exile. Some PCE members went to the Soviet Union and fought as volunteers for the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
during the Second World War, such as General
Enrique Líster Enrique Líster Forján (21 April 1907 – 8 December 1994) was a Spanish communist politician and military officer. Early life Líster was born in 1907 at Ameneiro, A Coruña. A stonemason, he spent his adolescence in Cuba, before returni ...
. A large section of PCE members were based in France, were a major party organization was set up. During the later half of the Franco years, PCE changed its strategy and started organizing
Workers' Commissions The Workers' Commissions ( es, Comisiones Obreras, CCOO) since the 1970s has become the largest trade union in Spain. It has more than one million members, and is the most successful union in labor elections, competing with the Unión General de ...
(CC.OO.) within the official trade union apparatus. CC.OO. and PCE gained strength and became the backbone of the opposition forces in the country. Dolores Ibárruri, "La Pasionaria", a dedicated follower of consequent Comintern policies, replaced Jose Diaz as General Secretary in 1944, and held the position until 1960.
Santiago Carrillo Santiago José Carrillo Solares (18 January 1915 – 18 September 2012) was a Spanish politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (main), Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. His role in the Paracu ...
was General Secretary from 1960 to 1982. In 1963, after the Communist Party of Spain abandoned the armed struggle, hard-line Communists, led by
Julio Álvarez del Vayo Julio Álvarez del Vayo (1890 in Villaviciosa de Odón, Community of Madrid – 3 May 1975 in Geneva, Switzerland) was a Spanish Socialist politician, journalist and writer. Biography Álvarez studied Law at the Universities of Madrid and Vall ...
, founded the
Spanish National Liberation Front Spanish National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Español de Liberación Nacional), better known by its acronym FELN, was a Spain, Spanish Republican antifascism, antifascist opposition group based in Belgium and France active between 1963 and 1970. ...
(FELN), a small splinter group. Carrillo put the party on a
eurocommunist Eurocommunism, also referred to as democratic communism or neocommunism, was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties which said they had developed a theory and practice of social transformation more rele ...
course, distancing it from its
Leninist Leninism is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishme ...
origins. Carrillo accepted concessions to the "
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
", accepting the restoration of a
liberal democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into diff ...
and constitutional monarchy. This was regarded by many Party members as treason, for these concessions were made to classes the Party's doctrine called "exploiters".


Transition to democracy

The Party was legalized after the January
1977 Atocha massacre The 1977 Atocha massacre was an attack by right-wing extremists in the center of Madrid on January 24, 1977, which saw the assassination of five labor activists from the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) and the workers' federation ''Comisiones ...
, on 9 April 1977, as one of the last steps in the
Spanish transition to democracy Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
. Only weeks after the legalization, PCE had over 200,000 card-holding members. But the concessions made by Carrillo (labelled "revisionist" by his orthodox communist opponents) and the social democratization of the party under his leadership provoked dissent amongst party ranks. Several party members left the party.
Enrique Líster Enrique Líster Forján (21 April 1907 – 8 December 1994) was a Spanish communist politician and military officer. Early life Líster was born in 1907 at Ameneiro, A Coruña. A stonemason, he spent his adolescence in Cuba, before returni ...
broke away in 1973 and formed the Partido Comunista Obrero Español. Other more radical left-wing groups that broke away were
Partido Comunista de los Trabajadores Workers' Communist Party (in Spanish language, Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de los Trabajadores'') was a political party in Spain. Formed in 1977 by the Left Opposition of PCE. PCT had a youth wing called Workers' Communist Youth (''Juventudes Com ...
(formed by the Left Opposition of PCE in 1977) and PCE (VIII-IX Congresos) (formed in 1971). In the first elections after the transition in 1977, the PCE obtained 9% of the votes, and in 1979 it increased its vote share to 11%. By this time, however, the party had become increasingly divided into three currents. Carrillo's supporters were squeezed between, on the one hand, pro-soviet communists who had remained within the party and felt his Eurocommunist course took the party too far on a social democratic path and, on the other hand, "renovators" who advocated for democratizing the party and opening it up towards more collaboration with other groups on the left. In the midst of successive waves of expulsions of members who belonged to the minority currents, the PCE suffered an electoral defeat in 1982, getting just 4% of the vote.


Divisions in the party, collaboration with other groups in the United Left

After the 1982 elections, Carrillo was removed as general secretary, and the new party leader
Gerardo Iglesias Gerardo Iglesias Argüelles (born 29 June 1945) is a Spanish retired politician and miner. He was the secretary-general of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1982 to 1988. Biography Born on 29 June 1945 in El Cerezal, in the Asturian muni ...
pursued a strategy of leftist convergence and collaboration with non-communist parties and social movements. Over the objections of Carrillo, who was expelled in 1985 and went on to found a new party and warn that supporting IU was tantamount to "burying communism", the PCE developed the "United Left" alliance Izquierda Unida (IU). This broad coalition initially encompassed parties ranging from the pro-Soviet PCPE to the socialist PASOC, the
Progressive Federation Progressive Federation (in Spanish: ''Federación Progresista''; FP) was a socialist, ecologist and pacifist political party in Spain. It was created in 1984 by a group led by Ramón Tamanes that split from the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Hist ...
, and the
Carlist Party The Carlist Party ( es, Partido Carlista, ca, Partit Carlí, eu, Karlista Alderdia, gl, Partido Carlista, ast, Partíu Carlista; PC) is a Spanish political party that considers itself as a successor to the historical tradition of Carlism. ...
. Despite its role in the anti-
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
protests of 1986, IU fared weakly in the 1986 elections, and by 1988, the Communist Party elected
Julio Anguita Julio Anguita González (21 November 194116 May 2020) was a Spanish politician and historian. He was Mayor of Córdoba, Spain, Córdoba from 1979 to 1986, coordinator of United Left (Spain), United Left (IU) between 1989 and 1999, and Secretary- ...
as new General Secretary, which he remained until 1998. Under Anguita, the party took a turn towards the left and fundamental opposition to both PSOE and PP, and many of the members who had previously been expelled for pro-Soviet views returned to the party. By 1991, the party had 70,000 members, and IU rebounded in the 1989 elections, winning 9.1% of the vote that year and slightly increasing it to 9.6% in 1993 and 10.5% in 1996. Notably, PSUC, the Catalan referent of PCE, did not reverse its eurocommunist course in the late 1980s, as the PCE had done, and gradually, PSUC and PCE grew apart. Finally, PSUC decided to dissolve itself into
Iniciativa per Catalunya Initiative for Catalonia Greens ( ca, Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, ICV; ) was an eco-socialist political party in Catalonia. It was formed as a merger of Iniciativa per Catalunya and Els Verds. IC had been an alliance led by Partit Socialis ...
, and cease to function as a communist party. This provoked a 45% minority to break-away and form
PSUC viu The Living Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia ( ca, PSUC viu, lit="Living PSUC") is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. PSUC viu emerged from factional fighting within the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) in the mid-1990s. Since 19 ...
(Living PSUC). Since 1998, PSUC viu (
United and Alternative Left United and Alternative Left ( ca, Esquerra Unida i Alternativa, EUiA) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. EUiA has 4000 members, and it is the Catalan correspondent of the Spain-wide United Left (IU). It was formed in 1998 as a schism ...
) is the referent of PCE in
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
. After Anguita's retirement, and succession by
Francisco Frutos Francisco "Paco" Frutos Gras (6 September 1939 – 26 July 2020) was a Spanish politician who served, from 1998 until 2009, as the Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Biography He was born on 6 September 1939 in Calella ...
, the PCE again modified its course. Frutos led IU into the election of 2000, after signing an electoral pact with PSOE, only to see the IU vote halved to 4%. He was then himself defeated when running to become the new IU coordinator by Gaspar Llamazares, who pursued a course of further rapprochement with PSOE. Tensions within IU grew when Llamazares was re-elected as IU coordinator in 2004 with a plurality of the vote against the candidate who was supported by the PCE leadership, Enrique Santiago. He again defeated a PCE candidate in an IU leadership primary in 2007. The alliance suffered more disappointing election results (4-5% in 2004 and 2008). By 2009, PCE membership was down to 20,000. After the 2008 election, Llamazares resigned as IU coordinator, and later that year, PCE politician Cayo Lara was elected to replace him on the platform "For an anti-capitalist, republican, federal, and alternative United Left". IU shifted back towards a more confrontational attitude towards the PSOE, and
José Luis Centella José Luis Centella Gómez (born 1958) is a Communist Party of Spain (PCE) politician. He served in the Congress of Deputies from 1995 to 2004 and 2011 to 2015. He was his party's secretary general from 2009 to 2018, subsequently becoming its presi ...
succeeded Frutos as PCE general secretary the next year. For the 2015 elections, IU joined up with further partners in the Popular Unity (UP) alliance, led by PCE politician Alberto Garzón. It received 4% of the vote, and was eclipsed by the new left-wing party Podemos. UP subsequently joined with Podemos in the
Unidos Podemos Unidas Podemos (), formerly called Unidos Podemos () and also known in English as United We Can, is a democratic socialist electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, and other left-wing to far-left parties in May to contest the 2016 Sp ...
alliance, which received 21% of the vote in the 2016 election. The PCE, meanwhile, moved in its XX Congress in 2017 to explicitly embrace Marxism–Leninism again, marking a break with the previous forty years.


List of Secretaries-General


Federations of the PCE

The PCE consists of 15 federations: *
Communist Party of Andalusia Communist Party of Andalusia (in Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de Andalucía'') is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Andalusia. History PCA was founded in 1979, as the Andalusian branch of PCE was converted into a regional par ...
*
Communist Party of Aragon Communist Party of Aragon (in Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de Aragón'', in Aragonese: Partiu Comunista d'Aragón), is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Aragon. References External linksPCA website Aragon Aragon ( ...
*
Communist Party of Asturias Communist Party of Asturias (in Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de Asturias''), is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Asturias. The current general secretary is Francisco de Asís Fernández Junquera-Huergo. In the 2011 Asturia ...
*
Communist Party of the Balearic Islands The Communist Party of the Balearic Islands ( ca, Partit Comunista de les Illes Balears) is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in the Balearic Islands. PCIB was constituted in its present shape in 1977. References 1977 e ...
* Communist Party of the Canaries * Communist Party of Cantabria *
Communist Party of Castile-La Mancha Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a So ...
* Communist Party of Castile-León *
Communist Party of the Basque Country Communist Party of the Basque Country ( eu, Euskadiko Partidu Komunista, es, Partido Comunista de Euskadi), is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (main), Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque C ...
*
Communist Party of Extremadura Communist Party of Extremadura (in Spanish language, Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de Extremadura''), is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (main), Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Extremadura. Federations of the Communist Party of ...
* Communist Party of Galicia *
Communist Party of Madrid Communist Party of Madrid (in Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de Madrid''), is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in the Community of Madrid. External linksPCM website Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous ci ...
*
Communist Party of the Region of Murcia Communist Party of the Region of Murcia (in Spanish language, Spanish: ''Partido Comunista de la Región de Murcia''), is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain (main), Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Region of Murcia, Murcia. External l ...
* Communist Party of La Rioja *
Communist Party of the Valencian Country Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
PSUC viu The Living Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia ( ca, PSUC viu, lit="Living PSUC") is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. PSUC viu emerged from factional fighting within the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) in the mid-1990s. Since 19 ...
participates in PCE congresses, etc., as a PCE federation.


Electoral performance


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 ...


Cortes Generales The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets ...


See also

*
Valentín González Valentín González González (4 November 1904 – 20 October 1983), popularly known as ''El Campesino'' (the Peasant), was a Spanish Republican military commander during the Spanish Civil War. Life Spanish Civil War Born in Malcoc ...
*
Juan Modesto Juan Guilloto León, usually referred to as Modesto or Juan Modesto (24 September 1906 – 16 April 1969), was a Second Spanish Republic, Republican army officer during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Early life Born at El Puerto de Santa ...
*
Jorge Semprún Jorge Semprún Maura (; 10 December 1923 – 7 June 2011) was a Spanish writer and politician who lived in France most of his life and wrote primarily in French. From 1953 to 1962, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, Semprún lived clande ...
* Marcelino Camacho *
Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias {{anti-fascism sidebar, Interwar anti-fascism The Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias ( es, Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas, MAOC) were a militia group founded in the Second Spanish Republic in 1934. Their purpose was to protect l ...
(MAOC)


Footnotes


Further reading

* Tim Rees, "The Highpoint of Comintern Influence? The Communist Party and the Civil War in Spain," in Tim Rees and Andrew Thorpe (eds.), ''International Communism and the Communist International, 1919–43.'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1998.


External links

* {{Authority control Far-left politics in Spain Political parties in Spain International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties