Francisco Pi i Margall
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Francesc Pi i Margall (Spanish: Francisco Pi y Margall) (29 April 1824 – 29 November 1901) was a Spanish
federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...
and republican politician and theorist who served as president of the short-lived First Spanish Republic in 1873. He was also a historian, philosopher, romanticist writer, and was also the leader of the
Federal Democratic Republican Party The Federal Democratic Republican Party ( es, Partido Republicano Democrático Federal, PRDF) was a Spanish political party founded in 1868 during the Glorious Revolution that was active until 1912. Its ideology was federal republicanism and pro ...
and the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. Pi was turned into a sort of
secular saint The term secular saint, which has no strict definition, generally refers to someone venerated and respected for contributions to a noble cause, but not recognized as a canonical saint by a religion. The ranks of secular saints, like those of religi ...
in his time. A disciple of
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (, , ; 15 January 1809, Besançon – 19 January 1865, Paris) was a French socialist,Landauer, Carl; Landauer, Hilde Stein; Valkenier, Elizabeth Kridl (1979) 959 "The Three Anticapitalistic Movements". ''European Socia ...
, his theoretical contributions left a lasting effect on the development of the
anarchist movement in Spain Anarchism in Spain has historically gained some support and influence, especially before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, when it played an active political role and is considered the end of the golden age of cl ...
.


Early life

Pi was the son of a working-class textile worker in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
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, and was born on 29 April 1824. Pi's father enrolled him in a religious school in 1831 where Pi acquired an education in the humanities and the
classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
. He was a member of the ''Societat Filomàtica'', enabling him to meet some of the main thinkers and writers of the
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
romanticist movement. In 1837, he left to study law, earning a licentiate degree in 1847. He moved to
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
that year and began writing as a theater critic for the journal ''El Renacimiento'' and for ''El Correo,'' in which Pi's first political article was published. In need of further income, Pi also took a job for Martí, a Catalan bank.


Political life under the monarchy

Pi was involved in the revolution of 1854 that brought the
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
''espadón''
Baldomero Espartero Baldomero Fernández-Espartero y Álvarez de Toro (27 February 17938 January 1879) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He served as the Regent of the Realm, three times as Prime Minister and briefly as President of the Congress of Deputies. ...
back to power. He published ''La reacción y la revolución'' in that year, influenced by
G.W.F. Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...
's
philosophy of history Philosophy of history is the philosophical study of history and its discipline. The term was coined by French philosopher Voltaire. In contemporary philosophy a distinction has developed between ''speculative'' philosophy of history and ''crit ...
and the thinking of the French
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (, , ; 15 January 1809, Besançon – 19 January 1865, Paris) was a French socialist,Landauer, Carl; Landauer, Hilde Stein; Valkenier, Elizabeth Kridl (1979) 959 "The Three Anticapitalistic Movements". ''European Socia ...
. In 1856 he established a new journal, ''La Razón'', that was closed when the government of Leopoldo O'Donnell was overthrown by Ramón María Narváez. Pi fled to
Guipúzcoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...
in the
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until 1857, when
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asked him to return to Madrid to contribute to the Republican newspaper ''La Discusión''. At ''La Discusión'', Pi became acquainted with a number of leaders of the Spanish republican movement, including another future president of the First Republic, Estanislao Figueras. In 1864 he became the director of the newspaper. After the sergeants' revolt at
San Gil San Gil is a town municipality in the Department of Santander in northeastern Colombia, located roughly 300 km (192 mi) from Bogotá and 95 km from the department's capital, Bucaramanga. As of 2020, San Gil had a population of rou ...
in 1866, Pi fled to Paris, where he gave lectures and translated several of Proudhon's works and became familiar with French
positivism Positivism is an empiricist philosophical theory that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positive—meaning ''a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. G ...
. He developed ideas about revolutions and the philosophy of history, including a belief in an inevitable, progressive, and permanent movement in history toward greater freedom, embodied in
federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
constitutions. Throughout his life he would promote republicanism and social objectives through the federal idea. Pi returned from Paris after the success of the 1868 Glorious Revolution. He was elected deputy on behalf of
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and was part of the Constituent Cortes that wrote the 1869 Constitution. During this time Pi became respected as a leader of the Republican party in the Cortes; he is officially named the head of the party in March 1870. He was replaced shortly thereafter by internal strife over the party's policy toward the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
, conciliatory policy toward opposition groups, and electoral setbacks. He continued to adamantly promote the establishment of a
federal republic A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means: "a country that is governed by elected representatives ...
in place of a monarchy. He opposed the monarchy of Amadeo I during its short rule.


Presidency and later political life

When the First Spanish Republic was established in 1873 after the abdication of Amadeo I, the first president, Estanislao Figueras, appointed Pi as Minister of the Interior. During his ministerial tenure, Pi was responsible for the struggle against the '' cantonalist'' movement in the provinces. On Figueras's resignation on 11 June, Pi was named
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
. Pi presented to the Cortes an ambitious plan of reform, including a law formalizing a stricter
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
, the reorganization of the army, reduction of the working day to eight hours, regulation of child labor, enhancements to the relationship between business and labor, new laws regarding the autonomy of the regions of Spain, and a program of universal education. His acquaintance with Proudhon enabled Pi to warm relations between the Republicans and the socialists in Spain. However, Pi was unable to rein in the instability of the Republic; on the 1 July, the more radical elements of the Republican party and federalists broke off and declared the government illegitimate, and new insurrections appeared in Alcoy and Cartagena only a week later. Under pressure from the Cortes and many leading Republicans who accused him of dangerous weakness, Pi resigned the presidency on 18 July, only a little more than a month after he assumed the office. After the end of the Republic in 1874, Pi left political life for a decade. During this time, he returned his attentions to his writings; only a few months after the end of the Republic, he wrote a treatise on its events, ''La República de 1873''. He followed this with ''Las Nacionalidades'' and ''Joyas Literarias'' in 1876. The first volume of his ''Historia General de América'' was published in 1878, ''La Federación'' in 1880, and ''Las luchas de nuestros días'' and ''Observaciones sobre el carácter de don Juan Tenorio'' in 1884. In 1886, he returned to politics and was elected deputy for
Figueres Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museu ...
, 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 ...
, and again in 1891 and 1893. He was involved in the fragmentation of the Spanish Republican movement in this period together with Estanislao Figueras, Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, Emilio Castelar y Ripoll, and Valentí Almirall. Pi was involved in the 1883 Republican
Congress of Zaragoza A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...
that proposed a federal republican constitution for Spain; in 1894, he was instrumental in reforming the republican movement with a new manifesto for the Federal Party. In 1890, Pi founded the newspaper ''El Nuevo Régimen'', which campaigned for Cuban independence. Pi's promotion of federalism and regional autonomy earned him popularity among Catalan anarchists. Pi died on 29 November 1901 around 18:15 at his home in the calle del Conde de Aranda, in Madrid.


Political thought, practice and later influence

Pi i Margall became the principal translator of Proudhon's works into Spanish and later briefly became president of Spain in 1873 while being the leader of the Democratic Republican Federal Party. According to George Woodcock, "These translations were to have a profound and lasting effect on the development of Spanish anarchism after 1870, but before that time Proudhonian ideas, as interpreted by Pi, already provided much of the inspiration for the federalist movement which sprang up in the early 1860s." According to the ''
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'' "During the Spanish revolution of 1873, Pi i Margall attempted to establish a decentralized, or “cantonalist,” political system on Proudhonian lines." Pi considered federalism to be a "unity in variety, the law of nature, the law of the world", an organization based on the bottom-up contract by "natural and spontaneous collective beings" (''La reacción y la revolución'', 1854). Pi i Margall was a dedicated theorist in his own right, especially through book-length works such as ''La reacción y la revolución'' (English: "Reaction and revolution" from 1855), ''Las nacionalidades'' (English: "Nationalities" from 1877), and ''La Federación'' from 1880. For prominent anarcho-syndicalist Rudolf Rocker "The first movement of the Spanish workers was strongly influenced by the ideas of Pi i Margall, leader of the Spanish Federalists and disciple of Proudhon. Pi i Margall was one of the outstanding theorists of his time and had a powerful influence on the development of libertarian ideas in Spain. His political ideas had much in common with those of Richard Price,
Joseph Priestly Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted exp ...
(sic),
Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...
,
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, and other representatives of the Anglo-American liberalism of the first period. He wanted to limit the power of the state to a minimum and gradually replace it by a Socialist economic order." He was also a supporter of a decentralized version of Iberian Federalism, framing the realization of such prospect in terms of "Iberian nations". He was wary of centralism (which was alien to the internal organization of the inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula and imposed on them, according to Pi), which he deemed to be, along with monarchy, one of the root reasons behind the state of decadence of the Peninsular peoples. He showed a special and naive affection for the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.


Bibliography


Works by Pi i Margall

* ''La España Pintoresca'', 1841. * ''Historia de la Pintura'', 1851. * ''Estudios de la Edad Media'', 1851. Published first on 1873. * ''El eco de la revolución'', 1854. * ''La reacción y la revolución'', 1855. * ''Declaración de los treinta'', 1864. * ''La República de 1873'', 1874. * ''Joyas literarias'', 1876. * ''Las nacionalidades'', 1877. * ''Historia General de América'', 1878. * ''La Federación'', 1880. * ''Constitución federal'', 1883. * ''Observaciones sobre el carácter de Don Juan Tenorio'', 1884. * ''Las luchas de nuestros días'', 1884. * ''Primeros diálogos'', not dated. * ''Amadeo de Saboya'', not dated. * ''Programa del Partido Federal'', 1894.


Works on Pi i Margall

* Conangla, J. ''Cuba y Pi y Margall''. La Habana, 1947. * Ferrando Badía, Juan. ''Historia político-parlamentaria de la República de 1873''. Madrid:
Cuadernos para el Diálogo ''Cuadernos para el Diálogo'' was a Spanish monthly cultural magazine published between 1963 and 1978 in Madrid, Spain. History and profile ''Cuadernos'' was established in October 1963 by Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez, a former minister of education ...
, 1973. * Grande Esteban, M. ''Unitarismo y federalismo'' (prefacio). Madrid: Emiliano Escolar Editor, 1981. * Hennessy, C. A. M. ''La República Federal en España. Pi y Margall y el movimiento republicano federal, 1868–1874''. Madrid: Aguilar, 1966. * Jutglar, Antoni. ''Federalismo y Revolución. Las ideas sociales de Pi y Margall''. Barcelona, 1966. * Jutglar, Antoni. ''La República de 1873, de Pi y Margall''. Barcelona, 1970. * Jutglar, Antoni. ''Pi y Margall y el Federalismo español''. 2 vols. Madrid: Taurus, 1974. * Martí, Casimir. ''L'orientació de Pi i Margall cap al socialisme i la democràcia.'' Artículo en Recerques nº38. Barcelona, 1974. * Molas, I. ''Ideari de Francesc Pi i Margall''. Barcelona, 1965. * Pi y Arsuaga, F. ''Pi y Margall. Lecciones de federalismo''. Barcelona, 1931. * Rovira i Virgili, A. Pròleg i notes a ''La qüestió de Catalunya davant el Federalisme. Escrits i discursos.'' (con especial dedicación a F. Pi i Margall). Barcelona, 1913.


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * ;External links
Biography


, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pi i Margall, Francesc 1824 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Spanish male writers Government ministers during the First Spanish Republic Left-libertarians Libertarian socialists Libertarian theorists Madrid city councillors Mutualists People from Barcelona Philosophy writers Political philosophers Politicians from Barcelona Politicians from Catalonia Presidents of the Executive Power of the First Spanish Republic Prime Ministers of Spain Spanish Esperantists 19th-century Spanish historians Spanish libertarians Spanish male non-fiction writers Spanish political writers Spanish republicans Spanish anarchists