José Miguel Pérez (politician)
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José Miguel Pérez (8 December 1896 – 4 September 1936) was a
Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...
politician. He founded the Cuban Communist Party (''Partido Comunista Cubano'') in 1925 along with Carlos Baliño, Alfonso Bernal del Riesgo, and
Julio Antonio Mella Julio Antonio Mella McPartland (born Nicanor McPartland; 25 March 1903 – 10 January 1929) was a Cuban political activist, journalist, communist revolutionary, and one of the founders of the original Communist Party of Cuba. Mella studied law a ...
.


Biography

He was born on the island of
La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. La Pa ...
in 1896, and in 1921 he emigrated to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, where he joined the Socialist Group of Havana. In 1926, together with union members, students, and intellectuals, he formed the Communist Group of Havana. In 1925, alongside
Julio Antonio Mella Julio Antonio Mella McPartland (born Nicanor McPartland; 25 March 1903 – 10 January 1929) was a Cuban political activist, journalist, communist revolutionary, and one of the founders of the original Communist Party of Cuba. Mella studied law a ...
, he founded the
Communist Party of Cuba The Communist Party of Cuba (, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 26th of July Movement and Popu ...
, with José Miguel Pérez being elected as its general secretary. During the dictatorship of
Gerardo Machado Gerardo Machado y Morales (28 September 1869 – 29 March 1939) was a general of the Cuban War of Independence and President of Cuba from 1925 to 1933. Machado was elected president in 1924 as the leader of the Liberal Party, a moderate reform ...
, he was expelled from Cuba and returned to the island of La Palma. In the Canary Islands, he continued his political activity and in 1929 founded the La Palma Workers' Federation and the newspaper ''Espartaco''. He also participated in the founding of the Socialist Party in La Palma and, in 1933, the Communist Party of the Canary Islands. He was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of the Canary Islands in La Palma and became one of the most important figures in the party, alongside Gomeran Guillermo Ascanio. During this time, through the ''Espartaco'' newspaper, he criticized the bourgeois nature of the
Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
. He later adopted the political line of the PCE and influenced the Communist Party of the Canary Islands to participate in the Popular Front. He took part in the resistance against the military coup of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
in La Palma during the period known as the ''Red Week''. After the island fell to the Nationalists, he was arrested and taken to
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
, where he was sentenced to death. On 4 September 1936, he was
executed by firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French , rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are usually re ...
by the coup forces in Barranco del Hierro, a place where numerous political prisoners were executed.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pérez, José Miguel 1896 births 1936 deaths 20th-century Spanish politicians 20th-century Cuban politicians Politicians from the Canary Islands Victims of the White Terror (Spain) Communist Party of Spain politicians Communists executed by Francoist Spain Politicians killed in the Spanish Civil War People from La Palma