Collectivisations: The Spanish Revolution Revisited, 193639

This article analyses the agricultural revolution which took place in Spain during the Civil War focusing on Valencia, and attempting to highlight the important role played by the war in the formation and operation of collectives. According to this analysis the amount of land seized and collectivised in Valencia was smaller than in other parts of Spain and there were few cases of libertarian communism or complete collectivisation, but their importance was increased due to the fact that they dealt in export crops, in particular oranges. It was in relation to the export of oranges that the conflicts between individualists and collectivists, between the Communist party and the trade unions were greatest, and they were linked to the controversy surrounding war and revolution. In spite of these conflicts and the organisational deficiencies of collectivised agriculture, the Valencian collectives were more successful than those in other parts of Spain and attempted to solve the conflict with the individualists and adapt to the needs of a war economy.