On July 17, 1936, the Spanish Civil War began and republicans defeated the nationalist uprising in Catalonia. But in Catalan territory there were practically no war industries, and many workers, aware of the needs of the front and driven by the revolutionary spirit of the time, decided on their own initiative to start making weapons and equipment for the soldiers. This rapid spontaneity, however, had very low efficiency. In order to make these initiatives effective, the CIG was created on August 7, 1936, which became effective by decree of the Generalitat, on August 12.