page_title: Women in the Federación Anarquista Ibérica in the Spanish Civil War
section_title: Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
hierarchical_section_title: Women in the Federación Anarquista Ibérica in the Spanish Civil War / Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Miliciennes de la CNT-FAI à Barcelone en juillet 1936.
context_page_description: Women in Federación Anarquista Ibérica in the Spanish Civil War were often only addressed because of what they appeared to be able to offer male FAI leadership in terms of attracting adept fighters and politicians.
  The FAI as a militant anarcho-syndalicalism organization came into existence prior to the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera because of differing views on government engagement, but its formalization as an organization only occurred in 1927 during a clandestine meeting which saw García Oliver chosen as their initial leader.
  Despite the more liberal policies of the Second Republic, male anarchists generally opposed women's groups and women's involvement, seeing it as a threat to their own status. Men in the FAI were vehemently opposed to the creation of Mujeres Libres, a women's only anarchist organization created in response to female exclusion from the broader anarchist movement.
  The Spanish Civil War saw a rise in status for the FAI among anarchist organizations. The FAI attracted milicianas from within its ranks. It also saw one of its female members, Federica Montseny, serving as the Minister to Health in the Republican government.
context_section_description: The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo and the Federación Anarquista Ibérica continued their role in leading the anarchist movement as the Spanish Civil War period started.  Representing working-class people, both groups set out to prevent the Nationalists from seizing control while also serving as reforming influences inside Spain. FAI's interest in women in this period was often less about women's emancipation than about attracting adept fighters and politicians who would help them achieve their broader goals for workers rights.
  On 15 October 1936, Ziryanin reached the port in Barcelona.  It was the first Russian supply ship to reach the city.  Its arrival led to the masses taking to the streets in numbers not seen since 19 July 1936, the start of the Civil War.  Among the throngs greeting the ship were the FAI aligned Mujeres Libres, who marched eight across while singing anarchist songs.
  FAI attracted milicianas (literally Militiawomen) from within its ranks. The number of women mobilized was never high.  Most joined in order to further the political ideologies they supported.  Most came from militant libertarian organizations like  CNT, FAI and FIJL.  These militias often lacked the typical military structure in order to better represent their ideologies and better mobilize local populations.
  Soledad Estorach Esterri was involved in the 18 July 1936 siege of the  barracks of the Casa Cambó shipyards.  After it was successfully taken, the facility became Casa CNT-FAI.  During the Civil War, she also traveled around Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia, serving as a representative of CNT, FAI and JJLL .  Casa CNT-FAI would soon see regular visits by FAI affiliated women including María de la Concepción Martí Fuster and Dolores Cascante. During the Civil War, Martí Fuster frequently published articles in FAI affiliated publications.
  Federica Montseny served as the Minister of Health, where she continued her support of anarchist organizations, only leaving this position in May 1937.  She was the first woman in Spain to serve as a Minister.  Her appointment along with that of three men, represented an important inclusion of both anarchist factions, CNT and CAI, into the government of the Second Republic. From her position as a CNT-FAI representative, Montseny enacted policies that allowed for the legalization of abortion in parts of Spain still controlled by Republican forces, sex education and the distribution of contraceptives.
  When Juan Negrín became the head of the Republican armed forces in May 1937, women's time in combat ended as he continued efforts to regularize Republican forces into the Republican Army.
caption: Milicianas of CNT-FAI in Barcelona in July 1936
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