page_title: Communist Party of Spain
section_title: Resistance and reorientation
hierarchical_section_title: Communist Party of Spain / History / Resistance and reorientation
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Zentralbild Kollektiv Me-Qu 21.1.1963 VI. Parteitag der SED vom 15.-21.1.1963 in der Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle in Berlin (6.Tag). UBz. Der Generalsekretär der KP Spaniens, Santiago Carillo, bei seiner Grußansprache. (Junge)
context_page_description: The Communist Party of Spain is a Marxist-Leninist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is part of Unidas Podemos.
  The PCE was founded by 1921, after a split in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. The PCE was founded by those who opposed the social democratic wing of the PSOE, because it did not support the PSOE's integration in the Communist International founded by Vladimir Lenin two years prior. The PCE was a merger of the Spanish Communist Party and the Spanish Communist Workers' Party. The PCE was first legalized after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in April 1931. The republic was the first democratic regime in the history of Spain. The PCE gained much support in the months before the Spanish coup of July 1936, which marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, and it was a major force during the war as well. The Republicans lost and Franco established a Fascist dictatorship, under which the PCE was one of the most heavily repressed parties, with specific laws banning communist parties, among others.
  Under the dictatorship, the PCE was the main opposition to the Francoist dictatorship.
context_section_description: After the Republican defeat in April 1939, the PCE was persecuted by the Nationales of caudillo Francisco Franco (1939–1975), although maintained the best organization among the opposition parties inside Spain. During the initial years of the Francoist State, PCE organized guerrilla struggles in some parts of the country.
  From the signing of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact to the German assault on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, Spanish communists pursued neutralist policies with regards to Germany's aggression against Poland and France, regarding the war as imperialist and unjust. Much like the identical positions of other Moscow-directed Stalinist parties, this position was changed immediately after Germany invaded the Soviet Union.
  A large part of the party membership was forced into exile. Some PCE members went to the Soviet Union and fought as volunteers for the Red Army during the Second World War, such as General Enrique Líster. A large section of PCE members were based in France, were a major party organization was set up. During the later half of the Franco years, PCE changed its strategy and started organizing Workers' Commissions (CC.OO.) within the official trade union apparatus. CC.OO. and PCE gained strength and became the backbone of the opposition forces in the country.
  Dolores Ibárruri, "La Pasionaria", a dedicated follower of consequent Comintern policies, replaced Jose Diaz as General Secretary in 1944, and held the position until 1960. Santiago Carrillo was General Secretary from 1960 to 1982. In 1963, after the Communist Party of Spain abandoned the armed struggle, hard-line Communists, led by Julio Álvarez del Vayo, founded the Spanish National Liberation Front (FELN), a small splinter group.
  Carrillo put the party on a eurocommunist course, distancing it from its Leninist origins. Carrillo accepted concessions to the "bourgeoisie", accepting the restoration of a liberal democracy and constitutional monarchy. This was regarded by many Party members as treason, for these concessions were made to classes the Party's doctrine called "exploiters".
caption: Santiago Carrillo in 1963 during the 6th party convention of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
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