AMPLIFY: Soledad Estorach, Anarcha-Feminist Breaking Tradition in Times of War
What happens when an anarcha-feminist creates an organization, or even two, in the middle of the Spanish civil war? You get a movement of 30,000 members fighting for women’s liberation, with some working-class empowerment thrown in! Breaking tradition, demanding independence and freedom from the patriarchy, and fighting for equality, is what Soledad Estorach was all about.
Soledad Estorach (Esteri) was born on February 6, 1915, in the small village of Albatàrrec in Segrià, Spain. Unlike most girls in her village, Soledad learned how to read and write. Her father encouraged and inspired her to explore and go beyond Albatàrrec. After her father passed away, Soledad began working part-time and continued to study until 15, when her mother pressured her to marry. Marriage and settling down at 15 were not in Soledad’s plan. Instead, she moved to Barcelona and began working part-time as a maid and chemical industrial worker while attending a night school organized by the anarcho-syndicalist union in 1930.
The 1930s was a chaotic time for Spain. With the Spanish monarchy’s fall, the country faced worker strikes and constant class clashes between conservatives, socialists, radicals, and various groups. The 1930s also saw the growth of anarchists and a large number of women entering the movement. In 1934, the same year Soledad became a member of the Women’s Cultural Group (Grupo Cultural Femenino) CNT’s Labor Union chapter, Spain had what was known as the Revolutionary General Strike of 1934. The revolt started because of three classist conservative members’ entrance to the government, which Asturian miners opposed. During this time, Soledad became more involved in anarchist liberation efforts, serving on the Libertarian Youth of Barcelona’s revolutionary committee. Soledad wished to escape from patriarchal restraints by uniting with fellow Spanish women and elevating the experiences and issues she and others faced.
On July 18, 1936, Soledad and other CNT anarchists occupied the Casa Cambo on the Via Layenta, building barricades in Barcelona which started the Spanish Civil War. As with many organizations and movements in the 1930s, male leadership ignored women’s voices and experiences. Anarcha-feminists believed that the struggles against patriarchy are a part of the class conflict and struggle against the state and capitalism. Soledad’s goal was to advocate for gender equality, wanting Spanish women to gain financial liberty, job opportunities, the right to vote in national elections, and sexual freedom.
Anarchist women like Lucía Sánchez Saornil, Mercedes Comaposada, and Dr. Amparo Poch y Gascón created the Mujeres Libres organization in Madrid. They created the movement to empower Spanish women and make their voices heard. So, where does Soledad fit into it? In 1934, Soledad Estorach founded the Barcelona chapter of Mujeres Libres, alongside other Confederation of Work (CNT) members. The Institut Mujeres Libres and Casal de la The Institut Mujeres Libres of Barcelona were organizations focused on women’s liberation and outreach. Soledad and the group trained and organized predominantly working-class Spanish women in an attempt to involve more women in union activities. She became involved with the Casa de la Dona Treballadora (House of Woman Workers), an organization that considered the difficulties working women faced, including the sexism faced in the larger anarchist movement.
Note: Soledad and her sister Juana joined the Libertarian Youth (FIJL) in 1936
Like many anarchist feminists, Soledad fought for the deconstruction of capitalism and the state. As a feminist, she had to fight harder against the patriarchy, notably the machismo attitudes of Spanish men (and those of anarchist leadership) who denied the existence of sexism or oppression. Soledad contributed her voice and her words to papers like the FAI paper Tierra y Libertad and Mujeres Libres, where she addressed working-class women’s intentions for liberation and freedom. Soledad and other anarcha-feminists advocated for working-class women because they challenged the status quo, often taking on work outside the home. As a result, they faced exploitation and aggression in male-dominated industries. With the help of Conchita Liano women’s group, Soledad organized women in Barcelona’s working-class neighborhoods to fight for gender and pay equality in the workplace.
Unfortunately, in 1939, after nationalist General Francisco Franco (p. 1939-1975) overthrew the Second Spanish Republic, Soledad was forced to leave Spain because of her role in the movement. She moved permanently to France, only returning twice. In 1939, Soledad returned to Barcelona to rescue two of her comrades trapped in Barcelona during the city’s fall and the Catalonia Offensive, when Franco began placing nationalists and other revolutionists in internment camps. She returned another time in 1945 during World War II. Soledad spent the rest of her life in France, continuing to work on and off as part of the movement. Between the 1960s and 1970s, she worked on a new series for the Mujeres Libres. She contributed to the Luchadoras Libertarias, a book written by women in the Mujeres Libres organization about their movement experiences.
Why We Amplify
Soledad lived in a time and place where she felt pressured to “be silent and know her place.” Even when she joined and fought beside other anarchists, she fought for gender visibility as a woman. Even after the Spanish Civil War, Soledad continued fighting against traditional gender roles; she demanded women’s rights be given adequate attention by men, lead a campaign for the working class, and saved the lives of her comrades at the risk of her own life. Soledad dedicated her life to fighting both capitalism and the patriarchy while supporting women workers’ autonomy, who suffered both for their class and gender. Soledad Estorach died in 1993, but not before inspiring other women to take charge of their lives and work to demand equal rights for women and working-class people. We amplify her because she took risks and fought not just for herself but for generations that followed her.
More information about Soledad Estorach and Other Amplifying Information:
Read about Spanish Women freeing themselves and their struggles before, during, and after the war in “Free Women of Spain: Anarchism and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women” by Martha A. Ackelsburg.
Check out Martha’s A. Achelsburg’s “ Organizing women: first steps,” which includes Soledad’s quotes and her efforts to organize working-class women and get them involved in creating a better Spain.
Check out the history of the Mujeres Libres and its contribution to women’s rights and the Anarcha-feminist movement in, A biographical approach to Mujeres Libres, Free Women.
Did you know ¡Tierra y Libertad! (land and liberty) was also the slogan of the Mexican Revolution of the early 1900s? Check out Tierra y Libertad: Land, Liberty, and Latino Housing to learn more about the revolution and the peoples’ fight for freedom and land.
Are you interested in Resistance, Rebellions, and the Working Class? Check out Working Class History for all things revolutions, unions, and the fight for freedom. Check out their podcast on The Spanish Civil War and the women of CNT.
Shoutout to the Lib. Org, who had more information on Soledad Estorach, I wish we had more details on Soledad’s life and accomplishments.
Joycelyn lives in Cypress, Texas. She’s the daughter of immigrants and did not go to Law School, but received three degrees (BA, MA, MPH) and is happily freelancing and working in the nonprofit world. She enjoys writing about healthcare recruitment and even worked as a Healthcare Organizer. When she’s not writing, she’s transcribing, developing community toolkits, and researching womxn’s history. Which is why she’s excited about writing for AMPLIFY. On her off days, she spends her time on Twitter reminding everyone to drink water and enabling others to watch more dramas. Follow her on Twitter: @jg_humanitarian