In this poster, at least
twenty militiamen dressed in the typical blue boiler suits of the
popular militia jump out from behind giant red letters that spell
out the acronym "UGT." The large red letters suggest the
solid foundation and backing that is provided to workers by the
socialist trade union UGT. In this image, the militiamen charge
their enemies with determination. By cutting off militia members
at the left and right margins of the poster, the artist emphasizes
the strength of these forces, effectively suggesting that there
were more militia members ahead of the group pictured here, with
more to follow.
This poster was released
in Valencia some time before January 22, 1937, when the image was
reproduced in the UGT newspaper Claridad. The poster was
illustrated by Canet, an artist who worked primarily for the UGT,
but who also designed posters for different republican agencies.
On September 4, 1936,
Francisco Largo Caballero was charged by the president of the Republic,
Manuel Azaña, to form a government representative of the
forces most active in the fight against the Nationalists. His cabinet
included three Left Republican members of the party Izquierda
Republicana, two Communists, and five Socialists. Two months
later, Largo Caballero reshuffled his cabinet to bring in the anarcho-syndicalist
trade union CNT despite the fact that the CNT was the UGT's biggest
rival. Much of the propaganda issued during the Largo Caballero
government exalted the UGT as the foundation of unity and attempted
to assert the UGT's vision of revolution and military strategy above
all others. However, not all of the left looked to the UGT and Largo
Caballero for guidance. In fact, the Spanish Communist Party (PCE)
expected to direct military strategy and to have a bigger input
in government as they were the only party with a direct relationship
to the Soviet Union. Leading Communists, as well as the military
advisors Stalin sent to Spain, frequently undermined Largo Caballero's
autonomy. The battle to control the Republican zone was a battle
of wills: just as the Communists attempted to ensure that they lead,
so too did Largo Caballero, the Left Republicans, and the CNT. This
poster is but one example of an organization in power touting itself
as the key to victory.
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