Julián Besteiro Fernández: Biography and Outstanding Works

Julián Besteiro Fernández (Madrid, September 21, 1879 - Carmona, September 27, 1940), was a trade unionist, professor and Spanish deputy who became president of the Cortes Generales during the constituent elections during the Second Republic of Spain.

Besteiro was a student of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza and studied at several important universities in various cities in Europe, such as Paris, Munich, Berlin and Leipzig. Thanks to the influence of Marxist ideals, he was part of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) and the union General Union of Workers (UGT).

He also served as councilor of Madrid and was professor of Philosophy and Logic at the University of Madrid. After the beginning of the Civil War he was imprisoned and sentenced to 30 years in prison in the convent of Dueñas, Palencia. However, he could not comply with the time due to his deteriorated health condition, so he died shortly after in 1940.

Biography

Julián Besteiro Fernández was born in Madrid on September 21, 1870, in a middle-class family in the capital. His parents were food merchants and they died when Julian was just a teenager.

At the end of the s. XIX began his studies at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE), an educational center created by Francisco Giner de los Ríos. Thanks to his relations with Giner de los Ríos, Besteiro was included in his closed circle of thinkers and intellectuals.

Due to the support he received from his teacher, he broadened his studies by studying Philosophy at the University of Madrid. Years later, he attended the most important universities in France and Germany, where he had the first contact with socialism.

In 1903 he returned to the country and residency in Toledo to begin what would be his political career, standing out first as a councilor for the Republican Union.

Besteiro's public life chronology

- In 1904 he was introduced as councilor of the city of Madrid, a position for which he was elected on several occasions.

- Eight years later he managed to obtain the Chair of Fundamental Logic, and joined the Madrid Socialist Group and the General Union of Workers. He was also an important political actor for the PSOE.

- In 1916 he expressed the demands of the working class to the government of the day, which later served as a prelude to the December 18 protest.

- In September 1917 he was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released due to an amnesty, thus spending only a short time in the Cartagena Prison.

- From 1918 to 1923, Besteiro developed his career in parliament being a voice of the needs in areas such as education and health.

- At the same time he was able to consolidate his leadership within the party, for which, during the illness of Pablo Iglesias (its founder), he became the leader from the vice presidency.

- After the coup d'état carried out by Primo de Rivera in 1923, Besterio's position was of a collaborationist type, who made statements in favor of the government, insisting that the country should control the bourgeoisie. However, according to some historians, Besteiro's objective was to improve the living conditions of the workers.

- In 1925 he assumed the leadership of the PSOE and became president of the party.

- In 1930 resigned his functions in the PSOE due to the alliances he established with the government.

Second Republic and Civil War

After the establishment of the Second Republic, Besteiro appeared before the constituent elections and was elected as president of the Republican Cortes. He assumed this position until 1933.

In this period he changed his ideals; had a position that argued that it was not possible to carry out a dictatorship of the proletariat because it would be a resounding failure for the country.

According to some historians, this was due to the analysis of Besteiro and other Spanish socialists of the events that took place during the Bolshevik Revolution. Although he first showed enthusiasm, he hardened his criticism over time and according to the actions of the Bolsheviks.

By adopting a more conservative discourse, he was forced to leave the party and to stay out of the most radical movements that manifested themselves in the PSOE.

Relations with the party worsened, although he was elected deputy for the Popular Front during the 1936 elections. At that point he was practically isolated by his colleagues and colleagues.

Explosion of the Civil War

One of the figures that showed deep rejection before the warlike conflict was Besteiro, who for that moment was working as president of the Committee of Reform, Reconstruction and Sanitation.

During the time he was appointed by President Manuel Azaña as assistant to the coronation of George VI, to request the intervention of England in a peace process. Despite the efforts, the main objective was not achieved.

Some relevant facts can be highlighted:

- Due to the failed meetings with representatives of the governments of France and England, Besteiro returned to Spain to present the reports with Juan Negrín, the new head of government, who showed no interest in this regard. For this reason, an unrelated relationship between both developed.

- Met clandestinely with members of the Falange to reach an agreement.

- Participated in the Defense Council (initiative headed by Colonel Segismundo Casado) to consolidate the agreements between those involved.

- During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and given the failure of the talks, Besteiro was offered the possibility of fleeing abroad. This did not accept, so he remained in Madrid until the time of his arrest.

- On March 29, 1939, Julian Besteiro was arrested by the Francoist forces in the Ministry of Finance. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the prison-convent of Dueñas, where he died a year later due to health complications due to the unhealthy state of the place.

Outstanding works

He is widely known for his speech Marxism and anti-Marxism , in which he made a series of important criticisms towards the party and the communist movement. Among his other important works, the following stand out:

• Voluntarism and individualism in contemporary philosophy.
• Class struggles as a social fact and as a theory.
• The problems of socialism .

References

1. Julián Besteiro Fernández. (s.f.). In Biographies and Lives. Retrieved: March 22, 2018. In Biographies and Lives in biografiasyvidas.com.
2. Julián Besteiro. (s.f.). In Search Biographies. Retrieved: March 22, 2018. In Search Biographies of buscabiografias.com.
3. Julián Besteiro Fernández. (s.f.). In Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved: March 22, 2018. In Real Academia de la Historia de rah.es.
4. Julián Besteiro. (s.f.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved: March 22, 2018. In Wikipedia from en.wikipedia.org.
5. Julián Besteiro. (s.f.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved: March 22, 2018. In Wikipedia of es.wikipediar.org.
6. Lamo de Espinosa, Emilio. (1990). The socialism of Julián Besteiro . In the country. Retrieved: March 22, 2018. In El País de elpais.com.