TheCommitteeSystem1GovernmentintheSpanishRevolution

p.198,"SincetheCNTFAIwasmostresponsiblefordefeatingtheNationalistsin
Catalonia,membersofmunicpalandothercommitteeswereinitiallycomposedofCNT
FAImilitants.Thisarrangementwasroughlydemocratic,inasmuchasthemajorityof
workersintheircommunitieswereCNTFAIsupportersormembers.Butsuchasystem
onlyapproximatedademocracy.TheSpanishcommitteeswereactuallylessdemocratic
thantheRussiansovietsof1917....MembersoftheSpanishcommittees,however,
werecommonlyappointed.OvertimetheCNTFAIadmitedrepresentativesofallthe
partiesthathadbelongedtothePopularFrontgovernmenttofunctiononthecommittees,
togetherwithdelegatesfromlaborunions...,newparties...,andevenliberalparties.
Eachpoliticalpartyorlabororganizationwouldbeallocatedacertainnumberofseatson
acommittee,afterwhichtheorganizationchoseanindividualmembertooccupyeach
seat,usuallybehindcloseddoors.Nordidcommitteemembersnecessarilygoontobe
ratifiedattheirbase."
TheLibertarianMilitiaSystem
pp.199200,"Themilicianostriedtostructuretheirforceintoaproletarianarmy.The
basicmilitiaunitconsistedoftenmen,ofwhichtenunitsconstituteda'century.'Several
centuries,inturn,madeupacolumn.Butitwasanarmywithadistinctlylibertarian
ambience.Nexttoitscommanderandhisstaff,thecentralauthorityofacolumnwasa
CouncilofWorkersandSoldiers,composedofrepresentativeselectedbyeachcentury.
Finallythewarcouncilchoseseniorofficersandformulatedbattleplans.Alljunior
officerswereelectedbythetroopstheywereexpectedtocommand....Operational
planswereoftendiscussedinmilitiaassemblies,andif'officers'andmilitiamendisagreed
over'commands,'persuasionratherthancoercionwasusually(albeitnotalways)
employedtoresolvetheirdifferences.
Anarchosyndicalistseschewedprofessionalismandmilitaryhierarchies,inthefirmbelief
thatzealandegalitarianrelations,notdiscipline,werethecrucialfactorsinachieving
militarysuccess.Asweshallsee,however,egalitarianfeaturesdidnotnecessarilymake
forsuccessfulmilitaryoutcomesinmoderncombat."

1Thesecommitteesseemtohavefunctionedatthemunicipal/communallevelandhad
responsibilitiesakintotheCommunalCouncilI'veproposedinCCLC.