Clara Thalmann
Encyclopedia
Clara Thalmann was an anarchist
and fighter in the Spanish Civil War
.
who fled to Switzerland as a result of the Franco-Prussian War
. In 1918 she joined the newly formed Communist Party of Switzerland
after seeing the outcome of the October Revolution
. Clara moved to France and worked for the French Communist newspaper L'Humanité
in the 1920s, but broke with the newspaper following Stalin's rise to power in 1928. She returned to Basel where she met her future husband Pavel Thalmann, who also had been born in Basel and had spent the past four years studying in Moscow, where he grew disillusioned and returned to Switzerland to work with dissident groups. As a result of their criticism of Stalin's policies, both were thrown out of the Party in 1929 and became involved with the Communist Party Opposition
. In 1932 Clara Thalmann became editor of Arbeiter-Zeitung in Schaffhausen, working closely with Trotskyists and Left-Communists.
the newly elected Popular Front
organized the People's Olympiad
in Barcelona
as a response to the 1936 Summer Olympics
being hosted in Nazi Germany. She travelled south to attend as a representative of Arbeiterschwimmclubs (Worker's Swim Club) but due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War the games never occurred. Impressed by the strength and size of the working class anarchist movement in Catalonia and the successes of the Spanish revolution
, Clara joined the Durruti Column
; a column
of anarchists organized to fight against the Fascists. The militia marched from Barcelona to support the Republicans on the Aragon
front, where Clara was joined by Pavel Thalmann.
Within the anti-fascist camp large divides were forming. The Communist Party of Spain (PCE) attacked the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM
). Under pressure from the Soviet Union, the PCE integrated the anarchist militias into the Republican army.
Tensions finally erupted following provocation from the Communists in an attempted takeover of the Barcelona Telephone Exchange and fighting broke out between the PCE and the Anarchists (CNT, FAI) resulting in the Barcelona May Days
and resulting the members of the POUM and the UGT along with the Anarchists being defeated. In the end over 500 lay dead. Clara Thalmann and Pavel fought with a group called "Amigos de Durruti" (Friends of Durruti).
At the barricades, Clara came to know George Orwell
. During the repression that followed the events of May 1937, Pavel and Clara Thalmann went underground. They were arrested a few months later when attempting to flee Spain by boat from Barcelona and were incarcerated by the Servicio de Información Militar (SIM), the Republican security forces. After several months in prison, they were released through the efforts of friends in Switzerland. After their release in 1937 they moved to Paris.
, Clara and Pavel were active in the French Resistance
and creation of the small revolutionary resistance group; Groupe Révolutionnaire Prolétarien. They secretly housed Jews or German-born revolutionaries and managed to not get caught. After the war, the two grew tired of living in Paris and they in 1953 settled near Nice and created a commune called "La Séréna". La Séréna became a haven for libertarian militants from various countries. They stayed in touch with new generations of student activists during the years 1960s-70s. In 1974 Pavel and Clara published their memoirs entitled Revolution für die Freiheit Three years after Pavel's death in 1981, Clara returned to Spain for the first time since 1937 to revisit the sites of the Spanish Civil War with comrade Augustin Souchy
, publishing their experience in the documentary The Long Hope (Die lange Hoffnung).
Clara died on January 27, 1987 in her home in Nice from lung cancer
.
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and fighter in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Early life
Clara Thalmann was one of ten children of a working class family in Basel, Switzerland. Her father was German Socialist and internationalistInternationalism (politics)
Internationalism is a political movement which advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations for the theoretical benefit of all...
who fled to Switzerland as a result of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. In 1918 she joined the newly formed Communist Party of Switzerland
Communist Party of Switzerland
Communist Party of Switzerland , known as the "Old Communists" , was a historical Communist party, section of the Communist International....
after seeing the outcome of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. Clara moved to France and worked for the French Communist newspaper L'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
in the 1920s, but broke with the newspaper following Stalin's rise to power in 1928. She returned to Basel where she met her future husband Pavel Thalmann, who also had been born in Basel and had spent the past four years studying in Moscow, where he grew disillusioned and returned to Switzerland to work with dissident groups. As a result of their criticism of Stalin's policies, both were thrown out of the Party in 1929 and became involved with the Communist Party Opposition
Communist Party Opposition
The Communist Party of Germany was a communist opposition organisation established at the end of 1928 and maintaining its existence until 1939 or 1940...
. In 1932 Clara Thalmann became editor of Arbeiter-Zeitung in Schaffhausen, working closely with Trotskyists and Left-Communists.
Spain
In SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
the newly elected Popular Front
Popular Front (Spain)
The Popular Front in Spain's Second Republic was an electoral coalition and pact signed in January 1936 by various left-wing political organisations, instigated by Manuel Azaña for the purpose of contesting that year's election....
organized the People's Olympiad
People's Olympiad
The People's Olympiad was a planned international multi-sport event that was intended to take place in Barcelona, the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia within the Spanish Republic...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
as a response to the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
being hosted in Nazi Germany. She travelled south to attend as a representative of Arbeiterschwimmclubs (Worker's Swim Club) but due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War the games never occurred. Impressed by the strength and size of the working class anarchist movement in Catalonia and the successes of the Spanish revolution
Spanish Revolution
The Spanish Revolution was a workers' social revolution that began during the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and resulted in the widespread implementation of anarchist and more broadly libertarian socialist organizational principles throughout various portions of the country for two to...
, Clara joined the Durruti Column
Durruti Column
The Durruti Column was the largest anarchist column formed during the Spanish Civil War . During the first months of the war it has come to be the most recognized and popular military organisations fighting at the republican side...
; a column
Column (formation)
A military column is a formation of soldiers marching together in one or more files in which the file is significantly longer than the width of ranks in the formation...
of anarchists organized to fight against the Fascists. The militia marched from Barcelona to support the Republicans on the Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
front, where Clara was joined by Pavel Thalmann.
Within the anti-fascist camp large divides were forming. The Communist Party of Spain (PCE) attacked the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM
Poum
Poum is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The town of Poum is located in the far northwest, located on the southern part of Banare Bay, with Mouac Island just offshore....
). Under pressure from the Soviet Union, the PCE integrated the anarchist militias into the Republican army.
Tensions finally erupted following provocation from the Communists in an attempted takeover of the Barcelona Telephone Exchange and fighting broke out between the PCE and the Anarchists (CNT, FAI) resulting in the Barcelona May Days
Barcelona May Days
Barcelona May Days were a period of civil violence in Catalonia, between May 3 and May 8, 1937, when factions on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War engaged each other in street battles in the city of Barcelona.Clashes began when units of the Assault Guard – under the...
and resulting the members of the POUM and the UGT along with the Anarchists being defeated. In the end over 500 lay dead. Clara Thalmann and Pavel fought with a group called "Amigos de Durruti" (Friends of Durruti).
At the barricades, Clara came to know George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
. During the repression that followed the events of May 1937, Pavel and Clara Thalmann went underground. They were arrested a few months later when attempting to flee Spain by boat from Barcelona and were incarcerated by the Servicio de Información Militar (SIM), the Republican security forces. After several months in prison, they were released through the efforts of friends in Switzerland. After their release in 1937 they moved to Paris.
France
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Clara and Pavel were active in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and creation of the small revolutionary resistance group; Groupe Révolutionnaire Prolétarien. They secretly housed Jews or German-born revolutionaries and managed to not get caught. After the war, the two grew tired of living in Paris and they in 1953 settled near Nice and created a commune called "La Séréna". La Séréna became a haven for libertarian militants from various countries. They stayed in touch with new generations of student activists during the years 1960s-70s. In 1974 Pavel and Clara published their memoirs entitled Revolution für die Freiheit Three years after Pavel's death in 1981, Clara returned to Spain for the first time since 1937 to revisit the sites of the Spanish Civil War with comrade Augustin Souchy
Augustin Souchy
Augustin Souchy was a German anarchist, antimilitarist, and journalist.- First World War :At the outbreak of the First World War he moved in Austria. From there he was deported to and forced to wear a sign around his neck that read "Beware: Anarchist!", which later became the title of his...
, publishing their experience in the documentary The Long Hope (Die lange Hoffnung).
Clara died on January 27, 1987 in her home in Nice from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.