Tuesday 28 June 2011

José Antonio Primo de Rivera


"When your sons inherit the uniforms you now flaunt, they will with them inherit either the shame of hearing it said, "When your father wore this uniform what was once Spain ceased to exist," or the pride of remembering, "Our Spain did not succumb because my father and his brothers-in-arms saved her in the moment of truth." If you do, as the old version of the oath says, "May God reward you," and if you do not, may he call you to account."
José Antonio Primo de Rivera




The Spanish Martyr:
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
Just a few days after the Falange had formed, its first member was killed. José Antonio had asserted that violence would be necessary, and he was absolutely realistic. Many attempts were made on his life, including once when a bomb was thrown at his vehicle. Jose Antonio reacted by getting out of his car and attempted to shoot the assailants. He did not shudder at the price of freedom of speech. Night after night there were reports of "suspect Fascists" being arrested or gunned down. In the speech of the founding of the Falange Jose Antonio declared, "We are not going to that place [the Cortes] to squabble with the habitues over the insipid scraps of an unclean feast. Our place is outside…our place is in the open air, under the clear night sky, sword in hand and stars above".


"One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a great task."
José Antonio Primo de Rivera


In early 1936 José Antonio was elected to the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes. Being a legally elected official mattered little to the leftist/Red coalition that ruled the government in Madrid, to them José Antonio was a symbol of everything they feared, patriotism, discipline, morality and spirituality. There was no possibility they would ever allow the Falangists to gain any kind of power in Spain, legitimate or otherwise.

José Antonio was an intense intellectual and studied the works of philosophers and political thinkers such as Spengler, Keyserling, Marx, Lenin, Ortega, Mussolini, and Trotsky. He went to the University of Madrid to study law and after military service he began a career as a lawyer in 1925. When his father’s memory was being made a mockery of in the Cortes (parliament), he became involved in politics gave speeches defending the policies of his father and finally decided to run for parliament. The more they attacked and ridiculed his father, the more antagonistic he became toward their insistence on middle-class liberal democracy and parliamentary forms. His disdain for the political realm would inspire in him a theory for a political system that would retain the positive aspects of his father’s regime and create others that would fix the faults. José Antonio also edited the right-wing journal, El Fascio. After it was shut down by the Republican government he wrote for the periodical ABC.

A crackdown on the Fascists was implemented. Fearful of what he might impress his followers to do, the left/red coalition that controlled the so called "Republican" government kept him in jail for several months. In his Last Will and Testament José Antonio notes that it was not until five to six days before he wrote this statement that he was informed of the charges upon his indictment. On November 20, 1936, José Antonio Primo de Rivera was marched out of his cell in Alicante prison and with a crucifix in his hand and "prayer on his lips" for forgiveness for the enemies about to murder him, was executed by a firing squad. José Antonio died like a Man, he died a Hero, a Martyr and a Saint. His death was not reported until one year later and where his remains were was unknown

The Seige of El Alcázar

The flag of the Spanish Falange



By July 22, the Republicans controlled most of Toledo and sought the surrender of the Alcázar by artillery bombardment or starvation. For the duration of the siege, the Nationalists engaged in a passive defense, only returning fire when an attack was imminent.
Colonel Moscardó was called on the telephone by the chief of the Worker's Militia on the morning of July 23 in Toledo and told that if the Alcázar were not surrendered within ten minutes, his son Luis would be shot. Colonel Moscardó asked to speak to his son and his son asked what he should do. His father replied, "then commend your soul to God, shout 'Viva España' and die like a hero." To which the son said, "That is quite simple. Both I will do." Colonel Moscardó then told the chief of the Worker's Militia that he would not surrender the Alcázar and a few minutes later he received a call stating that his son had been shot. A similar story is found in the Reconquista when Guzmán el Bueno refused to surrender Tarifa to the Moors.

An envoy from the Republicans, Major Rojo, was sent to Colonel Moscardó on September 9 to ask for the surrender of the Alcázar. This was refused, but Colonel Moscardó requested for a priest to be sent to baptize the two children born during the siege and to also say Mass.
Vázquez Camarassa, a Madrid preacher with left-wing views, was sent to the Alcázar during the morning of September 11, performed the necessary functions and issued a General Absolution to the defenders of the Alcázar. That evening, Major Rojo met with Colonel Moscardó for the release of the women and children. The women unanimously replied that they would never surrender and if need be would take up arms for the defense of El Alcázar.

El Alcázar After the Siege.

Women Search the Ruins for the Bodies of Dead Husbands and Sons.
Anarchist Militia Attack El Alcázar.