Russell Blackwell was an American
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
and former
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
.
Life
Russell Blackwell was a communist in the 1920s and a
Trotskyist
Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...
in the 1930s. He left the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to establish a Communist organization for children, the Pioneers, in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, where he adopted the pseudonym Rosario Negrete. Working with Manuel Rodriguez, Blackwell founded the Mexico's first Trotskyist organization, ''Oposición Comunista de Izquierda'' ("Communist Left Opposition", or OCI) in 1933. Teachers Luciano Galicia and Octavio Fernandez withdrew from the Communist Party to join the group in 1934. The organization became the ''Liga Comunista Internacionalista'' in late 1934 and published ''Nueva Internacional'', which published works by
Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...
and fundraised for artists.
In the United States, following fallout in the Trotskyist Workers Party, a faction known as Oehler-Stamm broke off to found the
Revolutionary Workers League. Blackwell was a major personality in the League. The group sent Blackwell to become a
POUM
The Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (, POUM; , POUM) was a Spanish communist party formed during the Second Spanish Republic, Second Republic and mainly active around the Spanish Civil War. It was formed by the fusion of the Trotskyism, Tro ...
combatant at the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. In
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, he converted to anarchism and was a member of the
Friends of Durruti Group. Upon his return, he retreated into his family and
cartography
Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...
career in the 1940s. In 1954, he sought to return to activism with fellow anarchists and friends
Sam and Esther Dolgoff with the founding of the
Libertarian League.
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
Russell Blackwell Archiveat
marxists.org
20th-century anarchists
American anarchists
American cartographers
Foreign volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction)
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