Severino Albarracín Broseta (1851– February 5, 1878) was a

Spanish anarchist Anarchism in Spain has historically gained some support and influence, especially before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, when it played an active political role and is considered the end of the golden age of c ...

. Trained as a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, he became a leader of the Spanish Regional Federation of the

First International The International Workingmen's Association (IWA; 1864–1876), often called the First International, was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist, and anarchist ...

and was a prominent participant in the 1873

Petroleum Revolution The Petroleum Revolution (Valencian: ''La Revolució del Petroli'') was a libertarian and syndicalist leaning workers' revolution that took place in Alcoy, Alicante, Spain in 1873. The event derives its name from the petroleum-soaked torches carr ...

general strike in

Alcoy Alcoy (; ; officially: / ) is an industrial and university city, region and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Serpis river crosses the municipal boundary of Alcoy. The local authority reported a population of 61,135 r ...

. Exiled in Switzerland, he participated in the

Jura Federation The Jura Federation () represented the anarchist, Bakuninist faction of the First International during the anti-statist split from the organization. The Canton of Jura, a Swiss area, was known for its watchmaker artisans in La Chaux-de-Fonds, w ...

, where he remained an insurrectionist while working as a laborer. He returned to Spain after several years, where he died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

Life

Severino Albarracín Broseta was born in 1851 in

Llíria Llíria (; ) is a medium-sized town off the CV35 motorway to the north of Valencia, Spain. Known as ''Edeta'' in ancient Iberian times, it is the musical capital of the region. On October 30, 2019, Llíria was declared a Creative City in the c ...

, near

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. In his early years, following the 1868

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, Albarracín joined the leftist Republican Youth of Valencia. He became a teacher after studying at the Valencia Normal School. Around 1871, Albarracín joined the

and

Bakunin Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin. Sometimes anglicized to Michael Bakunin. ( ; – 1 July 1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist. He is among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major figure in the revolutionary socialist, so ...

International Alliance of Socialist Democracy The International Alliance of Socialist Democracy was an organisation founded by Mikhail Bakunin along with 79 other members on 28 October 1868, as an organisation within the International Workingmen's Association (IWA). The establishment of the ...

. He was an anarchist Spanish Regional Federation delegate to the International's 1872

Zaragoza Congress The Zaragoza Congress was the Second Congress of the Spanish Regional Federation of the International Workingmen's Association (FRE-AIT). It was held in Zaragoza in April 1872, at the end of the reign of Amadeo I. To prevent it from being suspen ...

. The same year, was elected to the Regional's Federal Council and, later, was appointed its secretary, based in

. He attended the 1873

Córdoba Congress The Córdoba Congress was the Third Congress of the Spanish Regional Federation of the International Workingmen's Association (FRE-AIT). It was held in Córdoba between December 25, 1872 and January 3, 1873, just one month before King Amadeo I abd ...

. By this time, Albarracín supported insurrectionism and

social revolution Social revolutions are sudden changes in the structure and nature of society. These revolutions are usually recognized as having transformed society, economy, culture, philosophy, and technology along with but more than just the political system ...

through local uprisings. He was a prominent participant in the July 1873

general strike in Alcoy. Albarracín and others of the International demanded that the mayor transfer power to a revolutionary junta. He was arrested in association with the uprising and the next year was arrested in association with writing a First International manifesto. He gave a false name to sabotage his prosecution. Upon his release, he absconded to Switzerland. He participated in the

, meeting

Peter Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist and geographer known as a proponent of anarchist communism. Born into an aristocratic land-owning family, Kropotkin attended the Page Corps and later s ...

James Guillaume James Guillaume (16 February 1844 – 20 November 1916) was a Swiss anarchist and writer who was a leading member of the Jura federation, the anarchist wing of the First International. Later, Guillaume would take an active role in the founding ...

, and

Paul Brousse Paul Louis Marie Brousse (; 1844–1912) was a French socialist politician. After training as a physician, he was radicalised by the events of the Paris Commune and joined the anarchist faction of the International Workingmen's Association (I ...

during his exile. Albarracín remained an insurrectionist in the Spanish Regional's most radical faction. He worked in an engravers cooperative in

Le Locle Le Locle (; ) is a Communes of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It is situated in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is the third smallest city in Switzerland (in Swit ...

and then for the

communard The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards we ...

Abraham Dargère. While named a Spanish delegate to the 1876 Bern Congress, Albarracín did not attend. Under the name Gabriel Albagès, Albarracín was twice elected to the International's federal council that year but stepped down to work as a painter plasterer in

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds (; archaic ) is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura Mountains at an altitude of 992 metres, a few kilometres south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne, Biel/Bienne, and Fribourg, ...

. After an aborted attempt to translate Guillaume's ''Historical Sketches'' into Spanish and not finding other work, Albarracín returned to Spain in 1877. He continued his activism in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and kept a correspondence with Kropotkin. Albarracín died in Barcelona on February 5, 1878, of

Legacy

A street in

was named in his memory.

Life

Legacy

References

Further reading