Ramiro Ledesma Ramos
Encyclopedia
Ramiro Ledesma Ramos was a Spanish
national syndicalist politician, essayist, and journalist.
, where he was a disciple of José Ortega y Gasset
, and contributing to La Gaceta Literaria and Revista de Occidente, Ledesma Ramos began studying the works of Martin Heidegger
. He also wrote a novel
for the youth, entitled El sello de la muerte ("The Seal of Death").
Attracted to both Benito Mussolini
's Corporatism
, and the developing Nazi
movement in Germany
, he was troubled by his middle class
roots, which he saw as an obstacle in reaching out to the revolutionary milieu of Spanish politics in the 1920s. In 1931, Ledesma Ramos began publishing the periodical La Conquista del Estado
, named in tribute to Curzio Malaparte
's Italian
Fascist magazine La Conquista dello Stato - one of the first publications of the Spanish far right
. It attempted to bridge the gap between nationalism
and the anarcho-syndicalist
of the dominant trade union
, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
(CNT), by revising Syndicalism
altogether.
, a political role for the universities
, regionalisation
, and a syndicalist structure for the national economy. The paper was only published throughout the year, and, although a subject of debate in a CNT reunion, it never had the intended impact.
He subsequently led his group into an October 1931 merger with Onésimo Redondo
's Junta Castellana de Actuación Hispánica, creating the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
, and its magazine JONS. It became the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
(FE-JONS), after it fused with José Antonio Primo de Rivera
's group in 1934; he personally designed the movement's badge, the yoke and the arrows derived from the Catholic Monarchs
, and coined the motto
s Arriba España and Una, Grande y Libre (both of which were still in use in Francoist Spain).
The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
caught Ledesma in Republican
Madrid, far from the forces of Francisco Franco
. Imprisoned by the Popular Front
government throughout the summer and early autumn of 1936, he was executed by the Republican militia
s, and his body was thrown in a makeshift grave.
A mythical figure in the propaganda
of the Spanish State
created by Franco, he was nonetheless viewed with suspicion by the highly influential Roman Catholic Church
- which had even threatened to censor
his works through the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
.
Spain
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...
national syndicalist politician, essayist, and journalist.
Early life
After studying Letters and Sciences at the Complutense University of MadridComplutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
, where he was a disciple of José Ortega y Gasset
José Ortega y Gasset
José Ortega y Gasset was a Spanish liberal philosopher and essayist working during the first half of the 20th century while Spain oscillated between monarchy, republicanism and dictatorship. He was, along with Nietzsche, a proponent of the idea of perspectivism.-Biography:José Ortega y Gasset was...
, and contributing to La Gaceta Literaria and Revista de Occidente, Ledesma Ramos began studying the works of Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
. He also wrote a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
for the youth, entitled El sello de la muerte ("The Seal of Death").
Attracted to both Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's Corporatism
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
, and the developing Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
movement in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he was troubled by his middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
roots, which he saw as an obstacle in reaching out to the revolutionary milieu of Spanish politics in the 1920s. In 1931, Ledesma Ramos began publishing the periodical La Conquista del Estado
La Conquista del Estado
La Conquista del Estado was a publication in Spain. It was launched in 1931 by Ramiro Ledesma Ramos.The first issue, issued on March 14, 1931, contained a manifesto in which National Syndicalism was elaborated...
, named in tribute to Curzio Malaparte
Curzio Malaparte
Curzio Malaparte , born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian journalist, dramatist, short-story writer, novelist and diplomat...
's Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Fascist magazine La Conquista dello Stato - one of the first publications of the Spanish far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
. It attempted to bridge the gap between nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and the anarcho-syndicalist
Anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. The word syndicalism comes from the French word syndicat which means trade union , from the Latin word syndicus which in turn comes from the Greek word σύνδικος which means caretaker of an issue...
of the dominant trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
(CNT), by revising Syndicalism
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
altogether.
Conquista del Estado and Falange
In the very first issue of the Conquista del Estado, Ledesma published a syncretic program, which advertised statismStatism
Statism is a term usually describing a political philosophy, whether of the right or the left, that emphasises the role of the state in politics or supports the use of the state to achieve economic, military or social goals...
, a political role for the universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, regionalisation
Regionalisation
Regionalization is the tendency to form regions, or the process of doing so.Regionalization can be observed in various disciplines:*In geography, it has two ways: the process of delineating the Earth, its small areas or other units into regions and a state of such a delineation.*In globalization...
, and a syndicalist structure for the national economy. The paper was only published throughout the year, and, although a subject of debate in a CNT reunion, it never had the intended impact.
He subsequently led his group into an October 1931 merger with Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo
Onésimo Redondo Ortega was a Spanish Falangist politician, founder of Juntas Castellanas de Actuación Hispánica , a political group that merged with Ramiro Ledesma's Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and...
's Junta Castellana de Actuación Hispánica, creating the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista was a national syndicalist movement in 1930s Spain, eventually incorporated into the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.-History:...
, and its magazine JONS. It became the Falange Española de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
(FE-JONS), after it fused with José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella , was a Spanish lawyer, nobleman, politician, and founder of the Falange Española...
's group in 1934; he personally designed the movement's badge, the yoke and the arrows derived from the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
, and coined the motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
s Arriba España and Una, Grande y Libre (both of which were still in use in Francoist Spain).
Death and legacy
The group remained stable, despite the fact that Ledesma left over disagreements with Primo de Rivera; he formed a small group, La Patria Libre, which opposed the Falange on ideological grounds, displaying the same favorable attitude to the left-wing trade unions.The outbreak of 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...
caught Ledesma in Republican
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
Madrid, far from the forces of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. Imprisoned by the 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....
government throughout the summer and early autumn of 1936, he was executed by the Republican militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s, and his body was thrown in a makeshift grave.
A mythical figure in the propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
of the Spanish State
Spanish State
Francoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....
created by Franco, he was nonetheless viewed with suspicion by the highly influential Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
- which had even threatened to censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
his works through the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church. A first version was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form was authorized at the Council of Trent...
.
Quotes
- [On himself:] "The red shirt of GaribaldiGiuseppe GaribaldiGiuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
fits Ramiro Ledesma and his comrades better than the black shirtBlackshirtsThe Blackshirts were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II...
of Mussolini."
Works
- Discurso a las juventudes de España ("Speech to the Youth of Spain")
- ¿Fascismo en España? ("Fascism in Spain?")
- Escritos filosóficos, &c. ("Philosophical Writings, etc.")