Fermín Galán
While recovering from a serious wound in 1925 Galán conceived the idea of overthrowing the monarchist dictatorship of General Primo de Rivera and establishing a republic.
He was then assigned to the remote posting of Jaca in northern Aragon, where he developed plans for another coup attempt, this time coordinated with civilian strikes and demonstrations.
[1] His father, Juan Galán Mateo, was the son of poor peasants from a small village near San Fernando.
[2] In 1915, at the age of 15, Galán entered the Toledo Infantry Academy in the Alcázar, one of the few students of peasant or worker origins.
[3] During the year and a half spent on defensive duties Galán devoured books on sociology and learned how the Russian Revolution had emancipated the workers and peasants.
This was rejected by the higher command, but they recognised his ability, in October 1922 gave him first class cross of military merit with a red badge, and would send to ask for his opinions on various subjects.
[3] At this point the military uprising of General Miguel Primo de Rivera put an end to the project.
During his stay in hospital and subsequent convalescence he became disillusioned with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and began to seriously consider conspiracy to restore the Republic.
[4] He wrote a historical and autobiographical novel at this time, La barbarie organizada (Organized Barbarism), about the colonial war in Morocco.
[4] In April 1925 he was discharged and spent two months in Ceuta, then for a short period was in Madrid before being promoted to captain and assigned to the Luchana nº28 Infantry Regiment in Tarragona, which he joined on 13 August 1925, aged 25.
He published Escribe Nueva Creación, an essay on political, economic and social doctrine that advocated a federal republican system.
From that time he mounted a campaign to get the CRN to support a military uprising at a national level combined with popular demonstrations, but was frustrated by constant postponements of the date.
[6] The CRN representative Santiago Casares Quiroga knew of the decision to delay the uprising and came to Jaca late of the night of 11–12 December but did not notify Galán.
[12] Delays in requisition of transport held back the departure from Jaca until 3:00 p.m.[12] Around 5:00 p.m. General Manuel de las Heras with some civil guards met Galán's column at the height of Anzánigo(es).
[12] When they reached Ayerbe the insurgents took control of the telephone and telegraph stations, neutralized the civil guard and proclaimed the Republic.
[6] At dawn on 13 December 1930 at the heights of Cillas, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Huesca, the rebels found themselves confronted by the government force.
[6] On 14 December in a short court martial captains Galán and García Hernández were condemned to death, while other officers were sentenced to life imprisonment.
With almost the entire future government of the Republic in the Model Prison, no one could imagine that a tidal wave was forming beneath the surface and that the water would burst forth, like a fountain and fireworks display,on that fateful April 4th.
[16] Galán and García Hernández became heroes of the Second Republic, founded on 14 April 1931, with their portraits displayed in council chambers and the homes of workers throughout Spain.
[17] Rafael Alberti composed a romancero commemorating the two heroes in 1931, and soon after converted the ballads into a play called Fermín Galán to be performed by the company of Margarita Xirgu.
[19] A film was made about Galán in which at the end his body was covered with a Republican tricolor flag by a woman who represented the Republic.
