Germinal Esgleas
Josep Esgleas i Jaume (1903–1981), commonly known by his
pseudonym Germinal Esgleas, was a
Catalan anarcho-syndicalist. He joined the
National Confederation of Labour (CNT) at an early age, going on to teach at one of the organisation's
rationalist schools in
Mataró. After the proclamation of the
Second Spanish Republic, he joined the
Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI) and began writing for ''
La Revista Blanca'', in which he advocated for a hardline stance against
moderate syndicalism. During the
Spanish Civil War, he formed a commission to
purchase weapons for the Republic and was briefly considered for the role of
Minister of Economy in the
Catalan government. Towards the end of the war, he participated in a plot to oust the government of
Juan Negrín. With the
Nationalist victory, he fled to France with his wife
Federica Montseny and their children. After spending years incarcerated in concentration camps and prisons, he was released during the
Liberation of France. He then became one of the foremost leaders of the orthodox faction of the CNT and was elected as the organisation's
General Secretary, a post he served in for most of its time in exile.
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