ABSTRACT
As libertarian activists had long promised would happen, the alliance of the working class against fascism was not hammered out in the headquarters of unions and political parties, but in fact occurred 'on the street' in July 1936. By 20 July, the defence committees in Barcelona had constituted themselves as 'neighbourhood revolutionary committees' and their members had taken to calling themselves 'milicianos'. Movement around the city was controlled by barricades overseen chiefly by such milicianos. The presence of arms in the rearguard was integral to the question of who held power in revolutionary Spain – the state or the organised working class – and as such it became a test case for anarchists committed to defending and strengthening the revolutionary achievements of the summer. Anarchist men were encouraged to repudiate the presence of women at the front due to the dangers of venereal disease but not to eschew brothels while on leave.
