Spanish Socialist Workers' Party - Early History (1879 - 1974)

1974)

The PSOE was founded on May 2, 1879 in the Casa Labra Pub (city of Madrid) by the historical Spanish workers' leader Pablo Iglesias. The first program of the new political party was passed in an assembly of 40 people, on July 20 of that same year. Although the PSOE was rather weak during the late 19th century, its active participation in strikes from 1899 to 1902 and especially its electoral coalition with the main Republican parties led in 1910 to the election of Pablo Iglesias as the first Socialist representative in the Spanish Cortes.

The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1940.

PSOE formed part of the Spanish government during the Second Spanish Republic and as part of the Spanish Popular Front, elected to government in February 1936. During the civil war years, PSOE was divided into three wings: a leftist revolutionary Marxist wing, led by Francisco Largo Caballero that advocated dictatorship of the proletariat, nationalization of every industry, and total redistribution of land; a moderate, social-democratic faction, led by Indalecio Prieto; and a reformist one, led by Julian Besteiro.

The dictator Francisco Franco banned the PSOE in 1939, and the party was legalised again in 1977. During Franco's rule members of the PSOE were persecuted, with many leaders, members and supporters being imprisoned or exiled and even executed.