“What so few of us knew outside of Spain, however, was that the “Spanish Civil War” was in fact a radical social revolution led by millions of workers and peasants…to rebuild Spanish society along revolutionary lines” (Dolgoff xii). The politics of Spain during the Republic and the role played by anarchism in the recurring dramas of the new government have been widely commented on. This article will discuss the factors that allowed anarchism to become a successful political force in Spain, and particularly in Barcelona, ​​as well as the power of anarcho-syndicalism and its unifying force in revolutionary Catalonia. Daily life in Barcelona between the outbreak of war in 1936 and the fall of Catalonia in 1939 will be examined to demonstrate how anarchism functioned as a political reality for the residents of Barcelona. Spain is the only country in the world where anarchism has developed. into a major political force (Mintz 2). Catalonia and Barcelona were the epicenter of this Spanish social revolution. Other regions, notably Andalusia, experienced anarcho-syndicalism among other facets of the anarchist movement, but urban workers in Barcelona managed to change the social and political fabric of the city through the continued upheavals caused by the strikes and demonstrations. Barcelona in 1930 was a city of stark class contrasts. “…Illegality was so deeply embedded in the property relations of 1930s Barcelona that it is difficult to conceal its pronounced class character” (Ealham 104). Public spaces such as the Rambles have become magnets for petty crime, mainly theft from apparently wealthy pedestrians. Ealham notes that few inter-working class crimes were recorded, showing that crime was primarily a concern of the bourgeoisie and a piece of paper... Rajoy deprives the Spaniards of this” (BBC web).Works CitedBookchin , Murray. The Spanish anarchists: the heroic years, 1868-1936. New York: Free Life Editions, 1977. Print. Brennan, Gerald. The Spanish labyrinth: account of the social and political context of the civil war. 2. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974. Print. Dolgoff, Sam. Anarchist collectives: workers' self-management in Spain. Revolution 1936-1939. 1. ed. New York, NY: Free Life Ed., 1974. Print. Ealham, Chris. Anarchism and the city. ; Revolution and counter-revolution in Barcelona, ​​1898-1937. Oakland, CA: AK Press, 2010. Print. Mintz, Jerome R. The Anarchists of Casas Viejas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982. Print. “Spanish austerity: a huge demonstration in Madrid turns violent. » BBC News. Np, and Web. March 23. 2014. .