16 Facts About Rafael Vidiella

Rafael Vidiella Franch was a trade unionist and communist politician from Catalonia.

Rafael Vidiella served as a minister in the government of Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War.

Rafael Vidiella became a typographer, and as a young man joined the anarchist Confederacion Nacional de Trabajadores.

In 1925 Vidiella represented the CNT in the communist-anarchist-Esquerra discussions.

Rafael Vidiella left the CNT and became an activist in the socialist Union General de Trabajadores.

From 1931 Rafael Vidiella was head of the Catalan Federation of the Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol.

In May 1936 Rafael Vidiella resigned from the PSOE national committee.

Joan Comorera was Minister of the Economy, Rafael Vidiella was Minister of Communications and Estanislau Ruiz Ponsetti was Minister of Supplies.

Rafael Vidiella prepared a press release which said the Council of the Generalitat had unanimously accepted his proposal to order the courts not to treat "revolutionary events" as crimes.

Companys said it should not be published, but Rafael Vidiella went ahead anyway and the report appeared in the newspapers.

On 16 April 1937 there was a cabinet reshuffle and Rafael Vidiella became Minister of Labor and Public Works.

Rafael Vidiella accused the anarchists of responsibility, and this led to the May Days clashes between the Stalinists and anarchists in the first week of May 1937.

Rafael Vidiella was appointed Minister of Public Order, Justice and Labor in his place.

On 28 June 1937 Companys formed a new government in which Rafael Vidiella was Minister of Labor and Public Works.

Rafael Vidiella would hold this post for the remainder of the civil war.

Rafael Vidiella contributed to the magazine Nous Horitzons founded in 1960.