At first they just undermined the anarchists by only giving them very weak support, not letting them have weapons, etc.
I can't agree with calling that undermining. It's just not giving full support to the anarchists. The second part is more valid but the anarchist groups were often squatting on vital military infrastructure or even outright looting.
I'll have to listen to that podcast. My perception of the anarchist plan in the SCW was that they wanted to create perfect anarchist communes that would then be destroyed piecemeal by the fascists. We'll see if that changes.
The anarchist militias were reasonably effective, and with support might have been quite successful. But no one comes out of the SCW looking particularly good.
Stalin greatly underestimated western antipathy to even moderate socialism and threw potential allies into the cold for nothing, and the radical factions of the Anarchists absolutely were damaging the war effort. Fuck-ups all round.
I can't agree with calling that undermining. It's just not giving full support to the anarchists. The second part is more valid but the anarchist groups were often squatting on vital military infrastructure or even outright looting.
I'll have to listen to that podcast. My perception of the anarchist plan in the SCW was that they wanted to create perfect anarchist communes that would then be destroyed piecemeal by the fascists. We'll see if that changes.
The anarchist militias were reasonably effective, and with support might have been quite successful. But no one comes out of the SCW looking particularly good.
Stalin greatly underestimated western antipathy to even moderate socialism and threw potential allies into the cold for nothing, and the radical factions of the Anarchists absolutely were damaging the war effort. Fuck-ups all round.