Page "Participatory democracy" Paragraph 5

A brief period where a region was governed almost totally by participatory democracy occurred during the Spanish civil war, from 1936 – 1938, in the parts of Spain controlled by anarchist republicans.

In 1938 the anarchists were displaced after being turned on by their former republican allies in the Communist party as well as suffering attacks by the loyalist forces of General Franco.

The writer George Orwell, who experienced participatory democracy as he was in Spain with the anarchists before their defeat, discusses it in his book Homage to Catalonia, and says participatory democracy was a " strange and valuable " experience where one could " breath the air of equality " and where normal human motives like snobbishness, greed and fear of authority had ceased to exist.