| Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1934 (1934)–1937 (1937) |
| Disbanded | 1937 |
| Country | Spain |
| Allegiance | Second Spanish Republic |
| Type | Citizen militia |
| Role | GuardingSocialist andCommunist offices and protecting leftist leaders. |
| Size | 5,000 (est.) |
| Engagements | Defence of Madrid (Spanish Civil War) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Enrique Líster Juan Guilloto León |
| Insignia | |
| Commissar badge |  |
| Colours | Blue and red |
TheAntifascist Worker and Peasant Militias (Spanish:Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas,MAOC) were amilitia group founded in theSecond Spanish Republic in 1934. Their purpose was to protect leaders of theCommunist Party of Spain (PCE) andUnified Socialist Youth (JSU) from the attacks of Fascist militia groups such as theFalange Blueshirts.
The MAOC were especially active in the few months preceding the 1936 coup and the first months of theSpanish Civil War. Many of the members of thePopular Army'sFifth Regiment during the war belonged to the Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias.[1]
Most of the MAOC members belonged to theUnified Socialist Youth,Juventudes Socialistas Unificadas (JSU),youth organization. They received weapons and basic paramilitary training.[2]
Shortly after theSpanish coup of 17 July 1936, the MAOC formed five battalions that took an active part in thedefence of Madrid. One of these battalions eventually became the renowned "Fifth Regiment" (5º Regimiento de Milicias Populares), a military unit directly supported by theCommunist Party of Spain and intended as a model for other military units in the initial chaotic period of the civil war. In the first critical phase of the war the Communists and Socialists led the implementation of a policy that sought to replace the spontaneous and disorganized bands fighting for the Spanish Republic with loyal, disciplined and militarized units. Thus the MAOC members eventually became integrated in different units of the Spanish Republican Army and their militia became extinct.[1]
The Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias members used to wear a uniform featuring a light blue shirt and a red tie. The political commissars wore ared star on the shirt's breast pocket.[2]
