Abstract

Fermín Salvochea was born into a family belonging to the Cádiz trading bourgeoisie. All seemed to be settled for him to enjoy a well-off life in the business world. However, a decisive change in his future started to take place through book readings concerning prominent political figures of the time. Salvochea’s political commitment led him to become member of parliament and mayor of the city of Cádiz. But he also led popular militias and insurrections against central power, which took him to be active in the more extreme way of anarchism. This article’s main purpose is to analyze Salvochea’s evolution and trying to understand how a person of his social position became a leader among the more defenseless classes and a real myth. In order to do so, the international context will be tacked together with the key elements that made anarchism to have a great implementation in Spain.