I am Joan Feliu, progressive worker and republican, father of Joseph Feliu and grandfather of Joanet Feliu.

I was born in Valencia 80 years ago. I grew up as an only child with my mother and my grandparents in El Cabanyal, as my father was exiled during the second reign of Ferdinand VII from 1823 to 1833. He returned in 1834 when the National Militia was restructured to ensure the victory of the liberal revolution; he regained his trade in velvet and spared no expense in combating the Carlists. I myself, being a young man, joined the cause alongside many other liberals, republicans, and progressives. We were able to expel the mother of the queen and raise General Espartero to power in 1840, but three years later General Narvaez, that animal, crushed and persecuted us with the Civil Guard. I spent a few months in prison and, upon leaving, married and returned to my workshop, though we had to close soon thereafter due to a general recession in Valencian silkmaking. We had no option but to become salary workers, my wife working for the tobacco factory of Aduana and myself in the silk factory of Colomina. During that period, in 1854, we helped the Espartero rise to power again, though our happiness only lasted two years. In 1868, the great revolution, the Gloriosa, arrived, bringing with it universal male suffrage, the barricades of 1869, and, lastly, the Republic. Unfortunately, the conservatives and the Church, once again from Valencia, imposed upon the Bourbons and their bipartisanship. So far they have ignored the popular classes, though it seems that won’t last much longer. The republicans of Valencia already have Blasco Ibañez as our representative in Madrid and we have just won the municipal elections, although the mayor, as always, will be decided by the government of Madrid.