Yes, because Catalonia was resisting the fascist coup with their own revolutionary struggle to collectivize agriculture based on consent of the farmers, and worker ownership led by the labor unions who had been providing education and other community services for years.

Its a lesser known fact that George Orwell wrote a book on his experiences there, and that the people's struggle inspired him so much he took up arms and joined them. The guy who's work people claim is an indictment of socialism, fought for it against the rise of fascism.