Pistolerismo
Pistolerismo refers both to a specific period of Spanish history, between the general strike of August 1917 and Primo de Rivera's coup in September 1923, and to the social phenomenon spread in many areas of Spain during which Spanish employers hired thugs to intimidate and often attack trade unionists and notable workers – and vice versa. It was characterized by the birth and proliferation of several armed groups composed of pistoleros ("gunfighters"), men specialized in the use of violence.