Dolores Ibárruri
Date: July 29, 1936
Source: Speeches and Articles pp. 11-13, Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1938
First Published: Three Speeches by Pasionaria Madrid-Barcelona, 1936
Transciption/HTML Markup: Mike B. for MIA, April 2007
Public Domain: Marxists Internet Archive (2007). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source.
Working people! The blood shed by the courageous militia and regular troops that have remained loyal to the Republic and the People's Front government, the courage and self-sacrifice of all anti- fascists, with the heroic aid of our intrepid airmen, have today inscribed one of the most glorious pages in the history of our country. The troops loyal to the government, in close alliance with the working people, have achieved a brilliant victory over the enemies of the people, over those who would fain have erected a fascist regime in our country on the corpses of the splendid fighters of the anti-fascist movement.
The soldiers, children of the people, basely deceived by their treacherous chiefs, were forced to keep to barracks.
These traitors wanted to make out that the soldiers were on their side. As in the glorious October days, soldiers of the Foreign Legion and native troops have been rushed to the Peninsula. They were promised rich booty. The people, fighting manfully, inflicted severe defeat upon these forces and fortified the Republic, which must now more than ever be a republic of all the working people. The struggle that has so tragically developed in our country has helped to weld together all the nations of the Peninsula on a hitherto unknown scale.
While the peasants of Aragon, having risen with arms in hand, are hastening to the assistance of the workers in the cities, the government of victorious Catalonia is dispatching its detachments against the rebels who have drenched historic Saragossa in blood. The miners of Huelva are proceeding to Seville to fight side by side with their brother workers. The peasants of all the villages of Andalusia are rising, united by the ardent wish to smash reaction and to halt the advance of fascism. The Basque miners have stopped the offensive of the fascists of Navarre, led by General Mola. Everywhere the alliance of the workers and peasants with the regular troops who have remained loyal to the Republic constitutes the motive force of the great victories achieved.
However, although the reaction has suffered severe defeat, it may yet, in its death agonies, spill a great deal of blood of the people.
Militia, workers, and labouring people! Be on your guard, so that victory may not be followed by defeat! Workers of Madrid, you are the worthy offspring of the heroic fighters of May 2! Our women have maintained our glorious traditions with honour, and have fought with supreme fearlessness. You have all performed your duty with honour. You must now learn to utilize your victory. Let your discipline and vigilance be as great as your heroism! The enemy is lurking in wait for us and resorting to every means to cast a shadow on our victory. We share your abhorrence of these constant provocations, but do not allow yourselves to be drawn into the path the enemy would like to draw you into, the path of destruction, disgraceful robbery and arson. We, the working people, need clubs premises for meetings and dwellings. The buildings you know to be lurking places of the enemy should not be destroyed; they should be confiscated by the government and placed at the disposal of the working people, whose heroic self-sacrifice has made our victory over the enemy possible.
We, the communists, whose revolutionary consistency nobody can doubt—it has been proved in the fire of battle—say to you: Do not give way to the chaos into which our enemies would like to drag you; good order must be observed—republican order, democratic order, the order of the people!
Expose and deliver up to justice all provocateurs, even if they use revolutionary phraseology as a screen, for their actions further the plans of the enemies!
Discipline! Calm! Vigilance!—so as to prevent provocation!
Workers of Madrid! Heroic comrades! In order to spread alarm among the population, the enemies, under cover of night, as once by day, concealed on balconies and in attics, will try to break your spirit and to provoke you by petty alarming rumours. Keep calm! Spare your energies, do not waste cartridges—they will be needed for the final rout of the enemy!
Long live the victory of the people and of the troops loyal to the government!
Long live the heroic Spanish Air Force!
Long live the Republican Navy!
Long live the valiant anti-fascist Militia!
Long live the Democratic Republic!
Long live the Government of the People's Front!
Long live the fighting front of all the anti-fascists!