War is a complex phenomenon riddled with tragic deaths and players with a kaleidescope of myopic perspectives. The Spanish Civil War exemplifies this, as does one of its central figures – the left-wing feminist, supporter of the poor, and propagandist Dolores Ibárruri (1895-1989).
Ibárruri, known as “La Pasionaria”, had a mindset shaped by her impoverished background — she had to leave school because her parents couldn’t afford to further her education. At 21 she married a miner, bearing six children and losing four due to the effects of poverty, malnourishment, and lack of medical care.
After her trade unionist husband was jailed for leading a strike, Ibárruri read Karl Marx and joined the Communist party. She became a journalist and political leader, taking the Communist side against the Fascist Nationalists in the fractious Spanish Civil War, a conflict often considered a foreshadowing of WWII. Some of her speeches became famous lines, like “The Spanish people would rather die on their feet than live on their knees,” and “The fascists shall not pass! (“¡No pasarán! — she said it before Gandalf!).
After the war Ibárruri sought refuge in the Soviet Union, and she supported her son to fight on Stalin’s side in the Second World War — he was killed in the Battle of Stalingrad. In one of her speeches she encouraged the women of Spain to take up the cause of war, rallying them with the cry “It is better to be the widows of heroes than the wives of cowards!”.
Ibárruri’s lived her life for her passionate and well-placed ideals, but along the way sided with troublesome allies and considered violence to be the best solution. I wonder how I would have acted had I been in her position.
Source(s): @www.spartacus-educational.com, “Dolores Ibárruri (Pasionaria). @brooklynmuseum.org, “Dolores Ibárruri”.
