Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Witness History
Episode: La Pasionaria: Heroine of the Spanish civil war
Description: Dolores Ibárruri was nicknamed La Pasionaria for her fiery speeches to the anti-fascist forces during the Spanish civil war. The fighting had begun in July 1936. Troops, led by General Francisco Franco, launched an uprising against the democratically-elected government. These Nationalist rebels were backed by Adolf Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy.On the other side were supporters of the Republican government, including Spain’s communist party, and Dolores was one of its leaders. She was already known for her speeches against fascism, but it was the civil war that sealed her reputation as a pas...