Barcelona, Catalonia, Late February, 1939

"The Revolution is well under way, comrades! We have a long fight ahead of us, but we of the vanguard must elect a chairman. It is with greatest hope that we should bestow this responsibility upon Jose Diaz Ramos!"

There is applause in the stadium where the rally is being held. Ramos himself, flanked by Rifleman-Workers and fellow members of the PCE, steps up to yet another podium, as always. He is bundled up, as is almost everyone here today; wearing a scarf and a fiddler's cap, which even gives him something of a Lenin-like look, befitting his status as "The Spanish Lenin" for which he competes. Microphones for radio broadcast and for recording pepper the podium he stands in front of, like arrows into a bale of hay. Cameras film him for later use in putting together newsreels.

He ignores the pains in his stomach, from his cancer, and prepares for his speech:

"Comrades of the Iberian Peninsula! Workers and Peasants of Spain, Catalonia, Basque, Galicia, from the centermost rural lands to the coasts and the docks: Long live all of us, for we are the Revolution!"

There is great applause at this opening statement. Ramos nods and fiddles with his coat collar.

"We have made great gains these past months, and already we have begun to improve the lives of all who live in our lands! We have instituted land reform, collectivization of farms and factories, and begun programs to educate the youth for the future, all this whilst fighting a great civil war for the fate of our country! More in a scant few months than kings and liberals have done for ten thousand years! We even now, have the hated tyrant himself, in custody, preparing to face trial for his crimes! I ask you; do we plan to merely give up on all we've gained to the monarchists, re-install those who fought so viciously against us? The landlords who abused us? The factory-owners who had us killed if we dared to complain?"

The chorus erupts: No! Never! Viva La Revolucion! Viva El Presidente Jose Diaz!

"The Social Revolution is under way, and it will not be stopped until we are victorious, and the flag of the working class flies over every city in the peninsula!"

"What will follow will be a time of industrialization, rule of the workers and peasants, and demonarchization! To accomplish this, we must undergo more than a Social Revolution; our revolution must be Cultural, as well."

He pauses for a moment, so everyone can take in his declaration.

"There are elements, not just in the population, but in the vanguard, especially, who may be inclined more towards Castilian Chauvinism, monarchist sentiments, or even Capitalism. The revolution is a fragile thing, and we cannot expect it's effects to be maintained without work. This, you see, is a delicate procedure, as well; it cannot be trusted to those who may seek to preserve their stature; it will be a movement of the youth. Once the revolution has succeeded, Children and Students will be taught to critique their teachers, their leaders, and themselves; for you cannot learn how to rule for the future if you do not recognize the mistakes of the past. In this line, all across Iberia, it should be realized that self-criticism for the improvement of one's work in the future is the way forward, for everyone. We are, after all, only human."

"Unlike the reactionaries who oppose us, though! Has a reactionary ever learned from his mistakes? Maybe if his mistake was in the efficiency of methods used to oppress the workers, the peasants, the minorities and homosexuals. A reactionary will sing the same old song until every man except for them is dead, and even then, they will turn upon each other to fulfill their reactionary goals! We are humans! We are not to be oppressed, and we are not to condone reactionary views who refuse to change!"

"Long live the Revolution! Long live us!"

Applause wracks the stadium for several minutes as Jose Diaz stands at the podium. It begins to snow, as the applause dies down, and the stadium is vacated. Once again, a new snow, a fresh start for a new world in the Spring.