Civil wars more than any other are decided by moral forces and by the resolution and unity of those not in the firing lisle. That is why the outbreak of street fighting in Barcelona is a portent, particularly since it but brings to a head feuds that have been carried on amongst the Reds ever since the fighting began. In the present instance the extreme elements among the Anarchists seem to have been the protagonists one side with Syndicalists as their allies and Socialists as the enemy; but TrotskyistsLeft-wing Communists with a miscellaneous following—appear to have actually started the conflagration. In the end the Government at Valencia, sending a force of 5,000 men, took control.
But it is also significant that the Valencia Government was capable of such deter mined and powerful action. Among the moral forces that decide civil wars must be reckoned the combination of ruthlessness and organising power that can hammer discordant elements into a victorious army even on the side of evil. There is no room for complacency.