In his memoirs, Manuel Azaña reflects on a fundamental challenge faced by the Republic during a tumultuous period in Spain. He highlights the difficulty of managing large masses of people, emphasizing the need to impose discipline and integrate them into a military framework under government oversight. This was essential for waging war in an organized manner according to the strategies laid out by the General Staff.

Azaña's observations underscore the complexity of the political and social landscape at the time. The struggle to maintain order and effectively mobilize resources for the Republic became a key issue, illustrating the tension between military needs and civilian governance in the context of war.