This thesis examines the early life of Dolores Ibrruri, the Spanish Communist best known as La Pasionaria. The work covers the period from her birth in 1895 to the end of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship in 1930. By exploring her life and the historical context in which she lived, the thesis addresses issues of womens history, the history of working class movements, especially Communism, in Spain, and Spanish history more generally. Also discussed are historiographical and theoretical issues surrounding testimonial literature and autobiography, and the role of gender in the production of those types of texts. Primary sources include Ibrruris autobiography and interviews. Secondary sources include biographies of Ibrruri, histories on both the Spain of these years and the contextual issues under examination, and criticism on the genres of testimonial literature and autobiography.