From the Diary of Dimitrov - Stalin on Defeat

(Extract from the Diary dated April 7 1939, not the entire document EA)

At the Kremlin Stalin, Molotov, Beria, Jose Diaz, Manuilsky and translator Krylova

Stalin ; The Spanish are brave but careless. Madrid was all but in the hands of the Communists, and then suddenly other forces seized the power and began killing Communists. İt is not clear how it worked out that way. İt appears that the Communists somehow quietly slipped away, leaving the masses to themselves, leaderless. The objective is not to fight under any circumstances, even when your forces will not allow it. İf the situation were insupportable, the party could announce that it considers it possible to replace the government with another one, more acceptable for the present moment, and then proceed to end the war.

But the party is obliged to say so clearly to the masses!

There are times when you have insufficient forces to continue the fight.

There are times when you suffer defeat.

"We have beaten" Lenin said in 1905.

We are not obliged to maintain an offensive no matter what, but the party must tell the masses explicitly what they must do, rather than withdraw and leave masses to themselves, disoriented.

The party should have explained why the government withdrew without fight. Adopt a clear position...

(..)

How to fight the enemy is something the Spanish Communists demonstrated well, and they provided enormous experience.

How to yield power and withdraw they were unable to demonstrate.

(..)

One must learn from negative experiences too.

....Stalin related an incident in 1918 in Stalingrad, when our forces were surrounded on all sides, and counter revolutionaries stirred up rebellion in the city. Stalin and Voroshilov took seventy men from each of the regiments and suppressed the rebellion..

(.......)

Source 

Dimitrov's Diaries 1933 -1949