19th Century Spain: Instability, Restoration, and Decline
19th Century Liberal Revolution in Spain
The 19th-century liberal revolution was an unstable process in Spain. The Spanish liberal character was marked by the army’s significant power in politics, with figures like Espartero and Serrano. Political parties frequently used the army for military uprisings and revolts to gain power. The Moderates and Progressives were exclusivist, ensuring power for a new liberal social elite whose primary concern was property rather than liberty. Land laborers and workers sought liberal freedoms to change their working conditions. The elites feared strikes and church burnings, leading to a desire for a more moderate rule to achieve stability and establish a modern, capitalist economy.
The Democratic Six Years and Instability
During the Democratic Six Years, Spain experienced several forms of government, including the Provisional Government, the constitutional monarchy of Saboya, the First Spanish Republic, and the government of Serrano. The war in Cuba and the Carlist War in the Basque Country caused great instability. This period of turmoil led to the Restoration, a period of political stability and economic growth.
The Restoration of the Bourbon Monarchy
1. Cánovas del Castillo proposed Alfonso XII as King. In 1871, Isabel II abdicated in his favor. Alfonso signed the Sandhurst Manifesto. In 1874, a military pronouncement declared Alfonso King, restoring the Bourbon monarchy. Cánovas became the prince’s tutor, preparing him for his role as King. He aimed to establish a political system that included progressive liberal parties and prevented the spread of revolutionary ideas. He altered censorship and opposed the 1869 Constitution. The Cortes reunited to draft a new Constitution.
1876 Cánovas and the Cortes defined the new monarchy. Initial measures included the suppression of left-wing parties and the outlawing of the labor movement. Only parties that accepted the constitutional monarchy were allowed. The new parliament had a government majority based on Cánovas’s Liberal Conservative party. The legislative power was shared between the King and the Cortes. Parliament was divided into two chambers. Many rights from the 1869 Constitution were included, and Catholicism was declared the religion of the State.
Bipartidism and the “Turno Pacífico”
Bipartidism and “turno pacífico” Cánovas, an experienced politician, wanted to create a political system that eliminated military pronouncements as a means to gain power. He admired the British parliament, which became a model for the bipartidism settlement in Spain. He organized two political parties: one Liberal-Conservative and the other Liberal-Progressive. These two parties alternated in government, a system known as turnism.
Caciquismo and Vote Fraud
Caciquis & vote fraud To achieve this, they used caciquismo, a mechanism for applying the turn. The cacique was responsible for ensuring that the party that was supposed to win the elections did. The system worked well in rural areas, while in urban areas, opposition republican parties could gain votes.
2. The Conservatives and Liberals shifted turns regularly. In terms of stability, the system was a success. King Alfonso XII died in 1885, and his widow, Maria Cristina, took up the Regency until Alfonso XIII came of age. The bipartidism led to opposition. Carlism declined significantly after its defeat in 1876.
The Decline of the Restoration
1898 The loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines marked a turning point in the Restoration period. “El Desastre de 1898” and the economic losses became evident, leading to a wave of pessimism in Spain. This movement was known as Regenerationism. Writers like Joaquín Costa, with his work “Oligarquía y caciquismo,” critiqued the Cánovas Restoration. From 1898, the Cánovas Restoration began to fall apart, and opposition from Republicans grew. Cánovas was assassinated in 1897, and Sagasta died in 1903. The Tragic Week of 1909 led to the establishment of Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship.
4 After 1917, social conflict continued. With the economic depression following the end of the war, industrialists tried to cut costs. There were constant changes in government. The bloody defeat of the Spanish Army at Annual in Morocco was blamed on the King. In this context, General Primo launched a coup, ending the Restoration system. Regeneracionism is an ideological current that tried to remedy the decline of Spain, especially after the enormous impact of the disaster of 98.