19th Century Spain: Political Instability & Liberal State Formation
The Reign of Isabel II (1833-1868)
First Carlist War (1833-1840)
The civil war started in 1833 when the Infante Don Carlos refused to recognize his niece Elizabeth as queen. His supporters, the Carlists, represented diverse social sectors (clergy, nobility, etc.) united by their opposition to liberalism. The Carlists defended traditional absolutist monarchy and the prominence of the Catholic religion, opposing the liberal reforms.
Royal Charter: Moderate and Progressive
To face the Carlists, Maria Cristina sought the support of moderate liberals. Universities reopened, and amnesty was granted to imprisoned liberals. Far-reaching administrative reforms were undertaken, including the provincial division, which endures today with minor modifications.
The limits of this reformism were shown in the Royal Statute of 1834. Unlike a true Constitution, it was granted by the Crown. It established consultative bicameral Cortes but kept control of the legislature and executive with the Crown.
Political life became radicalized, and liberals divided into two parties that would dominate Spanish politics: moderates and progressives.
The Constitution of 1837 and the Confiscation
In 1836, progressive discontent with the Royal Statute culminated in an uprising. The regent was forced to form a progressive government and draft a constitutional amendment acceptable to both liberal tendencies.
While presented as a reform of the 1812 Constitution of Cadiz, the 1837 Constitution was a new text. Except for the religious question, it was less advanced than its model. It established bicameral Cortes, census suffrage, and overseas provinces subject to colonial rule. It suppressed the remaining feudal dues (tithes and señorios), proclaimed free land ownership, and institutionalized the National Militia. Municipalities were elected by residents.
The most important work of the progressives was the confiscation, the expropriation and public auction of church lands. It aimed to stabilize finances and fund the war, but the sale of land in large batches benefited the wealthy and disappointed small farmers and laborers who couldn’t access it.
The Construction of the Liberal State (1840-1868)
The Regency of Espartero
The corruption that existed in the environment of the ruler “and attempt Stl p-or control returned to local councils;: political opinion. Pn <: rontra. after a statement mary r-ristin renuaciar and that ttjvo exile> ‘(Espartero, hero of the First Carlist War and head of the party
progressive regncia assumed.
The regency Espartero 11840-1843] was characterized by a person
lism of the regent and his authoritarian measures, [among others, hombardeo of Barcelon9J. to the point that she lost the support of SL own party. In 1843, a new pronouncement led the moderates and Espartero into exile.
4.2. THE REIGN OF ELIZABETH 11: THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE STATE LlB_RAL
. In 1843, before the failure of the two regencies, was declared the Queen mayol old. though Elizabeth 11 solo’tenía thirteen. Since that time _ until 1868, was extended IJN. com.plejo reign which would
the foundations of the face liberaL.las ol [tics of estel2e
ríorlo are: – – – –.- – – – —
. Eiército weight in political life. He has called this rei
ined the regime of the generals and the military were given:
. The weakness of the ‘GOP politicians. Moderates and proqre
sistas were incapable of articljLar political life. Although tea
estuary was a liberal representative, was not-n the results, graph
-election that decided the “changes of government, but the pro
nunciamientos military or intrigues aGieg pal-p; s.
. The non-neutrality of the Crown. The theory of sovereignty * com game, defended by the moderates, gave a extraoréJi Roder nario to the monarchy, which traducía_’lJnaintromisjÓn C. Qn_ tive of the queen in the polítiéa.-Aho ‘ra good. The ‘sovereign er not neutral. but clearly pro mode_ados. On the other pa-rt i_xRqnía his immature personality to the maneuvers of rilla Came *. The climate of corruption In the reign of Elizabeth 1I there was a clear dominance of conservatism. The period can be divided into three stages:
. Moderate La.Década [1844-1854]. The Coostitu.ción of 1845 imposed the principles. Moderantismo: soberaníacomoartida, lirnit, ation of individual rights [libeltad of assembly and electoral expresionr — cemralismo a_dmii1i_tr_tivo restricted. Also s_ó Civil Guard, a force of public order under the command of eje’cutivo which replaced the National Militia, V Sar signed a Concordat con_la: 1ta Headquarters [1851] who revived the understanding with the Church, torn by alienation .
. Biennium Proqresista [1854-1856]. A ruling prompted the government to proqresistas. She cast a Constitution, ‘they’ laughed deny enacted, and there was a second confiscation, planned Mado’Z_ Minister that affected mainly municipal lands. Tensions between the two strongmen of the moment, Espartero V O’Donnell, ‘coñoÚjeron the fall of the first and the return of the moderates to power.
. The second term moderate [1856-1868]. During esta’etapa was performed olicy io resti outside the country involving several interventions overseas Morocco, Pacific, Indo-China and Mexico]. He founded the Liberal Union, a project Deo: Donn_l for inteqrar different families of liberalism in a centrist party, but surqieron other parties políticb [i: femeaucrats and Republicans] increasingly Aleia of the monarchy. The scandals and repression of la.popularidad damaged Isabel.II
In all political forces to excepción’del ‘moderate party
Ostend concluded the pact to “overthrow the queen. n 1 6, a military coup, with broad popular support, to errocó
– In the nineteenth century, Cuba was a colony rpuy prosperous because of its sugar production. However, Cuban la_ociedad had a peculiar character: it was a sik: ied’ad slave. At the top was the sacarocracia or arisfocracia sugar, comprising enrTquecidos Creoles and peninsular inmigrarites got some amass large tortunas i ‘! N Laisla. Añi’OOs groups had enormous influence in government.
But if the wealthy elite had sacarócratas me, God to handle the threads of the cliques at court, the majority of people in Cuba, free or slave, had no opportunity to participate in government. For most of the nineteenth century, Cuba, like other provinces overseas, _ outside the liberal state to be built in the rest of ‘Spain, subject to
captain general and in re_resentación _in Cortes.El discontent of much of the Cubans led in 1868 to the beginning of the Ten Years War, a first bid for independence that would be repeated at the end of the century.