Primo de Rivera’s 1923 Manifesto: Analysis and Historical Context
Item 6 and Primo de Rivera’s Manifesto
Classification
We are faced with a manifesto by General Miguel Primo de Rivera, Captain General of Catalonia in 1923, aiming to restore the political system of the Restoration. A controversial figure known for his collaboration in repressing labor activism in Barcelona since 1917, he published this manifesto in the newspaper ABC the day after the coup. It is a political text, expository-argumentative in nature, and considered a primary historical source. The author outlines his plans, addressing both the country and the army.
Analysis
1st paragraph: Primo de Rivera attacks the political system of the Restoration, justifying the coup as the salvation of his homeland. He announces his purpose: to solve the serious problems suffered by Spanish society: freeing the country from old politics, destroying political bossism, ending lawlessness, and eliminating the threat of separatism to national unity. He presents the dictatorship as a transitional arrangement, supposing that once the country’s ills are removed, constitutional normality will be restored.
2nd paragraph: He explains the objectives proposed during his mandate. With “govern us or civilian men who represent our morality and doctrine,” he refers to the mandate of the military, along with civilians who share the same principles and values. He claims he cannot allow uprisings that might damage his dictatorship, justifying his action “for Spain and the King.”
3rd paragraph: He outlines the causes, aiming to reach even the “healthy people” who have not yet been politically corrupted. He lists societal ills such as murder, robbery, corruption, and “creeping political intrigues.” He refers to Morocco, where the Annual Disaster (the defeat at Annual) occurred when Moroccan forces attacked a Spanish railway. He intends to improve agriculture and industry, stop all kinds of political and nationalist systems, and, as a centralist dictator, acculturate those he accuses of being uneducated, promoting the Christian religion and blaming the people for wickedness.
Contextualization: Item 6
The Annual Disaster sparked protests from the army, which sought more money for weapons to continue the war, and from public opinion, which demanded accountability for what happened in Morocco. Additionally, there was widespread disillusionment due to political corruption and rising prices. The conservative oligarchy and the military were concerned about internal divisions within the Conservative party, the rise of socialists and republicans, the growth of nationalism, and the founding of the Spanish Communist Party. Faced with this, the right wing believed that only authoritarian rule could curb social protest and the rise of the workers’ movement. On September 13, 1923, the Captain General of Catalonia, Miguel Primo de Rivera, with the support of the Catalan bourgeoisie, rebelled against the government and demanded that power be handed over to the military. This military coup was supported by Alfonso XIII, who tasked the general with forming a new government composed of military personnel. The new military regime presented itself to the country through Primo de Rivera’s manifesto as a project to regenerate the political system. However, it established a dictatorship in which the army took control, and the king appointed General Primo de Rivera as the sole military ruler. The Military Directory’s initial measures included: the suspension of the constitution, dissolution of the Spanish courts and city councils, prohibition of political parties and trade unions, press censorship, replacement of civilian governors with military governors, and repression of labor movements. The new military regime failed to end the war in Morocco. Pressured by the African military, Primo de Rivera assumed the position of High Commissioner of Morocco and initiated a policy of collaboration with France, resulting in the Alhucemas landing. In 1925, Primo de Rivera suggested to the king the replacement of the Military Directory with a Civilian Directory. The dictatorship benefited from a favorable international economic climate. Opposition to the dictatorship came from a portion of the traditional party leaders, some within the army, the nationalist bourgeoisie unhappy with Primo’s anti-Catalanist policies, the universities (which organized demonstrations and protests), most intellectuals, and leftist labor organizations. In January 1930, Alfonso XIII accepted Primo de Rivera’s resignation because the dictator had lost not only the confidence of the monarch but also the support of key military and economic sectors. Primo de Rivera transferred power to General Berenguer. The king intended to return to the parliamentary regime of the previous Restoration, but in 1931, the monarchy fell.