Primo de Rivera’s Dictatorship: Causes, Coup & Consequences
The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
Causes:
The main causes were:
- The government’s refusal to increase war budgets to avenge the humiliation of Annual.
- The dissolution of the Boards.
- Significant public opinion demanding an end to the war.
The right wing disapproved of the rise of nationalism in Catalonia and the Basque Country. The formation of the PCE (Spanish Communist Party) and the rise of socialists and republicans also contributed. Social struggles led the ruling classes to consider an authoritarian government to curb the movement.
The middle classes also pushed for change due to political corruption, rising prices, and the Moroccan question. The press, both left and right, criticized the government. The right wing favored a military dictatorship to solve the political instability, and the military saw it as the only way to stop the Picasso Dossier, which proved to be the determining factor in carrying out the coup.
The Coup of 1923:
On September 12, 1923, Primo de Rivera rebelled against the government in a coup that succeeded thanks to the initial silent support, and later open support, of Alfonso XIII.
The first steps involved establishing a harsh military dictatorship. A state of war was declared, constitutional guarantees were suspended, and the existing courts were dissolved, effectively eliminating the constitutional regime. Initially, the dictator enjoyed considerable popular support.
The Military Directory (1923-1925):
Primo de Rivera maintained the system of oligarchy that dominated economic and social life. In Catalonia, the use of the Catalan anthem was banned and restricted to the private sphere.
In April 1924, Primo de Rivera united all the groups who had supported him (in Catholic and conservative circles) into a single party, the Patriotic Union, to create a vehicle for those who wanted to support him.
Primo de Rivera believed that crime and the labor movement were totally restrained.
The great success of the Military Directory was ending the war in Morocco, which initially he wanted to abandon through negotiation. He ordered the partial withdrawal of troops from Morocco in 1924. In 1925, the tribes invaded the area of the French Protectorate. The response was the Alhucemas Landing, a joint Spanish-French operation that ended the war and placed Primo de Rivera at the height of his popularity.
The Civil Directory (1925-1930):
In late 1925, Primo de Rivera replaced the Military Directory with a civilian government.
To institutionalize the dictatorship, a National Consultative Assembly was convened in 1927, formed mostly by members of the Patriotic Union elected by limited suffrage. It was commissioned to create a kind of Constitution, but in the end, both the National Assembly and the Patriotic Union were a failure: they did not win popular support and could not provide a legal solution to the dictatorship.
A National Labor Council was also created, and legislation supporting workers was passed. Largo Caballero, the UGT (General Workers’ Union) leader, was even invited to join the council.
Both this social policy, as well as the National Assembly and the Patriotic Union, were aspects that sought to emulate Italian Fascism.
The Opposition to the Dictatorship and the Fall of Primo de Rivera:
Many Liberal and Conservative leaders refused to cooperate with the dictator and demanded the restoration of the Constitution by Alfonso XIII and the calling of elections, but the king refused.
Republicans and left-wing workers began to react, and most intellectuals joined in the criticism.
Discontent also arose within the army, mainly from its more liberal elements.
Student demonstrations in 1929 showed the growing discontent, and the Federation of University Students (FUE) was formed, becoming the spearhead of the protests. Later, there was a military revolt, and with the system already faltering, the Wall Street Crash occurred. The peseta was falling apart, and there was a wave of strikes.
Finally, on January 27, 1930, Alfonso XIII accepted the resignation of Primo de Rivera.