Regency of Maria Christina in Spain: 1885-1902
Regency of Maria Christina (1885-1902)
After the death of Alfonso XII in 1885, his wife, Maria Christina of Austria, assumed the regency until their son, born in 1886, came of age. To ensure stability, Maria Christina and Cánovas del Castillo signed the “Pact of Pardo,” which assured the peaceful alternation of the two main political parties. Although it further supported Maria Christina, Cánovas initially held power.
The Liberal Government (1885-1890)
During the Liberal government’s tenure between 1885 and 1890, several key reforms were enacted:
- Abolition of press censorship
- Extension of rights of expression
- Modification of the law, giving rise to associations of workers and trade union groups
- Expansion of universal male suffrage for those over 25 years (although the distortion of votes limited its impact)
Political Alternation and Cánovas’ Decline
From 1890, the two main parties alternated in power until 1891. Cánovas was assassinated in 1897, and Francisco Silvela took his place. Cánovas’ party gradually lost power, weakened by domestic problems such as:
- Illiteracy
- Deficit and debt of public finances
- Maintenance of the *Quintas* (military conscription)
- Absence of effective social reforms (e.g., social security or employment)
- Fatigue and exasperation of the population due to corruption and vote distortion
Opposition to the Cánovas System
Opposition to Cánovas’ system can be divided into several groups:
Carlists
The Carlist movement was weakened because many members had been exiled to France and lost the support of the Vatican. The 1876 constitution also dismissed the possibility of a Carlist reign, although the movement remained popular in ultra-Catholic areas and in the Basque Country and Catalonia.
Republicans
The Republicans, being divided, had limited influence on the central government.
Socialists
The PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), founded in 1879 by Pablo Iglesias and Jaime Vera, represented the working class but did not achieve political representation until 1910.
Peripheral Nationalisms
During this period, peripheral nationalisms also emerged. This was motivated by a boom in such movements across Europe, where regions based their identity on language, history, and customs to achieve a degree of independence. These movements were categorized as:
- Regionalism: Advocating for more independence but within Spain.
- Nationalism: Seeking total independence.
Low patriotism in these areas, due to corruption and the general situation in Spain, further fueled these movements.
Catalan Nationalism
Catalan Nationalism began with the “Renaixença,” an intellectual and artistic movement that promoted the rise of Catalan culture. It began its political representation in 1880. In 1892, the Bases of Manresa proposed the division of Spain, shifting from nationalism to regionalism. In 1901, the “Lliga Regionalista” was created to safeguard Catalan interests in the central government.
Basque Nationalism
Basque nationalism was relatively unimportant until the late 19th century. However, regionalism emerged after the abolition of privileges in 1876. In 1895, Sabino Arana created the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party), establishing a nationalism based on, at times, racist and xenophobic views, but without being provincial.
Galician and Valencian Nationalism
Galician and Valencian nationalism were less impactful and were not represented politically until the early 20th century.