Restoration Spain: Crisis, Instability, and the Road to Dictatorship
The Final Crisis of the Restoration: Impact of IGM
1: In 1902, during the reign of Alfonso XIII, Spanish society, shaken by the crisis of ’98, and the political system of the Restoration entered a deep crisis. Regeneracionismo emerged to solve the country’s problems.
2: Cánovas’ system deteriorated due to political instability and the division of liberal and conservative parties. Republicans, nationalists, and labor movements opposed the system.
Problems Worsening the Crisis
3: Governments of turnismo faced more problems that worsened the crisis:
- The War in Morocco: Spain led its troops to Morocco for economic interests. After 1912, Morocco was divided into two protectorates, with Spain controlling the north. Later, there was a war for independence from the controlled area.
- Constitutional Question: The Constitution of 1876 was considered useless as it did not include Republicans and nationalists, and there was caciquismo and false choices.
- Religious Issue: The country was divided into clericalism and anticlericalism.
- Military Question: Internal problems and social prestige.
- Social Issues: The labor movement created much social tension because they demanded better working conditions.
4: UGT grew, and anarchism of the CNT spread among the peasantry and the lower classes.
5: Anarchist workers wanted to destroy the state through terrorism (murder of Canalejas and M). The police harshly repressed them.
Governments of Silvela and Maura (1902-1909)
6: Francisco Silvela of the Liberal Party tried to regenerate and modernize the country but failed because he was opposed by nationalist groups. In the Conservative Party, Antonio Maura attempted to change the country from within the organs of state, creating the electoral law and the law of local authority (and addressing caciquismo), and giving autonomy to Catalonia.
Tragic Week in Barcelona (1909)
7: It was a series of very violent worker demonstrations that the army tried to suppress. The protests were against the recruitment of Catalan reservists (people forced to go to the African campaign), coupled with anti-clericalism and the economic malaise of the lower social class. The brutal repression by the military caused a general outcry, leading to Maura’s resignation and the Liberal Party’s return to power.
Canalejas Reformism (1910-1912)
8: Canalejas implemented a series of reform measures: taxes on the upper class, increased the national problem, and addressed workers’ issues. He was assassinated in 1912.
Spain in World War I (1914-1918)
9: Spain remained neutral. Thanks to other countries fighting each other, Spain sold what they needed for war, thus benefiting the Spanish industry. This solely benefited the bourgeoisie.
The Crisis of 1917
10: It originated from three problems:
- Military Discomfort: Military Juntas were created to pressure the Government Defence (army, pressing the government).
- Political Objection: Unity of the opposition calling for expanding the reform.
- Labor Protest: There was a general strike due to miserable working conditions.
Disaster of Annual (1921)
11: On July 22, 1921, the Disaster of Annual occurred. It was a serious Spanish military defeat in response to the Rif led by Abd el-Krim near the Moroccan town of Annual.
The End of the System
12: As a result of this profound crisis, the government was completely destabilized, and the problems generated by the Disaster of Annual were a direct cause of the coup of Primo de Rivera in 1923.