Second Spanish Republic: Education, Autonomy, and Political Crisis
Educational Reform and Cultural Politics
The educational and cultural politics of the Second Republic were significantly influenced by the Free Institution of Learning. Its goal was to emulate the French model and establish a unified, public, secular, and free education system, at least at the primary level. Education was considered a right that the state should guarantee to all citizens to achieve equal opportunities.
Although budgetary resources were limited, the Second Republic made a substantial effort in training teachers, constructing schools, and providing scholarships. Equally important was the continuous professional development of teachers and the distribution of pedagogical books to establish libraries in small towns. Pedagogical missions played a key role in the cultural politics of the Second Republic. Experiments in the socialization of culture were carried out in rural areas and among workers, along with the establishment of university theater groups.
Regional Autonomy
The issue of peripheral nationalisms emerged on April 1, 1931, when Macià proclaimed the Catalan Republic within an Iberian federation. He eventually accepted the government of Madrid in exchange for an autonomous government, the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the promise of approval of a Statute of Autonomy in the Cortes. After a lengthy debate, the Statute was approved in September 1932. Macià became President of the Generalitat until his death in 1933, succeeded by Lluís Companys.
The Basque Statute, for its part, was approved in a plebiscite by the three Basque provinces in November 1933. The PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) remained loyal to the Second Republic, and the Statute was approved in October 1936. José Antonio Aguirre, the PNV leader, was elected as the first Lehendakari (Prime Minister) of the Basque Country. The Galician Statute of Autonomy was approved by the Republican Parliament in 1938 but never came into effect, as Galicia remained on the Francoist side during the Civil War.
Problems and Crisis of the Azaña Government
The Grouping of Anti-Liberal Right-Wing Forces
A military conspiracy was launched almost immediately in April 1931, promoted by military figures nostalgic for the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. Their leader, General Sanjurjo, who was affected by the reform measures, led a coup in August 1932. Sanjurjo was arrested and sentenced to death.
Offensive of Trade Unions and the CNT Insurrection
Within the CNT (National Confederation of Labor), there was a faction, represented by Ángel Pestaña, that favored apolitical unionism and a friendly relationship with the Republican legality. However, most opted for an insurrectionary anarchist line advocated by the FAI (Iberian Anarchist Federation), led by Juan García Oliver and Buenaventura Durruti. The FAI confronted the government to attract disgruntled UGT (General Union of Workers) members. The anarchists instead called for direct action against employers and the Ministry of Labor, organizing general strikes, such as that of the telephone company workers, mainly supported in Barcelona and Seville, where a state of war was declared, resulting in thirty deaths. They also proclaimed anarchist libertarian communism in several regions: Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia, and Andalusia.
The Crisis of the Azaña Government and the 1933 Elections
The government led by Azaña had difficulty maintaining a favorable parliamentary majority to continue governing. Social unrest increased in 1933 due to the economic crisis. Socialist leaders found it difficult to restrain UGT members who wanted to join forces with the CNT in strikes, especially in rural areas. Throughout October, various formulas for Republican coalition governments led by radicals, who always excluded the socialists, were tested. Alcalá Zamora dissolved the Cortes and called for elections in November 1933, which featured the following characteristics:
- The anti-liberal right-wing forces were more organized and appeared in coalition. Their election manifesto focused on the repeal of the legislation of the first two years on land, religious, and labor issues, and the revision of the Constitution.
- Republican parties were poorly attended and allied.
- Socialists, disillusioned with the government experience, presented themselves to the elections alone.