Second Spanish Republic: Reforms of the Biennium (1931-1933)
Reforming the Biennium (1931-1933)
Between 14 April 1931 and 19 November 1933, the Republican administration worked for forces of center-left.
The Provisional Government (14 April – 28 June 1931)
The provisional government of the republic, headed by Niceto Alcalá Zamora, convened elections for 28 June. The government declared the 8-hour workday and the obligation to give priority to workers a place to work out of their farms. It also ruled that the owners had all the land. Regarding education, the creation of 6750 schools and 7000 teaching posts was decreed, including salary increases. The army offered general managers and officers the option to retire with a full salary. This measure reduced the number of commands.
Azaña ended the Military Academy of Zaragoza (directed by Franco) and also created the Assault Guard. The Church was going to keep expectant. The Vatican had asked the bishops to respect the new political situation and maintain unity with a view to the elections, but a pastoral letter from Cardinal Segura caused sensitivity because it praised the king. Furthermore, many monasteries were burned in Madrid on 11 May.
The Republican Constitution
The elections on 28 June 1931 gave the victory to the forces of the left and center. The PSOE won 116 MPs. Also noteworthy was the ERC-led coalition that won 36 deputies. The right became minority parties, emphasizing agricultural and nationalist action.
The courts arising from the elections of June 28 were commissioned to draft a new constitution that was approved 9/12/31. This new constitution reflected the values of the left: popular sovereignty, the state’s non-denominational status, among others. For example, regarding religion, this constitution prohibited religious orders from education and dissolved the Company of Jesus. This anticlericalism was explained by the fact that the constitutional republic and the left thought that the Church was responsible for the delay of Spanish society.
Constitutional Government (Since 1931 – November 1933)
Niceto Alcalá Zamora, elected president of the republic, instructed Manuel Azaña to form a new government. Azaña continued the reforms established by the interim government: the Agrarian Reform Law and granting autonomous status to Catalonia.
Agrarian Reform Law
Many hectares of land were available to the state, although the distribution of property among the peasants was slow and did not achieve the number of properties provided.
The Autonomy of Catalonia
In Catalonia, the Catalan Republican government, chaired by Francesc Macià, lasted only 14 to 18 April 1931. The regime obtained provisional self-government and a commitment by the central government to initiate the process for drafting and approving the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia.
Statute of Autonomy
The Statute proclaimed the right of Catalonia to self-determination, defended the structure of the Spanish state as a federation of all peoples, and defined the start of autonomy as a state within the Spanish Republic. On May 6, 1932, Spanish courts began discussion of the statute. Processing was intentionally slow, and during this time, right-wing parties and some minority areas launched severe attacks against the statute.