Spain: From Monarchy to Republic (1902-1939)

Posted on Oct 23, 2024 in History

Alfonso XIII’s Reign (1902-1932)

Alfonso XIII inherited the Restoration’s political system, based on the 1876 Constitution. This system revolved around two parties: the Liberals (led by José Canalejas) and the Conservatives (led by Antonio Maura). Early problems included:

  • Resurgence of regionalism (opposition to central hegemony)
  • Army sensitivity to criticism after the 1898 Spanish-American War
  • Moroccan War
  • Growth of the labor movement and leftist opposition
  • Anarchist terrorism against politicians and Barcelona’s entrepreneurs

The Tragic Week (July 1909)

The Moroccan War prompted the government to call up reservists. Troop deployments triggered a general strike, escalating into an insurrection with numerous deaths, international outcry, and Maura’s government falling.

Crisis of 1917

Key events included:

  • Army protests over Moroccan War defeats
  • An assembly of parliamentarians calling for new elections and Catalan autonomy
  • A revolutionary general strike affecting industrial zones

The Moroccan War’s Impact

The 1921 Disaster of Annual, a major Spanish defeat in Morocco with over 9,000 soldiers killed, proved decisive. A 1923 parliamentary inquiry investigated responsibility for the disaster. Social conflict and the Moroccan disaster led to Primo de Rivera’s 1923 coup and military dictatorship.

Primo de Rivera’s Dictatorship (1923-1930)

Alfonso XIII authorized Primo de Rivera to form a government and dissolved parliament. Key events included:

  • The end of the Moroccan War (the 1925 Alhucemas landing, supported by France, led to Spanish victory in 1927)
  • Implementation of a corporate system, mirroring Italy’s, to suppress strikes and Catalan dissent
  • The 1929 Barcelona International Exposition and Ibero-American Exposition in Seville

Primo de Rivera’s fall in 1930 stemmed from his government’s arbitrariness, loss of royal and army support, and discontent among intellectuals and society.

Economy

Spain transitioned towards an interventionist model:

  • Predominantly agricultural, with limited modernization
  • Industrialization centered in Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Madrid
  • Improved road networks
  • Banking development
  • State protectionism and limited international trade

End of Alfonso XIII’s Reign

Attempts to restore the constitutional monarchy failed. Discredited, the monarchy faced united Republican opposition, including figures like Miguel de Unamuno, José Ortega y Gasset, and Gregorio Marañón. The April 1931 municipal elections saw a Republican-Socialist coalition triumph. Alfonso XIII fled, and the Second Republic was proclaimed on April 14.

Second Republic

First Stage (1931-1933): Reformist

A new constitution declared Spain a republic of workers. Reforms addressed military, religious, educational, and agrarian issues (minifundismo in the north, large estates in the south; solution: expropriation and redistribution to farmers).

Second Stage (1933-1936): Conservative

A right-wing coalition slowed reforms, leading to the 1934 Crisis: a revolution in Asturias and a Catalan nationalist uprising.

Third Stage (1936): Popular Front

A leftist coalition faced a military coup and Calvo Sotelo’s assassination.

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Sides included:

  • Rebels, aided by Italy and Germany
  • Republicans, supported by the Soviet Union and International Brigades

Franco’s July 1936 military uprising led to victory on April 1, 1939, and a dictatorship.

Silver Age

Culture

  • Science: renewed experimentation led many researchers abroad.
  • Literature: Generation of ’98 writers continued their work, alongside the Noucentisme movement.
  • Art:
    • Architecture: development of functionalism.
    • Sculpture: Pablo Gargallo (“Great Dancer”) and Julio González (“Man-Cactus”) pioneered wrought iron.
    • Painting:Picasso (1881-1973) continually experimented with expression, also working in sculpture and ceramics.
      • Early work: naturalistic pieces like “First Communion” and “Science and Charity”.
      • Blue and Rose Periods (1901-1905): socially conscious, tender paintings like “The Blind Guitarist,” “The Laundress,” “Life,” and “Girl with a Dove.”
      • Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Cubism (1907): perspectives and depth disappear, figures on a single plane, fragmented into cubic forms.
      • Guernica (1937): commissioned by the Republican government, a cubist critique of war’s barbarity.
      • Later work: more optimistic and colorful.