Spain Under Primo de Rivera: A Study of Dictatorship (1923-1930)
The Dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera (1923-1930)
On September 13, 1923, Miguel Primo de Rivera issued a manifesto proclaiming the country in a state of war and announcing the advent of a temporary military dictatorship.
Coup and Military Directory (1923-1925)
In 1923, the political situation in Spain seemed to have reached a dead end, marked by political, economic, social, regional, colonial, and military crises. King Alfonso XIII favored the coup. The press, the Church, and the bourgeoisie were also favorable. Primo de Rivera formed a military board consisting of eight brigadier generals and one admiral. Measures taken included:
- The Congress and the Senate were closed, and the 1876 Constitution was suspended.
- Provincial governors were replaced by military personnel.
- Previous corruption was prosecuted.
- The stage process was stopped in Morocco to search for responsibilities.
- Peace and order were established.
- The Catalan Community was suppressed.
- Reform of the local and provincial administration was initiated.
- The pacification of Morocco, landing at Alhucemas in 1925, was achieved.
The Civil Directory (1925-1930)
Primo de Rivera formed a civilian cabinet dominated by technocrats, though some military personnel remained. His presence would be the base of a new political party, a new Assembly, and a new constitution.
- The Patriotic Union was the new party that emerged from the dictatorship. Given the disrepute of the so-called old politics, Primo preferred it to be classified as an organized behavior, neither left nor right.
- The National Consultative Assembly was created in 1926 following a plebiscite.
- A draft Constitution was presented by the Assembly in July 1929. It established an authoritarian regime in which the power to legislate in Parliament would lie with the king.
Economic and Social Policy
- Agricultural Policy: An operation to redistribute land was launched, along with an afforestation program. The national agricultural credit was created to support medium and small farmers, and tariffs were set to tax foreign products.
- Industrial Policy: It was aimed at protecting the industry. The automotive industry was encouraged, and the use of Spanish coal in ships and railroads was made compulsory. Production increased in the steel, chemical, and electrical industries.
- Transport and Communications Policy: Paved roads were improved, and mileage and vehicle numbers increased. The railways were still largely in foreign hands.
- Fiscal Policy: A tax reform was passed that raised the fundraiser by more than 50%, the debt was settled, the banking sector was ordered, and the fight against fraud was intensified.
- Social Policy: The National Organization Corporate was launched, a system to resolve tensions through conciliation. In 1926, the Labour Code was adopted, which grouped all labor legislation since 1900. A charter vocational school was created, reducing illiteracy and increasing the number of college students.
The Fall of Primo de Rivera and the Road to the Republic
The Republicans had little popular support. They attempted serious efforts at coordination, even staging the Republican Alliance, a coalition that integrated the old and the new Republicans. In Catalonia, the Lliga was overtaken by events; however, a Catalan Republican Left, embodied by the Estat Catala, acquired great strength. In the labor movement, while the Socialists had a certain tolerance, communists and anarchists were strongly repressed. In 1927, the Iberian Anarchist Federation was formed. In college, in 1928, there was considerable agitation by the Federation of Spanish University Students because of the approval of a law that empowered religious centers to issue university degrees. The economy began to change sign due to the new international context. The institutionalization of the regime attempts failed. Increased unrest in the army.