Spain’s 19th-Century Political Turmoil: 1868-1874
The Fall of Isabel II and the Revolution of 1868
A particularly severe economic crisis triggered worker and peasant uprisings. The lower bourgeoisie and popular classes desired greater participation in politics. Progressives (grouped around General Prim), Democrats, Republicans, and General Serrano (previously associated with Canova) joined the opposition to the system.
They signed the Ostend Pact, aiming to dethrone Elizabeth II.
Key Outcomes:
- Elizabeth II’s reign marked the final stabilization of liberalism in Spain.
- Moderate liberalism dominated, except during the progressive biennium.
- Democratic weakness was evident.
- Frequent pronouncements highlighted the military’s role in politics.
- A significant divide emerged between the real Spain and the official one.
- The foundations of despotism, later consolidated during the Restoration, were laid.
The Provisional Government (1868-1870)
After dissolving the revolutionary councils established throughout the country to maintain revolutionary purity and the principles of the 1868 revolution, Prim called for elections to the Constituent Cortes. The elections favored monarchist parties, especially the Progressives.
The Cortes drafted the Constitution, promulgated on June 7, 1869. It was a monarchist and democratic constitution, establishing:
- National sovereignty
- Universal suffrage
- Freedom of religion
- Guarantee of fundamental rights (expression, assembly, association, etc.)
Serrano was appointed regent, and Prim became the first prime minister. Prim was tasked with finding a king for Spain, as the Constitution favored a monarchy, and Elizabeth II could not return to reign. Prim approached Amadeo of Savoy, son of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, who had previously rejected the offer. Amadeo accepted this time, and the Cortes approved him by 191 votes out of 344 on November 16, 1870. Eleven days later, Prim was assassinated in Madrid, leaving the future king Amadeo I without his strongest supporter.
The Reign of Amadeo I of Savoy (1870-1873)
Amadeo I began his reign intending to act as a constitutional monarch, respecting and upholding the Constitution.
However, he soon faced numerous difficulties:
- Opposition from many political sectors.
- Contempt from the nobility, who still supported Elizabeth II’s interests through her son Alfonso.
- Hostility from the people, who rejected a foreign king.
Significant political events further complicated matters:
- The resurgence of the Carlist Wars in Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Valencia.
- The insurgency in Cuba, which began in October 1868 with the “Grito de Yara,” leading to a long war.
- The spread of labor protest movements (in 1870, the First Congress of the Spanish Workers’ International Section, linked to the Marxist International, was held in Barcelona).
In July 1872, Amadeo I and his wife survived an assassination attempt. Even the parties supporting the king, the Constitutionalists under Práxedes Mateo Sagasta and the Radicals under Ruiz Zorrilla, exhibited significant differences. Facing numerous challenges, Amadeo decided to abdicate and return the crown to the Spanish people. On February 11, 1873, the King and Queen returned to Italy, and the National Assembly proclaimed the First Republic on the same day.
The First Spanish Republic (1873-1874)
Proclaimed by a majority-monarchist Cortes, the new political system not only failed to solve inherited problems but also worsened the situation. The Republicans in the Spanish political landscape were sharply divided into:
- Unitary Republicans (Emilio Castelar)
- Federalist Republicans (Pi y Margall)