Spain’s Liberal Biennium: 1854 Revolution & Reforms
The Liberal Biennium and the 1854 Revolution in Spain
The Rise of the Liberal Union
This manifesto was carried out by rebels who formed a new party, the Liberal Union, founded by O’Donnell. It consisted of progressives and moderates who were dissatisfied with the authoritarian actions of the moderate government in place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II since 1844. That is why, in June 1854, the Vicalvarada pronouncement was produced, in which members of this party made their intentions clear in calling for the implementation of the 1845 Constitution, electoral law reform, tax cuts, and the restoration of the National Militia.
The Moderate Decade (1844-1854)
The acts for this revolution took place in schools dating back to 1844, during the reign of Elizabeth II, in which the majority were moderates in the elections. They formed a new government led by Narváez. His aim was to end the revolution and introduce the new state, so they established strong measures of repression against progressives.
The scheme was supported by the landed gentry, the Crown, and the army. It created a system that did not hesitate to rig the elections to get established.
The 1845 Constitution and its Consequences
In 1845, he carried out the reform of the 1837 Constitution, which incorporated the basic ideas of conservatism, including shared sovereignty between the Crown and the courts. It gave more relevance to the executive branch, and so the executive remained. The Declaration of Rights remained virtually unchanged from the previous Constitution, but freedoms were suppressed by laws to be approved later. To begin with, excessive power was granted to the Crown. Freedom of the press was regulated, the right to vote was restricted, and suffrage (people who voted) did not reach 1% of the population.
The Concordat of 1851
In its efforts to have the support of the Church, the Concordat with the Holy See was signed in 1851. This suspended the sale of land belonging to the clergy and disentailed, proclaiming Catholicism as the official religion in exchange for the Church (always an advocate for the Carlists) accepting Elizabeth II as Queen and supporting the new state.
Centralization and Reforms
A series of laws aimed at strengthening the structure of the new liberal state under the principles of centralization, unity, and hierarchy were also carried out. These included fiscal reform, the adoption of the Criminal Code, the drafting of a Civil Code, and reform in public administration. Control over municipal power was established, the metric system was adopted, and finally, the Guardia Civil was created.
Political Instability and Authoritarianism
However, the moderates managed to force their years of political stability. They manipulated elections, and political life was not carried out in the courts but was influenced by lobbies outside the parliament.
With the arrival of Bravo Murillo, the situation worsened further, as authoritarianism increased. He enacted a reform that turned the state into a technocratic dictatorship, suspended the courts, disdained the parliament, and restricted the vote.
The 1854 Revolution and the Liberal Biennium
This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it was never carried out, as it was at this point that liberals returned to power with the revolution of 1854.
The presidency fell on Espartero, elections were called again, and this time the progressives won a majority. It was then that they tried to restore their principles. An ambitious plan of reforms intended to achieve the industrialization of the country was carried out. For this purpose, a new confiscation was proclaimed in 1855 by Madoz. This was intended to raise resources for financing, many of which went to the railway network. Legislation leading to reforestation was also conducted, and the telegraph system was launched.
The Crisis of the Liberal Biennium
However, these measures were not sufficient to remedy the crisis of survival, creating large social conflicts and thus initiating the crisis of the Liberal Biennium.