Spain’s Second Republic: A Tumultuous Journey
Causes of the Fall of the Monarchy
The return to the previous dictatorial regime was impossible due to three factors:
- The dynastic parties (Conservative and Liberal) were disorganized and discredited.
- The public associated the King with the dictatorial regime, making King Alfonso XIII and the monarchy unpopular.
- Anti-dynastic forces took the political initiative, culminating in the Pact of San Sebastian in August 1930.
Interim Government and Elections
The strategy to overthrow the monarchy involved a military insurrection and a general strike. However, the military uprising in Jaca (Huesca) was quickly defeated, and the general strike failed. Despite this, the conspiracy to establish a Republic continued.
Amidst growing social unrest, General Berenguer resigned in February 1931. Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar was appointed as the new leader and called for general elections on April 12th. The parties that signed the Pact of San Sebastián presented the elections as a referendum on the monarchy. While monarchist candidates won in rural areas, the Republicans achieved a clear victory in urban areas, winning in 41 of the 50 provincial capitals.
On April 14th, an interim Republican government was formed, chaired by the former monarchist Niceto Alcalá Zamora. In Catalonia, Francesc Macià and the newly created ERC were declared winners. On the same evening, Alfonso XIII went into exile, and the Second Republic was proclaimed, met with widespread celebration.
Constitution of 1931
The 1931 elections, the most transparent in Spain’s history, resulted in a victory for left and center forces. The PSOE won 116 seats, Lerroux’s Radical Republican Party won 90, and the Radical Socialist Republican Party won 56. The disorganized right became a minority.
The Cortes, resulting from these elections, was tasked with drafting a new constitution, which was approved on December 9th, 1931. The constitution reflected secular and leftist values: popular sovereignty, a unicameral Congress of Deputies, state secularism, individual guarantees, and the possibility of regional autonomy. The state was defined as a republic of workers of all classes, organized in a regime of freedom and justice.
The constitution lacked consensus, particularly on sensitive issues like religion. The Republican left blamed the Church for Spain’s backwardness. The constitution guaranteed women’s suffrage, a point of consensus among all political forces.
The Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
The interim government, led by Alcalá Zamora, called for elections on June 28th and began enacting decrees in areas like agriculture, the army, education, and relations with the Church.
Agriculture: The government decreed an eight-hour workday and prioritized the obligation of day laborers to work on local estates. Landowners were required to cultivate all their land or risk losing its use to the workers.
Education: 7,000 new teaching positions were created, salaries were increased, and a network of libraries was established.
Army: Military leaders were offered retirement with full pay, reducing the number of commanders and providing a dignified exit for those unwilling to serve under the Republic. The War Minister, Manuel Azaña, closed the Military Academy of Zaragoza, annulled promotions based on elections or war merits during the dictatorship, and created the Republican Assault Guard, a loyal police force. These actions created unease within the army.
Church: Relations with the Church were difficult. The Spanish Church remained expectant, but two events worsened the situation. The Bishop of Toledo wrote a pastoral letter praising the King and offending Republicans. The government demanded his dismissal, but other bishops, including Cardinal Segura, supported him. In May, convents in Madrid were burned by an uncontrolled group in response to provocations by a monarchist circle. Similar events occurred in Seville and Malaga, with police inaction. Many Catholics began to view the Republic as an enemy.
The agrarian reform law was controversial and poorly implemented. Land distribution was slow, and only 3,400 farmers out of an estimated 70,000 received land. This failure was due to government incompetence and a rushed approach. It led to disappointment among farmers and fear among landowners.
In addition to opposition from the Catholic sector, the Republic faced unrest in Andalusia (1932-33), an anarchist uprising in Alt Llobregat in January 1932, and a coup attempt by General José Sanjurjo in August 1932. While the Republic survived these challenges, the leftist government was weakened.
Autonomy
In Catalonia, ERC, led by Francesc Macià, proclaimed the Catalan Republic, which lasted only three days. Nationalist leaders renounced national sovereignty in favor of a federal state. Catalonia was granted provisional self-government under the Generalitat of Catalonia, with a commitment to a future Statute of Autonomy.
The Statute of Autonomy
The Statute of Autonomy, drafted in Núria in June 1931, was approved in a referendum in August. It defined Catalonia as an autonomous state within a Spanish federation and advocated for Catalan language and education. However, it was incompatible with the Republican constitution, which defended a state with autonomous municipalities and regions.
The process was slow and affected by anti-Catalan propaganda. However, General Sanjurjo’s coup attempt, partly motivated by the Statute, rallied Republican support. The final text was significantly different from the original. Catalonia was defined as a region, the central state retained control of education, and Madrid could suspend the Statute. However, it granted Catalonia significant legislative and judicial powers.
The Conservative Biennium
The Azaña government fell in 1933 due to internal disputes and the Casas Viejas incident, where the Assault Guard acted harshly against rebellious peasants. Azaña’s defense of the repression and his lack of support from President Alcalá Zamora contributed to his downfall.
Government of the Right
During the Reformist Biennium, the Spanish right reorganized into two groups: one openly opposed to the Republic (monarchists, fascists, Carlists, JONS, and Falange) and another that accepted the Republic but sought to transform it legally (CEDA, led by José María Gil-Robles).
The right’s campaign focused on discrediting the left and revising the Constitution, suppressing agrarian reform, and granting amnesty to those accused of political crimes, including José Sanjurjo.
The elections resulted in a victory for the center-right. President Alcalá Zamora tasked Alejandro Lerroux, leader of the Radical Republican Party, with forming a government. While the government initially had CEDA’s support, the understanding between anti-clerical Republicans and the Catholic right was fragile.
The October Revolution of 1934
Following the right’s victory, the PSOE and UGT prepared for an armed insurrection and general strike, led by Francisco Largo Caballero. The entry of CEDA members into Lerroux’s government, perceived as fascists by the left, triggered the uprising. On October 5th, the UGT called for a general strike, which the CNT did not join. The uprising failed except in Asturias, where it was brutally suppressed by the army led by General Francisco Franco.
Catalonia and the October Events
After Francesc Macià’s death in December 1933, Lluís Companys became President of the Generalitat. Catalonia experienced social tension in both rural and urban areas. In 1934, the Parliament passed progressive laws, including the Law of Cultivated Lands Contracts, which aimed to protect tenant farmers. The central government challenged the law, but it was eventually implemented.
The October 5th general strike and the entry of CEDA ministers into the government led Companys to proclaim the Catalan State within a Spanish Federal Republic on October 6th. However, the call lacked support, and Companys surrendered to the army after a day. The Statute of Autonomy was suspended, and the Catalan government was imprisoned.
The Triumph of the Popular Front
The 1934 crisis weakened the center-right governments. Repression and the imprisonment of over 30,000 people generated sympathy for the left. The government’s actions in 1935, including the rollback of agrarian reform, the blocking of the Basque Statute of Autonomy, and the appointment of anti-democratic military leaders like General Franco, further fueled discontent.
The Lerroux government resigned after a corruption scandal. Subsequent governments were short-lived, leading to the dissolution of Parliament and new elections in February 1936.
The left formed a coalition called the Popular Front, which included Azaña and the Communists. The right was divided, with Gil-Robles as the CEDA candidate. In Catalonia, the Left Front (ERC and Estat Català) faced the Catalan Front (Catalan League).
The Popular Front won 34.3% of the vote, while the right and center won 33.2%. Despite the narrow margin, the electoral law gave the Popular Front a majority of seats. The new government restored the Statute of Autonomy, and Lluís Companys was re-elected President of the Generalitat on March 1st. Land reform resumed.
By early March 1936, the first contacts for a military uprising against the Republic were being made. The conspiracy was fueled by deep social unrest, resistance to change and decentralization, and fear of revolution from the left.