Spain’s Second Republic: Reforms and Conflicts (1931-1933)
1. The Second Republic (1931-1933)
Proclamation and Early Challenges
The proclamation of the Second Republic in Madrid on April 14, 1931, was met with widespread celebration and hope. A provisional government, led by Alcalá Zamora and representing a broad political spectrum, was established. However, the nascent Republic immediately faced challenges from both its enemies (monarchists and the Church) and potential allies (Catalan nationalists and the working class).
On the same day as the Madrid proclamation, Francesc Macià, leader of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, declared an independent Catalan Republic within a proposed Iberian Confederation. This challenged the provisional government’s authority. The conflict was quickly resolved when the government committed to addressing Catalan autonomy.
Church-State Conflict
The Spanish clergy’s sympathy for the monarchy and Alfonso XIII fueled anti-clerical sentiment among Republicans. Cardinal Segura’s pastoral letter attacking the Republic and praising Alfonso XIII exacerbated tensions. The government’s expulsion of the Bishop of Vitoria led to escalating clashes, attacks on religious buildings, and social unrest. While the government wasn’t directly responsible for the violence, its inaction further alienated certain sectors of the population.
The 1931 Constitution and its Aftermath
The first republican elections, held under a new law enfranchising all males over 23, resulted in a victory for the PSOE, followed by Lerroux’s Radical Party. The new Cortes approved a democratic constitution on December 9, 1931. Its key features included:
- Defining Spain as a democratic republic of workers.
- Extensive citizen rights.
- A unitary state.
- Subordination of private property to national economic interests.
- Increased judicial power, including legislative and governmental oversight.
- Secularism, freedom of conscience, and religious tolerance.
- Emphasis on education and cultural development.
Manuel Azaña formed the first constitutional government, composed mainly of left-wing Republicans and Socialists, with Alcalá Zamora as President.
Key Reforms
Several legal measures targeting the Church were enacted:
- Elimination of clergy budget and separation of Church and State.
- Dissolution of the Society of Jesus and confiscation of its assets.
- Prohibition of teaching by religious orders.
- Recognition of civil marriage and divorce.
Education reform focused on expanding free, secular, and compulsory primary education to combat illiteracy and reduce the Church’s influence. Religious freedom in schools was guaranteed.
Catalonia’s autonomy was formalized, albeit with modifications to the initial proposal. The Statute established a self-governing region with a Parliament, Executive Council, and President, but its powers were limited to culture, public works, and public order. Esquerra Republicana won the first three regional elections, with Macià as President. A proposed Basque statute was rejected.
Military reforms, led by Manuel Azaña as Minister of War, aimed to secure the army’s loyalty to the Republic and improve its effectiveness. Key measures included appointing trusted generals, allowing voluntary retirement for officers (primarily to remove monarchists), and creating the Assault Guard, a police force loyal to the Republic.
Agrarian reform, a major undertaking, aimed to address poverty and unemployment in rural Spain. Measures included prohibiting ownership of leased land, extending the eight-hour workday to agricultural laborers, and mandating local hiring. The 1932 Agrarian Reform Law proved largely ineffective, leading to illegal land occupations by frustrated peasants.
Opposition and Instability
The Republic faced opposition from both conservatives and radical groups. Anarchists, organized under the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI), viewed the Republic as an enemy of the working class. Within the army, divisions persisted, leading to conspiracies and the 1932 Sanjurjo uprising.
Right-wing opposition included parties seeking power through elections (e.g., Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights) and those favoring a military coup (e.g., Carlists and Calvo Sotelo’s Renewal). The far-right emerged with José Antonio Primo de Rivera’s Spanish Falange in 1933.