Spanish Restoration and the Reign of Alfonso XII
The Spanish Restoration (1874-1902)
In 1874, during Serrano’s Unitary Republic, Martínez Campos led a pronouncement in Sagunto, proclaiming Alfonso XII King of Spain.
Cánovas del Castillo had been planning to proclaim Alfonso XII of Bourbon as king and restore the Bourbon monarchy. He carefully prepared for the prince’s return and drafted the Sandhurst Manifesto, which the prince signed. However, Martínez Campos acted prematurely, and against Cánovas’s wishes, the Bourbon monarchy was restored through a military coup.
The restoration of the political system was designed and executed by Cánovas, aided by Sagasta, a politician known for his pragmatism.
Doctrinal Principles of the Restoration
- The Restoration aimed to overcome the political instability of the previous period and achieve social and political peace.
- It represented a synthesis between old and new, based on what Cánovas called the “internal constitution” of the country.
- Civil power would prevail over the military, with legitimacy expressed through voting.
- Infexible or irreconcilable positions were to be avoided. Agreements and mutual understanding were essential.
- A pact between all political forces was imposed to enable peaceful coexistence within a parliamentary monarchy. This pact would result in a new, consensual constitution.
The new constitution, drafted based on principles adopted in 1875, was promulgated on June 30, 1876. It represented a moderate balance between the 1845 constitution and the revolutionary 1869 constitution, restoring the design of doctrinaire liberalism, under which sovereignty resided in the Cortes (Parliament) with the King.
Political Parties and the *Turnismo* System
Cánovas formed his own party, the Liberal-Conservative Party, supported by the upper classes. The opposing party, the Liberal Party, was supported by the industrial bourgeoisie and urban middle classes. Sagasta led the Liberal Party.
Cánovas and Sagasta maintained a good relationship and were both loyal to King Alfonso XII and Queen Maria Cristina during her regency (1885-1902). Cánovas brought together moderates and unionists, while Sagasta joined the old progressive left.
To the right and left of the two dynastic parties stood the Catholic Union, Catalan regionalists, and Democratic-Progressive factions. Outside the system were illegal anti-dynastic parties. On the extreme left were anarchism and socialism, led by Pablo Iglesias (founder of the PSOE in 1879), and on the extreme right, the Carlists.
For the Canovist system to function, a double confidence was needed: that of the Crown and the Cortes. Consequently, the expected alternation in power, without prior consultation with the electorate, led to electoral fraud. The party tasked with forming a government was always the one that called and won the elections.
The procedure was as follows:
- Upon calling elections, the government decided which deputies would be elected in each constituency (this was known as *encasillado*).
- The civil governor of each province then manipulated the elections, in agreement with county and municipal leaders, often through vote-buying.