Spanish Second Republic: Black Biennium, Catalonia & Popular Front
The Black or Biennium Rights (1933-1936)
The Electoral Victory of the Right in Spain
The election result was a shift of 33 parliamentary seats to the right.
The Governments of the Right
The Radical Party, with Lerroux as the ruling head of government, proposed to neutralize the left’s reformism.
The new government’s primary focus was on religious, labor, and agricultural issues.
On October 4th, 1934, a new government was formed, including three CEDA ministers.
Asturias and Catalonia in October 1934
The incorporation of CEDA ministers into the government caused great alarm among the left.
In Asturias, a revolutionary movement began on October 6th. The government ordered its repression, led by General Francisco Franco, resulting in approximately 1000 insurgent deaths.
In Barcelona, on October 6th, Lluis Companys proclaimed the Catalan State, similar to Macia’s actions in 1931. The central government responded immediately with a declaration of war and the occupation of the Palace of the Generalitat.
The Radicalization of the Right-Wing Government
The coalition government between the Radical Party and CEDA continued neutralizing reforms, culminating in the suspension of the Statute of Catalonia.
Simultaneously, public corruption cases emerged, implicating high-ranking officials, with the destraperlo case being the most scandalous.
The Republic in Catalonia
Differences with Spain
- League Regionalist
- Republican Left
- Acción Republicana de Catalunya
Elections and the Proclamation of the Republic
ERC (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) secured a significant number of votes in the elections of April 12th. Voter participation was high. ERC won 25 of 50 council seats in Barcelona, a triumph repeated in other major Catalan cities.
Lluis Companys proclaimed the Republic from Barcelona’s City Hall on April 14th. Francesc Macia proclaimed the Catalan Republic as a state within the Iberian Federation on the same day. On April 17th, a delegation was sent to Madrid to negotiate. This meeting led to the establishment of the Generalitat of Catalonia (provisional). This event was met with widespread popular enthusiasm.
Initial Liaison of Catalonia
Francesc Macia served as chairman of the Provisional Government.
The Government established the Council of Culture and numerous study commissions. The territorial division was studied by geographer Paul Villarreal, who proposed a map of 9 regions and 38 counties.
Efforts were focused on creating the Statute of Nuria. The text faced delays in the Cortes but was debated starting in May 1932 and approved on September 9th, 1932. Macia was elected President of the Government until his death on December 25, 1933, after which Lluis Companys was elected.
Social Tensions
The CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) imposed a strategy of confrontation, leading to a proliferation of conflicts with the radicalism of the FAI (Federación Anarquista Ibérica), particularly in agriculture.
October 6th and the Suspension of the Statute
This situation prompted a declaration of the Catalan State on October 6th, 1934, aiming to initiate a movement to defend Catalan autonomy. As a result, the Catalan government was imprisoned, and uprisings were repressed.
The repression spread throughout Catalonia, placing the region under a state of war. The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia was suspended by the governor-general, marking the beginning of the Black Biennium.
The Popular Front and the Crisis of the Republic
The Elections of February 1936
The 1936 electoral campaign pitted the right against the left.
Republicans, socialists, and communists negotiated an electoral alliance, the Popular Front, which secured victory for the left.
The Return to Power of the Left
Manuel Azaña formed a government with republicans. The new government resumed reform policies in religious matters, land, labor, and the military. Social conflicts and plots increased with the right supporting the army and the church.
Azaña allowed Companys to leave his government prison in Cadiz.
The Plots Against the Republic
The plot between the extreme right (Falange) and the military (Spanish Military Union) was finalized. Mola, Franco, and Goded led the uprising after the assassination of J. Calvo Sotelo on July 13th, which precipitated the events.