Spanish Second Republic Crisis (1934-1936)
October 1934: The Crisis
A general strike erupted across Spain, initiated by Socialist and Communist parties and unions. The government declared a state of war.
Asturias
A general revolt led to the establishment of a libertarian communist regime in the mining region. The army, including the Moroccan Legion under Francisco Franco’s command, brutally intervened, followed by harsh repression.
Catalonia
Lluís Companys declared the Catalan Republic and the government’s illegitimacy. Lacking sufficient support, the revolt was easily suppressed by the army. Companys and his government members were arrested and imprisoned.
The brutal repression of the October revolts resulted in the suspension of Catalan autonomy and CEDA’s entry into the government. These events united leftist movements against the radical-cedista government. A constitutional amendment draft proposed significant cuts to social freedoms. A major corruption scandal within the Radical Party weakened the alliance between radicals and CEDA. The president called elections for January 1936.
1931 Constitution
: Adopted December 9, 1931, with a social content very advanced for its time, which was in practice impossible consensus. He wanted: absent from the state according to democratic principles and social justice. Absolute principle of equality among all citizens. Decentralization of the state: the question of political autonomy of Catalonia and the Basque Country. Agrarian Reform: the great attempt to transform the system of land ownership in the Spanish countryside. Secular state. Separation of church and state. Problem of relations with the influential Catholic hierarchy and the people believe. Absent from the productive system and economic growth, with the difficult relationship between big business and wealthy areas, and aspirations of the labor movement and the peasants. The reform, modernization and loyalty lExèrcit, oversized force, mostly archaic monarchical sign.
– Universal male suffrage and women’s choice of the Parliament (unicameral) every four years, chooses a president every 6 years, appoints the head of government, which has a sufficient parliamentary support.
-Recognizes and defends the fundamental rights and privileges abolishes class.
Full-state model (not federal) but leaves the door open for political autonomy of the regions with national personality.
-Eligibility, representativtat and political responsibility of all charges of the state.
Stage of the Popular Front (February – July 1936)
February 6, 1936 – Great general election victory in Spain’s Popular Front (Front dEsquerres and Catalonia, with 59% of votes)
Result in the whole of Spain: Left – 257 seats (PSOE, 1999, in 1st place) Centre – Right 57 seats – 139 seats. Resignation of Interim Government Portela Valladares. Azaria formed new government composed of Republicans and with the parliamentary support of the Socialists and Communists.Manuel Azaria was elected new President of the Republic, and appointed head of the Galician government that makes Big Casares Quiroga dAmnistia Decree laying salliberaven polítics.Conspiracions prisoners from the right and once to impose lExèrcit destination. The right is reorganized around Calvo Sotelo. Liberation of the President and Fellows of others involved in the revolution of 34. Restoration of the Government of the Generalitat and lEstatut autonomy. Reforms were to resume negotiations for lEstatut of autonomy for the Basque Country and Galicia.
He also resumed the Agrarian Reform, with Reassentamento of farmers who had been expelled during the previous biennium, and the return of lands to municipalities. Policy of drifting away from the military suspected of republican sympathies few as Mola (Navarre), Goded (in the Islands) or Francisco Franco (the Canaries). Box accentuation of social unrest and political radicalism, from the Revolutionary Left, and from the reactionary right.
Radicalization and political harassment of the Republic: The CEDA and the Radical Party is being overwhelmed by the parties as dultradreta traditionalists (monarchists led by Calvo Sotelo) and Phalanx (José A. Primo de Rivera). The Phalanx launched its dialectic cuffs and guns, with the encouragement of violence and terror in the streets, with heavy funding from loligarquia Spain and legitimized by the church. Lempresariat and landowners were performed massively levasió the lock-out capital, in a clear attempt at economic sabotage the Republic. In Catalonia, the Communists and the PSUC more moderate sectors of the CNT support the Government of Catalonia (ERC), but the remainder of the state, Communists, anarchists and radical socialists were placed in loposició the Republican government. desquerra movements were advocating revolution immediately responded with violence and provocations of right. The climate of violence and political assassinations were widespread. The same month of February 1936 siniciava conspiratorial plot within lExèrcit and important financial support, which was preparing a coup of state favored by the climate of social tension and political violence everyday. From Pamplona, General Mola began networking, military, political and financial resources to carry out a military coup against the Republic concerning the state. The Falange one hand and revolutionary data were lesquerra met a violent way and continuing throughout the country, making it virtually impossible solution reformer who wanted to carry out the government of Casares Quiroga.
Economic Situation: State budget shortfall due to accumulated debts inherited from the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. Outdated and pernicious legacy of an economy without competition, with a high level of unemployment in the countryside, devoid dinfrastructures without a competent financial system or an enterprise-class entrepreneur, and a weak domestic market, due to low purchasing power through the Spanish population. Seclusion of investment climate of uncertainty toward the new regime, or directly to sabotage the government’s fiscal policy and labor.Crack in October of 1929 the New York Stock Exchange. Top of the time of the Great Depression in the United States and around the western world. The most advanced capitalist economies were severely affected by falling investment and consumption, the closure of business and increase latur. Spain, with an economy away from large international capitalism, was relatively little affected by the consequences of the crisis. Falling exports (wine, olive, citrus and other dynamic sectors), strong devaluation of the peseta and withdrawal of investments.