Spanish Second Republic: Political Instability and the Rise of Extremism (1933-1936)
The Development of the Spanish Second Republic (1933-1936)
The 1933 Elections and the Rise of the Right
The November 1933 general elections, the first with female suffrage, resulted in a significant shift to the right. Right-wing, center, and center-right parties secured 258 parliamentary seats, while the left obtained only 119. The left presented a disunited front, while the right coalesced around the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups). Voter turnout was 67.46%, with notable abstention in predominantly anarchist areas.
Political Instability and Repression
Alcalá-Zamora was elected President of the Republic. Wary of the CEDA and its leader, Gil Robles, he tasked the Radical Republican Party leader, Lerroux, to form a government. Three CEDA ministers joined the government on October 1, 1934, openly displaying their fascist sympathies.
The government focused on dismantling the previous administration’s reforms. Expropriated lands were returned to the nobility, displacing many peasants. The wage law favoring workers and peasants was repealed. A general amnesty was granted to Sanjurjo and his collaborators in the 1932 coup attempt, as well as to those who had supported the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. General Sanjurjo relocated to Portugal, planning his return to lead a revolt, but died in a plane crash in 1936.
The Society of Jesus was allowed to return and its nationalized properties were restored. The government subsidized the clergy and the Church. As Minister of Defense, Gil Robles promoted conservative figures within the military, including Franco and Mola. The government’s increasingly authoritarian stance and the growing influence of the CEDA alarmed the left, leading to a nationwide general strike.
The October 1934 Revolution
On October 7, 1934, a faction of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) launched a coup, threatening civil war. The coup leaders formed a “Red Army” of 30,000 men and planned to seize Madrid. The uprising resulted in 4,000 deaths, including 35 priests. The coup was less successful in Asturias and Catalonia.
This “October Revolution” was supported by sectors of the PSOE and the UGT (General Workers’ Union), including Largo Caballero and Indalecio Prieto, but received uneven support from the CNT (National Confederation of Labour) and the PCE (Communist Party of Spain). The revolutionaries attempted to attack the Prime Minister, but loyalist forces quickly regained control and imprisoned the socialist leaders involved. In Aragon, Andalusia, and Extremadura, where peasant strikes had occurred earlier in the year, support for the uprising was weak.
Asturias
The most serious incidents took place in Asturias. Miners affiliated with the CNT, UGT, and PCE launched a revolt, seizing weapons and establishing revolutionary committees. They controlled the mining region and besieged Oviedo, organizing themselves as a mini-state. The government dispatched the Army of Africa, including the Legion and Moorish troops, under General Franco’s command, to quell the rebellion. The repression was brutal, resulting in 1,000 deaths, thousands of arrests, and numerous death sentences.
The rebellion lasted from October 5 to 19, and its brutal suppression would later be exploited by the Popular Front during elections. The case of journalist Luis de Sirval, killed by a Legionnaire for reporting on the atrocities, became a symbol of the repression. Even Lerroux was forced to address complaints of torture by Civil Guard commander Doval.
Catalonia
In Catalonia, the strike failed. President Lluís Companys declared a Catalan State within the Spanish Republic, inviting the opposition to form a provisional government. The insurrection, supported by armed militias, resulted in 40 deaths. The Madrid government viewed it as a separatist act. Barcelona was occupied by the army, and the Catalan government and Barcelona City Council were arrested. The Statute of Autonomy was suspended.
Political Crisis and the Stra-Perlo Scandal
The repression foreshadowed the violence of the Civil War. In Madrid, Azaña, Caballero, and other leftist leaders were arrested. Gil Robles aimed to amend the 1931 Constitution, restricting autonomy, abolishing divorce, and preventing the socialization of property. The government faced a crisis of legitimacy and instability.
Unrest and clashes between political parties intensified, exacerbated by corruption scandals within Lerroux’s government, most notably the Stra-Perlo affair, involving bribery and misappropriation of funds.
In December 1935, President Alcalá-Zamora, seeking to curb the CEDA’s growing power, dissolved parliament and called for new elections.
The Popular Front and Rising Tensions
To counter the rise of authoritarianism and fascism in Europe, the left formed the Popular Front, a coalition of Republicans, Socialists, and Communists. The CNT did not participate but encouraged its supporters to vote for the Popular Front. Their program focused on amnesty for political prisoners and a return to the social and economic reforms of the previous leftist government.
The Popular Front triumphed in the February 1936 elections, securing over 60% of the seats. The results polarized Spain between fascism and socialism-communism. The most reactionary sectors of society rejected the outcome and began conspiring against the Republic.
The Popular Front dismissed Alcalá-Zamora as president, replacing him with Azaña. Social tensions escalated. The CNT-FAI occupied estates in Andalusia and Extremadura. Strikes increased in cities and industrial areas. Landowners and industrialists responded by closing factories and moving their capital abroad. They hired gunmen and supported fascist groups, further fueling the violence.
Escalation of Violence and the Brink of Civil War
The funeral of a Civil Guard lieutenant on April 16, 1936, became a flashpoint of violence between left and right. The government, led by Casares Quiroga, granted a broad amnesty to those involved in the 1934 Revolution and began implementing the Popular Front’s program. Coup-prone generals were removed from key positions. The Falange, led by José Antonio Primo de Rivera, gained prominence, promoting street violence and targeting leftist leaders.
Gil Robles reported to parliament on the escalating violence between February and June 1936, citing numerous deaths, injuries, attacks, strikes, and destruction of property. The Popular Front government struggled to contain the escalating violence from both the left and the right.
The political instability, social unrest, and escalating violence set the stage for the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936.