The 1868 Revolution and Spain’s 1869 Constitution
The Revolution of 1868 and the Provisional Government
The squadron concentrated in the Bay of Cadiz, under the command of Brigadier General Juan Bautista Topete, staged a military uprising against the government of Isabel II. General Prim, exiled in London, and General Serrano, banished to the Canary Islands, met with the insurgents and secured the support of the population of Cadiz after the publication of a manifesto. This manifesto called on citizens to take up arms to defend freedom, order, and honesty. The following day, from three frigates, Prim spread the insurrection to Malaga, Almeria, and Cartagena.
The government of Queen Elizabeth II prepared to defend the throne with arms, sending an army from Madrid. Both forces met at Alcolea Bridge, near Cordova, where, on September 28th, a battle was fought that gave victory to the forces favorable to the revolution. The queen went into exile in France, where she received Emperor Napoleon III.
In many Spanish cities, revolutionary boards were founded, organizing the insurgency and making calls to the people. Similar slogans were heard everywhere: demands for freedom, sovereignty, separation of church and state, abolition of conscription (quintas), universal male suffrage, abolition of taxes on consumption, elections to the constituent Cortes, division of property, and the proclamation of a republic.
However, the radicalism of some of the revolutionary proposals of the Boards was not shared by unionist and progressive leaders, who had already accomplished their goal of toppling the monarchy. In the first days of October, after arriving in Madrid, the insurgents proposed to the revolutionary Board of the capital, which was under their control, the appointment of a provisional government of centrist character, without consulting the provincial boards or premises. General Serrano was proclaimed regent, and Prim, president of a government made up of unionists and progressives.
The Constitution of 1869 and the Regency
The new interim government promulgated a series of decrees to satisfy some popular demands and called for elections to a constituent Parliament. The elections, held in January 1869, recognized universal male suffrage for men over 25 years of age. They gave victory to the coalition government: progressives, unionists, and a sector of Democrats. Two important minorities arose in the House: the Carlists and the Republicans.
A committee was created and tasked with drafting a new constitution, which was adopted on June 1, 1869. The Constitution of 1869, considered Spain’s first democratic constitution, established a broad regime of rights and freedoms:
- Right of assembly and association
- Freedom of education and equality for employment
- Freedom for teachers in any public or private setting
- Freedom of religion, although the state had to maintain Catholic worship.
It proclaimed national sovereignty, from which emanated both the legitimacy of the monarchy and the three powers. The state was declared monarchist, but the power to make laws resided exclusively in the Courts: the King only promulgated laws, he could not veto them. The Parliament was composed of a Congress and a Senate, which could meet jointly. The overseas provinces, Cuba and Puerto Rico, enjoyed the same rights as the mainland, while the Philippines was to be ruled by a special law.
With the Constitution proclaimed and the throne vacant, the Parliament established a regency, which was awarded to General Serrano, while Prim was appointed head of government. His task was not easy: the Republicans showed their displeasure with the new situation, Carlist insurrection resumed, the economic situation was serious, and it was necessary to find a monarch for the Spanish crown. Nevertheless, the new government was received with sympathy by most European countries, as it ended the long period of political instability under Isabel II. The new leaders seemed more appropriate to undertake the necessary economic reforms to ensure foreign investment and business.