The 1931 Constitution and the Azaña Biennium
Constitution of 1931
Its main features are:
- Form of State: Spain is defined as a popular sovereignty.
- The Court: Consists of a single chamber, elected every 4 years, with only legislative power, called the “Congress of Deputies.”
- Head of State: Chaired by the President of the Republic, elected every 6 years indirectly. He may dissolve the Cortes up to twice during his tenure and has the right of veto.
- Bill of Rights and Freedoms: Establishes a comprehensive bill of rights and freedoms, most notably that of universal suffrage. It declares equality before the law and establishes the right to private property, while allowing expropriation by the state.
- Religious Matters: The articles referring to religious issues were the most controversial: they establish the separation of church and state, freedom of religion, civil marriage, divorce, and eliminate the budget and financing of worship and clergy. Religious organizations were banned.
- “Integral State”: Spain is considered an “integral state” in which provinces can be constituted as an autonomous region, for which they must submit a draft Statute.
The Constitution was clearly progressive, but it was adopted without consensus and attacked by the Church and right-wing parties opposed to it.
Problems
In the early months, two types of conflict stand out:
- Religious Conflict: Such as the burning of convents in Madrid and Andalusia, and the expulsion of Cardinal Segura for protesting in favor of Alfonso XIII.
- Social Unrest: There was a large number of strikes.
Republican Biennium (Azaña)
Government: After the passage of the 1931 Constitution, the Courts elected Alcalá Zamora as President. Manuel Azaña, leader of Republican Action, became President of the Government. The government was composed of Azaña’s Left Republicans and Socialists, who remained in power until 1933.
Measures
- Largo Caballero, at the head of the Ministry of Labor, continued working with the social legislation of 1931. He also approved a series of decrees on crop intensification.
- The most important reform was the Agrarian Reform Law, which consisted of the expropriation of land. This reform affected all of Andalusia, Extremadura, La Mancha, and Salamanca. The Agrarian Reform Institute (IRA) was created to record property and compensate owners or agents. The results of the Reformation were reduced, mainly due to opposition.
- The educational and cultural reform conducted by Minister Fernando de los Rios doubled the number of schools to achieve the constitutional principle of compulsory and free public education. To disseminate culture in rural areas, so-called “educational missions” were created.
- The autonomic question recognized that some regions could develop their statutes of autonomy.
- In Catalonia, the Statute of Nuria was created, becoming the Statute of Catalonia.
- In the Basque Country, a statute was created and approved by referendum.
Opposition
Opposition to Azaña’s government came from political groups and social sectors such as:
- Political Opposition: The most famous was the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights (CEDA), led by Gil Robles.
- Fascist Movements: Emphasizing the “National Syndicalist Offensive Boards” (JONS), directed by Ramiro Ledesma, Redondo, and Primo de Rivera, who founded the Spanish Falange.
- Military: Another focus of opposition came from the military, such as “The Sanjurjada.”
- Social Conflict: The continuity of social conflict due to increased unemployment, low wages, and the frustration of peasants and workers. These workers gave rise to numerous general strikes.
The poor governance led Azaña to resign, and power was put first in the hands of Lerroux and then Martínez Barrio, who took on the commitment to hold elections to the Cortes.
The elections to Parliament resulted in the victory of the center-right party. The most voted party was the CEDA. The center-right victory was due to multiple causes. In contrast to the left, the women’s vote, brought by the CNT, also influenced the outcome.