The Reformist Biennium of 1931-1933: Key Changes in Spain

Posted on Nov 17, 2024 in History

15.1. The Constitution of 1931: The Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

In the elections of April 12, Republican success surprised everyone; it was known that this vote was controlled by the caciques handling. In this way, the Republic was proclaimed on April 14, and the King, who tried to use force, left the throne. The Republican Revolutionary Committee was the provisional government, formed by Republican conservatives, radicals, socialists, and autonomist Action. Following Republican and San Sebastián agreements, elections were held in June, and parallel reforms began that the country urgently needed through ministerial decrees.

In the early days, they had to deal with the Catalan issue, which had not been recognized in the Pact of San Sebastián. Catalan tensions calmed down with the promise of autonomy. Another problem was the anticlerical agitation. Suddenly, they faced social conflicts and animosity from employers and landlords. In the summer, elections were held, which gave victory to the Republican-Socialist coalition, amid the division and general disorientation of the non-Republican right.

The biennium started a reformist social feat and the discussion in the Parliament of the Republic. Constitution Features:

• 1 – Republic: A form of government that is strong, social, and democratic.
• 2 – Territorial Organization: The formula of territorial organization was “integral state,” by which any region could become autonomous.
• 3 – Executive Power: Vested in the President and the Council of Ministers.
• 4 – Unicameral: To avoid the paralysis of a second chamber reform conservative. The parliament was to legislate and control government functions.
• 5 – Separation of Powers: Relationship between branches of government with a separation of legislative dominance.
• 6 – Suffrage: Direct universal suffrage for those over 23 years, regardless of gender, to elect the Parliament every four years; indirect universal suffrage for the President every six years.
• 7 – Bill of Rights: A large bill of rights that includes individual and classical political rights, social rights, and the social function of property.
• 8 – Church and State: Separation of church and state, dissolution of the Jesuits, and a ban on teaching by religious orders. Legal recognition of civil marriage and divorce.

Between December 1931 and September 1933, Manuel Azaña presided over a government composed of Republicans and Socialists, with a reformist zeal. The major reforms included:

1. Central Government Reform: The proclamation of Estat Catalá within the Spanish Republic was canceled. The government recognized a committee responsible for drafting a statute. The Generalitat was given corresponding powers of civil law, administration, secondary transport networks, health, welfare, and education, shared with the State tax administration, and applied state law on insurance, mining, forestry, agriculture, public works, social services, and public order. Once approved, elections were held, resulting in the victory of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya over the Lliga, ruling until October 1934.
2. Church-State Relations Reform: Since the discussion of Articles 26 and 27 of the Constitution, the bitterness of the positions was expressed. The main measures were:

• Unification of civil and religious cemeteries.
• Divorce Law: approved, but it was very restrictive and still maintained the validity of religious marriage.
• Confessions and Congregations Act (May 1933): Control through registration, removal of subsidies to the Church, partial nationalization of assets, and closure of schools and institutes.

Military Reforms: Azaña’s measures to professionalize and democratize the army were necessary. The army was composed of individuals of troops and commanders and officers, with an excess of officers. The steps taken were:

• Decree on special retreats, keeping the salary intact.
• Reorganization of the army and the protectorate of Africa.
• Reform of military courts, subordinating military courts to civilian prosecutors.
• Policy and promotions as an instrument to control those unsympathetic to the new system.
• Military education reform, reducing from five to two academies.
• Creation of the NCO corps, allowing subsequent entry into the officer academy to democratize the social base.

Land Reform: The results conditioned the future of the left, who defended and fought for the right to land. The starting point was the existence of serious structural problems in the field, with excessive weight in the economy, chronic underemployment, and a high number of wage and lease issues that hurt small farmers. Spain was one of the last European countries to undertake reform and was one of the most moderate. Its aim was to correct social inequalities and backwardness in the Spanish countryside. The reform measures included:

• Decrees of 1931: To maintain leases, establish 8-hour workdays, prioritize leases to groups of workers, obligatory cultivation, and creation of mixed juries.
• Basic Law of Agrarian Reform: Passed in 1932, following the coup d’Sanjurjo: expropriation of land with compensation, partly in cash and partly in debt. The IRA was created to distribute land and provide credit to new owners, with a limited budget and no National Land Bank.
• Follow-up: Irrigation of a million hectares, crop intensification decree affecting Southern upland farms, etc. The consequences included the creation of expectations among workers that were not met, contributing to the dissolution of the leftist coalition and increasing social unrest.

Social Policy: Largo Caballero, as Minister of Labor, pushed for social legislation and created delegations working with a range of measures. The key was the Employment Contracts Act, which regulated collective bargaining, wages, holidays, and protected the right to strike and workers from layoffs. Jurados were created to arbitrate employment conditions, and compulsory universal insurance was promoted. However, no peace was achieved socially due to employer opposition, which slowed some projects. Education Policy: Reforms focused on elementary school and literacy issues. A program for school construction was initiated, salaries for teachers were increased, and new jobs and libraries were created. The education budget increased by 50% to create a co-educational, secular, compulsory, and free education system. The obstacles faced included opposition from both right and left sectors.

The right opposition came from the Church, the army, landlords, and employers against the reforms. The right reorganized, forming political groups such as:

• Royalists and Carlist Alfonsinos.
• Created the first Spanish Renewal, led by Calvo Sotelo.
• Spanish Action, a group of scholars advocating for traditional values.