The Restoration in Spain (1875-1898): Political Events and Movements
The Restoration: Political Events (1875-1898)
The Proclamation of Alfonso XII and the End of the Carlist War
On December 29, 1874, General Martínez Campos proclaimed Alfonso XII King of Spain. The next day, a provisional government headed by Canovas del Castillo was formed in Madrid. Alfonso XII offered a broad amnesty, inviting all to forget the past and join the constitutional monarchy. One of the former Carlist leaders, Cabrera, accepted the amnesty. In March 1876, Charles VII (the Carlist pretender) left Spain with his troops. Following their military defeat, the Carlists participated in political life, aligning themselves with the extreme right.
The Bipartisan System
The Conservative Party was formed by personalities from the Moderate Party, the Liberal Union Party, and a sector of the Progressive Party led by Canovas. The Liberal Party was formed by individuals from democratic sectors, led by Mateo Sagasta. The bipartisan system was consolidated with the death of King Alfonso XII in 1885, who lacked a male successor. Canovas demonstrated political skill by resigning and suggesting that the pregnant Queen Regent instruct his rival, the liberal Sagasta, to form a new government. This agreement was called the Pact of Pardo. Alfonso XIII was born in 1886.
The Constitution of 1876
The Constitution of 1876 was first discussed in February of that year in a Parliament where the Conservatives held a large majority. The most important points of contention were the concept of sovereignty, the electoral system (conservative-censitary voting, liberal-universal suffrage), and the confessional nature of the state. The Conservatives declared that the State was obligated to maintain and support the Catholic religion. Meanwhile, the Liberals managed to secure freedom of conscience.
The Labor Movement Inspired by Marxism
On May 2, 1879, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), led by the typographer Pablo Iglesias, was founded clandestinely in Spain. In 1881, taking advantage of the new law of associations passed by the liberal government, the party’s promoters officially registered it. Typographers in Madrid called a strike, resulting in the arrest of Pablo Iglesias and the dismissal of many typographers. In the 1890s, Spanish socialism embraced two new ideas: the creation of casas del pueblo, centers for doctrinal meetings and cultural training, and the demand for an 8-hour workday. This demand was voiced during demonstrations held on May 1st of each year, with significant participation in Barcelona and Madrid.
The Formation of the First Catalan Political Organizations
During the 1880s, Valentí Almirall promoted the first Catalan political movement, transforming Catalan nationalism into parties and doctrines with a desire to intervene in public administration. He did so from a leftist and progressive perspective, establishing the first newspaper written entirely in Catalan, Diari Català (1879), among other initiatives. He also systematized the doctrine of Catalan political nationalism in his book Lo Catalanisme (1885). Almirall connected with Catalan civil society, and the Memorial de Greuges, a document that provided great popularity to the Centre Català, was inspired by his work. The more conservative elements of the Centre Català, such as Llimona and Domènech i Montaner, left and founded a new group known as the Lliga de Catalunya. The first political act of this group was a message to the Queen Regent demanding full autonomy for Catalonia. Leaders of this organization joined another Catalan political party, the Regionalist League, in 1901. In 1891, the Unió Catalanista was created, a federation of ideologically and socially diverse entities that coordinated existing Catalan regional centers. The first major action of the Unió Catalanista was held in 1892, an assembly in Manresa that approved the Bases per a la Constitució Regional Catalana, known as the Bases de Manresa. This document was the first formulation of a draft statute of autonomy. From that moment, the government began a crackdown against Catalanism, using the excuse that it was a danger to the unity of Spain. The press and politicians in Madrid began to use the word “separatist” to discredit Catalan politics.
Anarchists
The apostle of anarchism in Spain was another typographer: Anselmo Lorenzo. The anarchists’ lack of organization was their most significant weakness. The disappearance of organization and the influence of new ideas and propaganda by European anarchists (Bakunin, Malatesta, Kropotkin) led some to embrace anarchist terrorism. In the 1890s, the anarchist movement in Barcelona was dominated by the anarcho-communist tendency, which believed in direct action and spectacular acts. The result was numerous terrorist attacks.