The Restoration Regime in Spain: Alfonso XII & the 1876 Constitution
The Restoration Regime in Spain
a) Reign of Alfonso XII: The Canovist System and the 1876 Constitution
On December 29, 1874, General Martínez Campos led a coup in Sagunto and proclaimed Alfonso XII King of Spain. He formed a provisional government led by Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, a confidant of the King. Cánovas had developed the Sandhurst Manifesto, setting out the principles of a new regime based on a liberal monarchy. In January 1875, the King arrived in Madrid and the Restoration began.
Ideology of the Restoration
The ideology of the Restoration was conservative. Cánovas restored the Concordat of 1851 and imposed restrictions on the press. However, he accepted an understanding with the Progressives, allowing universal suffrage in the elections for the first Cortes (Parliament). This achievement pacified all sectors of society, preventing disorders and revolutions, and forced the army to submit to civilian rule and cease participating in politics through coups.
Cánovas was a practical man who believed that the country should be governed based on inalienable principles: Patria (Fatherland), Monarchy, Historical Dynasty (Bourbon), Liberty, Property Rights, and Government by the Cortes and the King. Other laws could be negotiated.
The 1876 Constitution
The 1876 Constitution embodied the principles considered indispensable by Cánovas. It was a flexible constitution. The articles were written in schematic form, leaving their development to later legislation. Many items were taken from the 1869 Constitution without modification. It is considered the most effective and lasting constitution in Spanish history until 1931.
System of Representation:
The Cortes consisted of two chambers:
- Congress: Elected by the people.
- Senate: With three types of senators:
- Senators in their own right: The children of the King, Grandees of Spain, archbishops, and generals.
- Lifetime senators: Elected by the King among the economic, intellectual, and political elite.
- Elected senators: Elected by corporations and major contributors, and by census suffrage.
Suffrage:
It began as census suffrage, but different electoral laws could modify it.
The Executive:
The King and the ministers (who were accountable to the Cortes).
Judicial Power:
The State, through the judges, applied the laws.
The King convened and dissolved Parliament, appointed the Prime Minister, and exercised supreme command of the armed forces.
Subdivisions of the Centralized State:
Laws were created for the entire national territory, eliminating privileges and exemptions from taxes. The Crown was involved in the appointment of mayors in municipalities. Councilors were elected by the vecinos (residents).
Church-State Relations:
The Catholic religion was the official religion. The State was obligated to maintain it and did not allow the public manifestation of other religions.
Education:
General and centralized.
The Canovist System: Parties and Turnismo
Cánovas sought stability and order and imposed a two-party system based on the English model. The two major parties had different criteria but were consistent with the unwavering principles that had been established. Those who did not accept them were excluded from the system.
Cánovas himself founded the Conservative Party with people from the Moderate Party, the Liberal Union, and the more moderate sector of the Progressive Party. He won the support of bishops and most radical Catholics.
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta led the Liberal Party, merging Democrats, the radical Progressive Party, and moderate Republicans. He received the support of professionals, merchants, bankers, soldiers, and officials.
The Two-Party System and Turnismo:
The two-party system worked through control of election results. If a Prime Minister had to resign due to a crisis or scandal, the King instructed the formation of a new government to the opposition leader, who won the elections by an absolute majority.
The Encasillado (Predetermined List):
This was the allocation of deputies to the party that would govern and the opposition. Government ministers played a role in elaborating the encasillado, and provincial governors made contact with the caciques (local political bosses).
The caciques were men of great influence in the provinces and municipalities due to their economic and political power. They directly and indirectly controlled groups of people and ensured that the election results adhered to the predetermined list.
Electoral Fraud:
Fraudulent practices were carried out to ensure that the electoral framework went as planned: voters voting more than once, hiding ballot boxes, rigged recounts, etc.
The new regime initially enjoyed broad support. However, with the passage of time, public opinion became indifferent to corrupt elections. In the 1890s, criticism in the press and the emergence of new parties began to crack the system.
Government During the Reign of Alfonso XII
Between 1875 and 1881 the conservative party ruled he had to addressing the legacy of this administration: Carlist War ended in 1876 with the participation of the King. Charles VII left the country and the Carlist were outside the system. The Basque provinces and Navarre fueros.Acabo also lost their Cuban conflict to peace in 1878 Zanjón. In 1880 slavery was abolished and Cuba went through a period of development. Political life was established as in the peninsula, with a conservative party which opposed the changes and a liberal party that sought self-government of the island. U.S. started to increase their presence in the sugar industry and maintained a repressive policy transporteCanovas: Censorship, restrictions on freedoms of assembly and association, lessee very restricted suffrage and government control over the municipalities of major ciudadesEntre ruled the 1881 and 1824 Sagasta Liberal party. It allowed the Republican and Democratic press and approved the re-entry into the teaching of professors Republicans as Prudential, came out and Gines de los Rios. Favored freedom of expression, but did little more not to alarm the upper classes