The Restoration System in Spain (1875-1898)
Overview
The Restoration period (1875-1898) is viewed differently by historians. Some see it as a time of institutional stability and peaceful coexistence compared to the turbulent decades prior. Others criticize it as a sham democracy, lacking genuine parliamentary representation and based on agreements between dynastic parties.
The Cánovas System
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo orchestrated the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. He aimed to reconcile with forces from the 1868 revolution. His system rested on three pillars:
- The theory of the internal or historical constitution: Sovereignty vested in the King and the courts, institutions endorsed by history.
- The power system: Articulated around two pairs of forces: the King (authority) and the courts (freedom), and the two political parties alternating in power.
- The written constitution: Organizing the actions of these forces.
The Constitution of 1876
Approved in May 1876, this constitution, based on moderate liberalism, became Spain’s longest-lasting. It established a system of shared sovereignty between the King and the courts (Senate and Congress of Deputies). The constitution addressed suffrage, maintained a confessional state, and increased the King’s prerogatives. Its flexibility allowed governments of different political leanings to operate within its framework.
The Two-Party System
Cánovas envisioned a two-party system, mirroring the British model, with Conservatives and Liberals alternating in power. These parties, led by Cánovas and Práxedes Mateo Sagasta respectively, were elitist rather than mass-based. Carlists and Republicans were excluded. In practice, this system led to pre-arranged changes of government and electoral manipulation.
Social Support and Caciquismo
The Restoration system was supported by an oligarchy of aristocrats, landowners, and the bourgeoisie. In a largely rural and illiterate Spain, they controlled the parliamentary system and elections through caciquismo, a system of local political bosses who manipulated votes through coercion and fraud. Even the introduction of universal male suffrage in 1890 failed to dismantle this system.
Ultimately, the Restoration’s political system served as a facade, concealing the true power held by a small, privileged elite.