The Second Spanish Republic (1933-1936)
Social Conflict and Political Instability (1933-1934)
Social conflict and the events of Casas Viejas had undermined the credibility of Manuel Azaña, who had been president of the reformist government. Alcalá Zamora forced his resignation in September 1933 and called a general election.
In the November 1933 elections, women were able to vote for the first time. The right wing was reorganized into three political groups:
- The CEDA (led by José María Gil Robles), a coalition of Catholic conservatives.
- Spanish Renewal (directed by Calvo Sotelo), a pro-monarchy group.
- Spanish Falange (led by José Antonio Primo de Rivera), a fascist-inspired party.
The left was highly fragmented, and the CNT called for abstention. The elections were won by the CEDA, followed by Lerroux’s Radical Republican Party, a center-right party. Spanish Falange failed to gain parliamentary representation.
Lerroux formed a cabinet composed exclusively of members of his party. The CEDA, despite not joining the government, supported its policies. The government reversed the reformist policies undertaken during the previous biennium. Agrarian reforms stalled, educational and military reforms stopped, and the Basque autonomy proposal was withdrawn.
The regime’s stability was threatened by the success of political forces that did not accept the republic or democracy (CEDA, Falange, Spanish Renewal) and by the left’s refusal to abide by election results. Azaña radicalized his ideological stance and founded a new party, the Republican Left. The PSOE did not accept the election results, and some of their leaders (especially Largo Caballero) began to advocate for revolution.
The October 1934 Revolution
In October 1934, Alcalá Zamora called on Lerroux to form a new government, which included three CEDA ministers. Following the cabinet reshuffle, the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Lluis Companys, proclaimed the Catalan state. This provoked the intervention of the army, which arrested Companys and controlled the situation.
The Left Republicans announced their break with the Republic. Largo Caballero considered the CEDA’s entrance into the government a provocation that justified a workers’ insurrection to prevent the establishment of fascism. The UGT, PSOE, and the CNT took up arms to initiate a workers’ revolution (Revolution of October 1934), which was particularly bloody in Asturias. Historians generally view the insurgency as a threat to the republic. Francisco Franco led the maneuvers against the revolutionaries in Asturias. The insurgency cost 1,500 lives, and many abuses were committed during the repression.
The Popular Front and the Road to Civil War (1935-1936)
After the revolution, the CEDA hardened its stance and had a greater say in the Lerroux government. Franco was appointed chief of staff. However, following a scandal, Lerroux resigned. Alcalá Zamora refused to appoint Gil Robles as prime minister and called for elections in February 1936.
The Popular Front coalition (Republican Left, PSOE, PCE, POUM, and Esquerra Republicana) won the elections. The CNT did not join the coalition but did not call for abstention. There was no right-wing coalition at the national level.
The Popular Front’s victory was particularly strong in cities and the southern provinces. The right triumphed in the north and the interior. The Popular Front’s victory alienated the right from the Republic.
The Popular Front Government and the Outbreak of Civil War
Azaña presided over the first Popular Front government. He decreed an amnesty for the perpetrators of the October revolution, moved suspected military coup plotters away from Madrid, resumed land reform, and promoted Basque and Galician autonomy.
However, a climate of violence soon emerged, manifested in the burning of churches and convents, street brawls between Communists and Socialists against Falange, and illegal occupation of farms. The Popular Front parties ousted Alcalá Zamora as president in April, and Manuel Azaña replaced him in May, with Casares Quiroga as Prime Minister.
The Casares Quiroga government was overwhelmed by street violence. On July 12, Lieutenant Castillo of the Assault Guard was killed. In retaliation, on July 13, enforcement officers kidnapped the hardline MP Calvo Sotelo and killed him. This hastened the military conspiracy, which had been initiated several months earlier. Promoted by General Mola, the conspiracy did not involve civilian politicians or monarchists. The murder of Calvo Sotelo convinced General Franco to support the coup, which began in Morocco on July 17 and caused the onset of the Spanish Civil War.