The Second Spanish Republic: A Tumultuous Journey to Civil War
The Second Spanish Republic: From Monarchy to Civil War
The Fall of the Monarchy and the Rise of the Republic
Facing mounting opposition, King Alfonso XIII withdrew his support for Primo de Rivera, leading to his resignation on January 30, 1930. General Berenguer was tasked with organizing elections to restore normalcy. However, opposition forces, including Republicans, Catalanists, and the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), signed the Pact of San Sebastian, aiming to establish a provisional republican government. Berenguer’s failure to hold elections led to his replacement by Admiral Aznar’s government. The municipal elections of April 12, 1931, served as a referendum on the monarchy. The Republican-Socialist coalition triumphed in major cities, leading to the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic on April 14th. Alfonso XIII abdicated and went into exile.
The Provisional Government and the Constitution of 1931
The Pact of San Sebastian signatories formed a provisional government, representing diverse political forces. The government swiftly called for Constituent Assembly elections. The Constitution of 1931, a progressive document, established a democratic state with power vested in the people. Key principles included:
- A unified state with provisions for regional autonomy.
- Legislative power residing in a unicameral parliament.
- Executive power shared between the government and the President of the Republic.
- An independent judiciary.
The Constitution guaranteed fundamental rights and freedoms, including suffrage for women, secularism, and civil marriage. While widely supported, the religious articles sparked controversy, leading to resignations from Catholic government members. This phase witnessed intense political activity, with the emergence of various political parties and organizations across the spectrum.
Reforms and Challenges
Church and State
The Republic aimed to limit the Church’s influence. The government forbade religious orders from teaching and enacted the Congregations Act, restricting their property ownership. The Jesuits were dissolved, and their assets nationalized, fueling Catholic opposition.
Military Reform
Manuel Azaña spearheaded military reforms to create a professional and democratic army. The Retirement Act encouraged officers to retire while reducing troop numbers and closing the Zaragoza Military Academy. The Assault Guard was established. These reforms, while reducing military spending, were met with discontent among some military factions.
Land Reform
The Land Reform Act sought to address the issue of land ownership in Spain. It allowed for the expropriation of land from the nobility, aiming to improve the lives of rural workers. However, implementation was slow and faced resistance from landowners, leading to increased social tension.
Regional Autonomy
The Constitution provided a framework for regional autonomy. Catalonia’s proclamation of a Catalan Republic in 1931 led to negotiations with the provisional government, resulting in the formation of the Generalitat, a provisional autonomous government. The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia was approved despite opposition from some sectors. Similar processes were initiated in the Basque Country and Galicia, but faced delays and challenges.
Education and Culture
The Republic prioritized education reform, promoting secular and accessible education for all. Thousands of schools and teaching positions were created, and the education budget increased significantly. Cultural initiatives, such as the Pedagogical Missions, aimed to improve the cultural level of the population.
Labor Reforms
, Largo Caballero began a series of reforms to improve labor conditions. The Employment Contracts Act, which regulated collective bargaining, and jurados Act. It established the 40-hour work week and increased wages. The creation of social insurance is an enhanced role of farmers’ unions. These measures resulted in irritation of the employers ‘organizations and managed to stop some projects, such as workers’ intervention in business.
On the other hand the regime change coincided with the most severe global economic depression that began with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929. The global crisis paralyzed the emigration to America. The international crisis worsened, the traditional problems within the Spanish economy.
In social terms, the slow pace of reforms led to disappointment and impatience of the workers. The revolutionary will of the leftist parties and unions intensified the fighting. The strikes, insurrections and land occupations were steadily increasing. These events were an enormous waste of government, which was discredited because of the harsh police measures taken to establish public order. Conflicts increased business confidence and investment further disincentives causing a rapidly deteriorating economic situation. The crisis was used by all sectors opposed to the Republic to try to end a Republican-Socialist coalition.
The Republican reforms and social unrest to upset the economic elites, social and ideological. Also large sections of the middle classes considered the changes too radical. All they organized around the traditional conservative parties or new organizations of a fascist and authoritarian opposition to the government. The center-right Radical Party restructured around Lerroux, which attracted not as groups opposed to the Republic as his character left. Right monarchy, Catholic and conservative achieved important progress. The CEDA was fast with a good number of members and a leader: José María Gil Robles. Spanish Renewal, Communion, and especially Traditionalist groups and fascist Falange de las JONS. With his charges were able to create a climate of fear that eventually dragging the entire right. In this context, General Sanjurjo staged a coup with the aim of forcing the turn of the Republic to the right but failed miserably. In 1933 he created the Spanish Military Union (EMU) as a clandestine organization of military rightists and anti-reform, which would have an active involvement in the coup of July 1936.
The 1933 general elections were held on 18 November. The left was submitted to the elections disunited: the right was presented and organized unit. The result was the victory of center-right parties, which opened two years of conservative rule, also known as Black Biennium. Two political forces obtained the best results: the Radical Party and the CEDA Lerroux of Gil Robles. President Alcalá Zamora, just a supporter of extremist and anti-Republican mood of the CEDA government entrusted the formation of the Radical Party which had the parliamentary support of the CEDA, the promise of an immediate correction of left-wing reforms biennium.
The new government, headed by Lerroux, took office paralyzing much of the previous reformist project. S agrarian reform stalled. The owners expressed their desire to get rid of previous reforms and peasants responded with strikes. The agricultural issue to the central government also faced with the Generalitat of Catalonia. The central government also made enemies of the Basque nationalists to stop the discussion of the draft statute PNV-led Basque. The government also tried to counter the religious reformation religious reform by approving a budget of worship and clergy and initiating negotiations for signing a concordat with the Holy See. As for the army, no reform was annulled, but was passed an amnesty for rebels in Sanjurjo. In education, changes were observed, although considerably reduced the budget.
The conservative shift and obstruction of reforms introduced during the biennium on the left had resulted in a radicalization of the PSOE and the UGT, which materialized in the proliferation of strikes and conflicts. The CEDA hardened his position and called for more forceful action on public policy, requiring elements participate directly in government under the threat of withdrawing their parliamentary support. Lerroux agreed to these requests and granted three ministerial character of the CEDA.
The October Revolution of 1934 was caused because the left played the entrance of the CEDA in the government as a drift toward fascism. The day after the formation of new government, there were strikes and demonstrations to defend the social reforms threatened. The national movement failed, but the events were particularly severe in Asturias and Catalonia. In Asturias, the miners led a social revolution took much of the Civil Guard barracks, town halls replaced by revolutionary committees that took over the government. The government sent from Africa to the legion, commanded by General Franco to suppress the uprising. The repression was very hard: more than a thousand miners killed, two thousand injured and about five thousand prisoners, which could unleash a campaign of international solidarity with the victims. In Catalonia, the revolt was more political than in Asturias. Was supported by the president of Catalonia, Lluis Companys. This was intended to prevent the entrance of the CEDA in the government. So proclaimed the Catalan Republic within the Federal Republic while an alliance of leftist parties organized a general strike. It was declared a state of war and the army occupied the Palace of the Generalitat. They were arrested several leaders of the left.
The consequences of the October Revolution were remarkable. The CEDA increase their influence in government and was in favor of applying the sentencing proceeding vigorously and harder reorientation of government policy. The Radical party was hit by a series of corruption scandals, as the case of loa black market and misuse of funds by various radical political. Lerroux radicals were completely delegitimized to govern and is essential to a relay in power. Gil Robles to be appointed president, but Alcalá Zamora refused and decided to call new elections for February 1936.
To stand for election in February 1936, the leftist parties were grouped in the Popular Front, with a common agenda that advocated an amnesty for those jailed for the October Revolution, restoration fees and jobs for the repressed for political reasons and the implementation of the reform legislation.Right-wing parties formed various coalitions, but failed to form a single candidate for Spain or write a manifesto agreed. In the elections, the Popular Front became the winning force. The new government is formed exclusively by Republicans while the Socialists and other coalition parties agreed to lend support in Parliament. Azana was President and Casares Quiroga, head of government.
The new government quickly set up the program agreed. Decreed an amnesty and was forced to reinstate workers dismissed following strikes in October. The government of the Generalitat returned to power and restored the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, Basque Country and Galicia. Negotiations began for the approval of its statute. Resume the reform process and presented a project for the return of the commons to municipalities and settlements reanulación farmers. The left parties and trade unions launched a popular mobilization. Defended the need for revolutionary action, oriented toward radical solutions are close to that of PCE. In the cities were called strikes and field laborers are ahead of the legislation and occupied the land. The new situation was received by the right to absolute rejection: many owners opposed to government actions, some employers closed factories and the Church re-launched campaigns against the Republic. Spanish Falange fostered a climate of civil and political. Falangist groups formed armed patrols who initiated violent actions against leftist leaders, answered the same way by the most radical on the left. The clashes spread between February and July 1936 across the country.
The creation of a climate of violence favored sectors determined to organize a military coup against the Republic. The night of the February elections, General Franco attempted to declare a state of war. In March a group of generals agreed to “an uprising.” The military conspiracy had little strength and poor organization until he took over Emilio Mola, a true leader of the coup until July 1936. His plan was to organize a military coup simultaneous special role of the army in Africa. To stop the coup rumors, the government transfer target more directly involved (Franco, Mola Canaria, Navarra), but did not dare sack them.