The Second Spanish Republic: From Dictatorship to Civil War
National Causes of the Dictatorship
Exhaustion: The growing role and grave situation of public order and political corruption.
The Ruling King’s Plot: King Alfonso XIII, aware of Primo de Rivera’s military prestige, knew he could not achieve his goals without the aid of a general like Sanjurjo in Zaragoza and the civil military governor. They announced a manifesto aimed at the middle class and the labor movement.
The Military Directorate (1923-1925)
The Military Directorate was established and the government took control, including the dissolution of the Parliament. In terms of policy, they tried to solve the most serious problems. The Municipal Statute was enacted, leading to a new form of caciquismo (political bossism). Action was taken against public disorder, including the Somaten, and there was confusion between regionalism and separatism.
The Civil Directory (1925-1930)
After the successful landing at Alhucemas, the Patriotic Union, representing the Civil Directory, announced that it would leave the National Assembly and form the National Consultative Assembly. In 1926, a plebiscite was held to determine whether the draft Constitution was legitimate. This draft was preceded by an election, but it had major democratic deficits. It did not include national sovereignty or the division of powers.
Economy and Society During the Dictatorship
Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship was always recognized for its achievements, despite not having a strong ideological foundation. It practiced interventionist economic policies, including:
- Control of all productive sectors and supervision of economic activities.
- Provision of aids and grants.
- Strengthening tariff protectionism.
- Strengthening public investment.
- The creation of the Telefónica and CAMPSA monopolies.
Opposition and Fall of the Dictatorship
The long duration of the dictatorship can be explained by the impotence of the opposition, including:
- Politicians of the old guard, who adopted a posture of expectation.
- Republicans, who formed an alliance in 1926.
- Military opposition, coordinated with the political opposition from 1925 to 1926 (Sanjuanada), taking advantage of war merits.
- Intellectuals, such as Unamuno, who was suspended in 1924, leading to the closure of the Ateneo de Madrid and the university reform project.
Two key factors contributed to the fall of Primo de Rivera:
- The Catalan movement and the workers’ movement began to consider a Republic.
- In 1928, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) increased protests, and in 1929, events accelerated, leading to Primo de Rivera’s resignation on January 28, 1930. He resigned and went to Paris.
The Dictatorship of General Berenguer (1930-1931)
After Primo de Rivera’s departure, King Alfonso XIII ordered General Berenguer to form a government. For the first time in a long time, the number of Republicans increased. Republican history saw a resurgence, and intellectuals formed the Pact of San Sebastián (royal and constitutional). This pact derived two complementary lines of action:
- A revolutionary line, which led to the pronounced failure of the military.
- A political line, which aimed to ruin the prestige achieved by the monarchy.
Berenguer’s government continued to ignore the changes in Spanish society. The government’s political crisis arose in late 1930 when he tried to convene general elections (under the monarchy). The King asked for his resignation in February 1931.
The Admiral Aznar’s Government (February-April 1931)
Admiral Aznar formed a government and called for municipal elections on April 12, 1931. The election results showed a clear victory for the Republican-Socialist coalition in provincial capitals. Berenguer did not recognize the defeat. With Romanones’ agreement, he advised the King to consult with Alcalá Zamora, who agreed with a change of regime. On April 14, 1931, the King abandoned Spain. With Romanones, a business committee informed Alcalá Zamora that the King had left and a provisional revolutionary government was formed. Alcalá Zamora proclaimed the Republic, and Niceto Alcalá Zamora, the Minister of the Interior, was proclaimed President of the Provisional Government. In this way, the new regime was established without bloodshed.
The Republic
The Popular Front and the Civil War (1936)
To try to stop the fighting between the left and right-wing forces, President Alcalá Zamora dissolved the Parliament. When the next elections took place, socialist, communist, and republican parties joined together to form the Popular Front, with the goal of returning to the policies of the biennium reformer (1931-1933).
The CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups) led an alliance of all monarchist and conservative parties, in defense of a reactionary agenda against separatism and Marxism.
The elections favored the Popular Front. This is when the army, organized by right-wing forces, took action to intervene against the Republic. The military uprising occurred on July 18, 1936, marking the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, which engulfed the country in bloodshed for three painful years.
Women in the Republic
Women in the Republic were freed from the shackles of the past. The following were enacted:
- Equality before the law with men.
- Admission to employment and public office.
- Right to vote.
- Recognition of civil marriage and equality of both spouses.
- Suppression of the crime of adultery.
With these measures, the Republic gained support from women. However, it did not succeed in eliminating the traditional ideal of women, since few women had the opportunity to hold jobs traditionally held by men, often due to social pressure. This newfound freedom for women was interrupted by the Civil War, and Franco’s regime, once instituted, re-established the traditional role of women in Spain.