The Second Spanish Republic: Political Instability and Conflict

Posted on Oct 19, 2024 in History

The Second Spanish Republic (1931-1936)

Main Political Forces

Right Wing:

  • No large, unified parties emerged. The right wing was characterized by weakness, dispersion, and radicalization.
  • Early representation came from landowners (Castilian Agrarian Party, Catholic Action).
  • Most right-wing groups eventually merged into the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups (CEDA), led by José María Gil-Robles and José Calvo Sotelo.
  • On the far-right, the Spanish Falange (JONS) was formed, led by José Antonio Primo de Rivera.

Center:

  • Parties like the Radical Republican Party, led by Alejandro Lerroux, and the Republican Right of Niceto Alcalá-Zamora occupied the center.

Left Wing:

  • The Republican Alliance, led by Manuel Azaña, and the Radical-Socialist Party were prominent. They later merged into the Republican Left.
  • The Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), with Francisco Largo Caballero and Indalecio Prieto, represented a more radical stance.
  • The far-left included the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), led by Dolores Ibárruri (“La Pasionaria”).
  • The most extreme left consisted of anarchists, organized around the National Confederation of Labor (CNT) and the Iberian Anarchist Federation (FAI).

Regionalist Parties:

  • Catalonia: Catalan League (right-wing) and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), led by Lluís Companys.
  • Galicia: Galician Autonomous Republican Organization (left-wing).
  • Basque Country: Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) (right-wing).
  • Andalusia: Andalusian nationalism, led by Blas Infante.

Constitution of 1931

Key Principles:

  • Popular sovereignty and democratic republic.
  • Defined Spain as a “democratic republic of workers of all classes.”
  • Extensive declaration of rights and freedoms, including political rights, suffrage, divorce, and the right to education.
  • Unicameral parliament (Cortes) with predominant popular representation.
  • President elected every six years, responsible for appointing the head of government.
  • Independent judiciary with the Court of Constitutional Guarantees as the highest court.
  • Freedom of worship and conscience, with a secular state.

Elections under the Constitution:

  • June 1931: The left won the first elections.
  • 1933: The CEDA and Radical Party gained power.
  • 1936: The Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing parties, won.

The Progressive Biennium (1931-1933)

Manuel Azaña’s Government:

  • The left-wing majority in the Cortes allowed for ambitious reforms, but faced significant obstacles.
  • Army Reform: Modernization, reduced military spending, decreased subordination to civilian power.
  • Education Reform: Strengthened state control over education and reduced the influence of the Church.
  • Religious Reform: Secularization, focused on the social role of the Church and its property.
  • Autonomy Statute: Approved for Catalonia, but not for Galicia or the Basque Country.
  • Social and Labor Legislation: Improved conditions for workers.
  • Agrarian Reform: Aimed to redistribute land from large landowners to laborers.

Conflicts:

  • Increased strikes and anticlerical incidents.
  • Sanjurjo uprising and anarchist uprising in Casas Viejas.
  • President Alcalá-Zamora dissolved Parliament and called for new elections.

The Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)

Rise of the Right:

  • Conflicts eroded support for the Republican-Socialist government.
  • Elections in November 1933 resulted in a victory for moderate Republicans and the CEDA.
  • Alejandro Lerroux became President of the Government.
  • The government aimed to revise the Constitution and the agrarian and religious reforms.
  • Conflicts arose with Catalan and Basque interests.
  • Three CEDA ministers entered the cabinet, leading to strikes and protests.

Key Conflicts:

  • Asturian Miners’ Strike (October 1934): Anarchists, communists, and socialist miners launched an armed uprising. The government declared a state of war and sent the army to intervene, resulting in significant casualties and arrests.
  • Events in Catalonia (1934): Socialists and communists called for strikes, and Lluís Companys, President of the Generalitat, declared a Catalan Republic. The government declared martial law, arrested the Catalan government, and suspended the Statute of Autonomy.

Aftermath:

  • Lerroux appointed Gil Robles as Minister of War and Francisco Franco as Chief of Staff to prevent future uprisings.
  • The CEDA proposed constitutional reforms, but President Alcalá-Zamora dissolved the Cortes and called for new elections in February 1936.

The Popular Front (1936)

Formation and Victory:

  • The Popular Front was a coalition of left-wing parties, including republicans, socialists, and communists (with limited influence).
  • The right was divided.
  • The Popular Front won the elections in February 1936 with a majority of seats.

Government and Policies:

  • The first government was formed only by Republicans.
  • Manuel Azaña was elected President.
  • An amnesty decree was issued for those involved in the 1934 uprisings.
  • The Catalan Statute of Autonomy was restored.
  • Agrarian reform was accelerated.

Rising Tensions:

  • Public disorder increased, including the assassination of José Calvo Sotelo.
  • Military leaders began conspiring to overthrow the government, leading to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.