Alfonso XIII’s 1931 Manifesto: Abdication & Spanish Republic
Alfonso XIII Manifesto
Alfonso XIII Manifesto
This is a text by Alfonso XIII, who assumed the throne at 16 years old. This text was published in the newspaper ABC in Madrid on 17 April 1931. It is a declaration of intent in which the author makes clear their stance and expresses their decision.
It is a text-reaching because it was mainly intended for the government, but also for the nation.
On 13 September 1923, General Primo de Rivera staged a coup. Primo de Rivera always showed sympathy for the king, so this was supported, as Alfonso XIII wanted an authoritarian government and was identified with the mentality and ideas of military commanders. The king was happy to accept the facts and commissioned Primo de Rivera to form a government. The military coup succeeded without opposition and without bloodshed. Alfonso XIII became directly responsible for much of the success of the coup as well as the maintenance of the military dictatorship.
After the resignation of Primo de Rivera, the king appointed General Damaso Berenguer as head of government and in 1931 replaced Berenguer with Aznar at the head of a new government that called for municipal elections on April 12. Surprisingly for the King, both Republicans and Socialists won the elections.
If we analyze the text, in the first paragraph Alfonso XIII, through the sentence ‘I love my today’, gives people reason to suspend the exercise of royal power and leave Spain.
As with the results of elections in which Republicans and Socialists won, he noted that the will of the people was totally different from the policy he had been carrying out throughout his reign. Although it is clear that he always tried to serve Spain and tried to defend the public interest.
In the second paragraph, we see how the king apologized for his mistakes, such as addressing the Moroccan problem and the lack of competition in terms of colonial problems, as well as social problems and public order issues such as the strikes produced in 1929, and especially his support for the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. These apologies are conveyed through the following sentence: ‘our country at all times was generous to the faults without malice’.
In the third paragraph, the king makes it clear that he will not cause a civil war, that he left Spain to avoid pitting one fellow Spaniard against another, but that if he wanted, he could stay in power. It also states that he does not waive his rights as these are accumulated throughout history and will always carry with him, leaving the fact that he is leaving Spain simply to not cause a war between the Spanish.
In the fourth paragraph, Alfonso XIII states that while the Nation speaks, the exercise of royal power is suspended, thus acknowledging the popular sovereignty of the People.
Finally, Alfonso XIII makes clear that his decision-making is driven by his love for the homeland.
The causes of this text can be distinguished between domestic and international cases:
- Among the national causes are the growing number of opponents of the regime.
- The deterioration of relations between Primo de Rivera and Alfonso XIII.
- The resurgence of social conflicts and strikes of 1929.
- The increasing financial and budgetary difficulties of the state.
- The loss of support from military commanders, who withdrew their confidence in Primo.
- The illness of the dictator.
As for international causes, we can stress:
- The crisis of 1928 that affected all countries.
The consequences of all these facts were the triumphant arrival of the Second Republic. Two key elements were the parties and the Constitution of 1931, as well as an attempt to build a real democracy.