Amadeo I’s Reign and the Rise of Republicanism in Spain

The Reign of Amadeo I

Amadeo I’s Election and Challenges
Amadeo was elected king by the Cortes of Cadiz in November 1870, arriving in Cartagena. He became king on January 2nd, and after swearing in, dissolved the courts to begin a new phase of democratic monarchy. Amadeo had little support; his decisions failed to satisfy both progressives and unionists. Many clergy and nobility opposed the monarch, as did the army, which was crucial in the war in Cuba. The state’s economic problems were increasing, forcing it to issue debt. Moderates began organizing the Bourbon restoration with Prince Alfonso, son of Elizabeth II. Cánovas del Castillo, the leader, attracted dissidents from the Union and Progress, convincing them that the Bourbon monarchy guaranteed order and stability against the perceived excessive liberalism of Amadeo I’s monarchy. Amadeo I lacked support from any political party or grassroots groups.

The Cuban Conflict
In 1868, the Grito de Yara initiated a conflict in Cuba, known as the Ten Years’ War, a significant part of Spain’s colonial past. The Creole-led insurgency had popular support by promising an end to slavery. The two major conflicts of the era were the Carlist insurrection following the birth of the Republic and the war in Cuba, resulting from unfulfilled promises. Cuba did not have the same importance as other Spanish communities.

End of the Republican Period
In January 1874, a coup led by General Pavía ended the Republican period.

The Rise of Republicanism

Political Forces
The political landscape had four major trends. On the right, the Carlists defended Catholicism and the traditional monarchy. The moderates wanted Elizabeth II’s return. In the center, the conjunction-democratic monarchists defended the monarchy based on national sovereignty. On the left, the Republican Party promoted a federal system with free agreements between historical regions. A Unitarian Republican sector advocated a unitary republic.

Federal Republicanism’s Boom
Republicanism’s rise was due to mass discontent with unfulfilled promises of the Democratic Progressive Party. The first cries of “Republic or death” occurred in Cadiz in December 1868. Along with demands for a republic and opposition to monarchy, social demands were expressed. Republicans pushed for changes in the unfair system of drawing and redemption, but failed to abolish it. In May 1869, Republicans made agreements to provoke uprisings, and in June, an interim federal council formed in Madrid. Federal mobilizations totaled about 45,000 men. Prim used the army to contain these uprisings.