Key Moments and Figures in Spanish History: 1873-1940
Key Moments in Spanish History
1873: Amadeo’s abdication as King of Spain in February of that year led to the proclamation of the First Republic. In its few months of life, full of serious political and social tensions, several prominent Republican politicians attempted to stabilize the situation. However, in January 1874, a military coup dissolved parliament and paved the way for the restoration, by another military coup, of the Bourbons on the throne of Spain.
1898: The war which had been developing over the last Spanish colonies in America and Asia between the Spanish army and those who sought the independence of these territories led to the intervention of the United States of America. In the spring of that year, the U.S. Army landed in Cuba and defeated the Spanish troops. The double disaster of the national team in Cuba and the Philippines made it unfeasible to continue the conflict. That same year, Spain recognized the independence of Cuba and the Philippines and ceded the island of Puerto Rico to the United States.
1923: Politically exhausted, the monarchy of Alfonso XIII, which also faced a difficult situation in Morocco, Captain General of Catalonia, Miguel Primo de Rivera, staged a statement in September, which the King did not oppose. Primo dissolved Parliament and ended the constitutional life, ruling for more than six years as dictator.
April 14, 1931: This day marked the proclamation of the Second Republic in Spain, following the outcome of the municipal elections held on the 12th. These elections marked a triumph of Republican-Socialist candidates in the major cities. Although the Monarchy won in rural areas, King Alfonso XIII decided to relinquish power and went to Italy.
October 1934: The announcement of the entry of ministers from the CEDA into the Government of the Republic led leftist and regionalist forces to organize an uprising, with very different objectives. The uprising had two main focuses: Asturias and Catalonia. In Catalonia, the attempted revolt of the Generalitat was easily controlled by the Army. The most important events took place in Asturias. Miners seized guard posts, killing civilians and religious figures. The Government of the Republic sent the Army, and after heavy fighting in which the Legion participated, brought the situation under control. Strong repression fell on the workers’ organizations.
Key Figures in Spanish History
Alcalá Zamora Torres, Niceto (1877-1949)
A politician who adhered from a very young age to the Liberal Party, he held several ministerial portfolios with the monarchy of Alfonso XIII. Disappointed by the king’s support for the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, he went over to republicanism. He participated in the Pact of San Sebastian, chairing its revolutionary committee. In April 1931, he became president of the provisional government of the Second Republic. A practicing Catholic, he resigned when the Constituent Parliament endorsed the three articles concerning the new church-state relations. In December 1931, he was elected president of the Republic, a post he held until April 1936, when he was ousted by leftist parties. At the beginning of the Civil War, he went into exile in Argentina, where he died.
Alfonso XII (1857-1885)
King of Spain and son of Elizabeth II. In 1868, after the September Revolution, he marched with his mother into exile. He studied in England at the Sandhurst Military College, where, at the suggestion of Cánovas del Castillo, he launched a manifesto in 1874 offering himself to Spain, promising to reconcile the liberal developments of the century with the Spanish Catholic tradition. After the pronouncement of Martínez Campos in December 1874, he was proclaimed King of Spain. He alternately supported the two major political leaders of the moment: Cánovas (Conservative) and Sagasta (Liberal). He died of tuberculosis at the age of 27.
Mendizábal Álvarez, Juan (1790-1853)
A merchant from Cadiz with liberal ideas, he was very committed to exalted and progressive liberalism and was forced into exile in 1823. After the death of Fernando VII, he returned to Spain in 1835 and was appointed Prime Minister by the Regent Maria Cristina. He proceeded with the confiscation of regular Church property to improve the situation of the Treasury and finance the war against the Carlists. He resigned in 1836 but became Minister of Finance, beginning the confiscation of assets from the secular clergy. He would briefly be Finance Minister again in 1843, but the fall of Espartero sent him into exile once more.
Amadeo I (1845-1890)
An Italian prince and son of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, he was elected King of Spain in 1870. As the 1869 Constitution created a Constitutional Monarchy and the Bourbons had been expelled, a king had to be found in the European courts, and Amadeo was chosen. He arrived in Spain in December 1870 and was a true constitutional monarch, but he failed to gain the sympathies of the population. The severity of the problems and great difficulties led him to abdicate the throne. He left Spain in February 1873, after which the First Republic was proclaimed.
Azaña Díaz, Manuel (1880-1940)
A politician and writer from a wealthy family, he studied law and was a senior official of the Ministry of Justice. Devoted to politics, he joined the Republicans during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.