Key Political Concepts in Spain: 19th and 20th Centuries
Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration period in Spanish history spanned from General Arsenio Martínez Campos’ pronouncement in 1874, ending the First Spanish Republic, to the proclamation of the Second Republic on April 14, 1931. This era was marked by institutional stability, the formation of a liberal state model, and the rise of social and political movements resulting from the Industrial Revolution. It began its decline with Miguel Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship in 1923. Martínez Campos’ declaration in 1874 reinstated the dynasty of Isabel II’s son, Alfonso XII.
Regenerationism
Regenerationism was an intellectual movement between the 19th and 20th centuries that sought to objectively and scientifically analyze the causes of Spain’s decline. It is often distinguished from the Generation of ’98, with which it is sometimes confused. While both movements expressed a similarly negative assessment of Spain, Regenerationism adopted an objective, scientific, and documented approach, whereas the Generation of ’98 was more literary, subjective, and artistic. Joaquín Costa was the most prominent figure and leader of this movement.
Caciquism
Caciquism is a political and social system where formal institutions of parliamentary democracy exist (such as elections and political parties), but in practice, real power resides in the hands of individuals (caciques) who hold significant economic and social influence in each town, county, or region. These individuals manipulate electoral results according to their interests.
Oligarchy
In political science, an oligarchy is a form of government where supreme power rests in the hands of a few people.
Encasillado
Encasillado refers to negotiations between the government, specifically the Minister of the Interior, and electoral districts to favor candidates aligned with the government. Also known as cuneros, these were non-constituency members. The civil governor acted as an intermediary, ensuring the victory of the pre-selected candidates. Civil governors provided lists of candidates to mayors and chiefs, and the entire administrative apparatus was mobilized to guarantee their election.
Electoral Fraud
Electoral fraud involves systematic adulteration and manipulation of election results through various illegal practices. These include inflating voter rolls with deceased, missing, or non-existent individuals, preventing undesirable voters from casting ballots, manipulating or destroying electoral records, buying votes, threatening voters with coercion, hindering opposition propaganda, and intimidating opposition supporters.
Pistolerismo
Pistolerismo refers to a dictatorial political regime that, in addition to eliminating individual freedoms, seeks to control all aspects of society.
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political regime where the government intervenes in all spheres of life, and the state concentrates all powers in the hands of a group or a single party, abolishing or disregarding political and civil liberties. Political scientists use the term to describe modern regimes where the state regulates nearly all aspects of public and private life.
Fanaticism
Fanaticism is an exacerbated, excessive, and persistent passion, particularly related to religious or political beliefs, sports, or any hobby or pastime.
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government where power is concentrated around a single individual (the dictator), generally through the consolidation of a de facto government. It is characterized by an absence of separation of powers, a tendency to exercise arbitrary command to benefit the supporting minority, a lack of consent from the governed, and the impossibility of the opposition coming to power through institutionalized procedures.
Single Thought
Single thought is a recent rhetorical expression used in political discourse to discredit ideas considered dominant or hegemonic. Both having a particular thought and accusing the opposite of having a single thought can be considered forms of groupthink.
Fascism
Fascism is an ideology and political movement that emerged in interwar Europe (1918-1939). Its political project involves establishing a totalitarian state and a dirigiste economy. Its intellectual basis involves a submission of reason to will and action, a strong nationalist component leading to violence against those defined as enemies, an interclass social component, and a refusal to be placed on the traditional political spectrum (left or right). Historiography and political science often equate fascism with the extreme right and link it to plutocracy, sometimes identifying it as a form of state capitalism or a variant of chauvinistic state socialism.
Nazism
Nazism, or National Socialism (from the German Nationalsozialismus), refers to the ideology and practices of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party and the policies adopted by the German government from 1933 to 1945, a period known as the Third Reich. The party’s official name was Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) – “National Socialist German Workers’ Party.” National Socialism was related to fascism, though some authors consider it a more radical and violent version, particularly due to its racist, especially anti-Semitic, elements. Other defining elements include anti-parliamentarism, ethnic nationalism, opposition to social, political, and economic liberalism, anti-communism, and the eugenics of “life unworthy of life,” which culminated in the Holocaust. The term “Nazi” was first coined by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels to refer to members of his party. It was later used to describe anything related to the National Socialist regime and ideology. Nazi discourse promoted the conquest of Lebensraum (“living space”) for the Aryan race and the elimination of individuals, groups, and ethnicities deemed undesirable, culminating in large-scale genocide through concentration and extermination camps.
Political Pluralism
Political pluralism, with Robert Dahl as its main ideologist, stipulates that in representative systems, multiple competing elites vie for political power.