Land Reform and Political Unrest in Spain’s Second Republic
Land Reform in Spain’s Second Republic
Spain remained a predominantly agricultural country. Farmers represented nearly 50% of the workforce, and most of them were farm laborers. The following measures were taken:
- a) Prohibiting landowners from leasing their land.
- b) Extending the eight-hour workday to agricultural workers, which was already enjoyed by industrial workers.
- c) Requiring a contract to work the land, giving priority to laborers of the municipality to which they belonged.
The Agrarian Reform Law was approved in September 1932 but failed due to the lateness of its development and approval (almost a year and a half after the proclamation of the Republic). The Agrarian Reform Institute (ARI) was created for its application. The expropriations carried out required prior compensation to landowners, so the procedure was delayed, conditional on the limited financial resources of the state. The peasants, encouraged by the anarchist movement, often resorted to the usual practice of squatting.
The Casas Viejas Incident
One of the most resonant events was the incident in the village of Casas Viejas, Cadiz. There, the peasants revolted and attacked the Guardia Civil, which justified sending the Assault Guard to restore order. When all was over, an old anarchist barricaded himself in his house with his children, grandchildren, and neighbors. The guard captain sparked a brutal repression: he ordered the house to be set on fire and the occupants to be machine-gunned. Then, he began a raid on the village and killed twelve handcuffed men. This unfortunate action by the Republic forces greatly discredited a government that proclaimed itself leftist among the popular sectors and contributed to its crisis and fall.
Military Conspiracies and Political Unrest
Military conspiracies were ongoing. The most significant was the monarchist uprising led by General Sanjurjo, director general of the Guardia Civil, which took place in Seville in the summer of 1932. It was a precipitated and poorly coordinated stroke, so it was easily crushed.
A few days after the proclamation of the Republic, Cardinal Segura was expelled from Spain.
Right-Wing Parties and Their Attitudes Towards the Republic
According to the attitude of right-wing parties against the Republic, they could be classified as:
- a) Possibilistic right, aimed at seizing power through the ballot box to convert the leftist Republic into a conservative Republic. The most important party was the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right (CEDA), led by Gil Robles.
- b) Monarchist and anti-Republican right, which sought to destroy the Republic by military conspiracy. Represented by the Carlist Party or Traditionalist, led by Fal Conde, and Spanish Renewal, led by Calvo Sotelo.
The extreme right had a very minor character. Under the inspiration of contemporary European models (Italian Fascism and German Nazism), different totalitarian parties eventually joined the recently established Spanish Falange, founded in 1933 by José Antonio Primo de Rivera and a group of friends. The latter was the most active organization of the extreme right and used terrorism against members of trade unions and leftist parties.