Political Forces in the Spanish Republic: Left, Center, and Right

Posted on Mar 2, 2025 in History

The Social and Political Forces of the Spanish Republic

The numerous political parties in the Republic can be classified into three groups: left, center, and right.

The Bourgeois Left was represented by:

Republican Action (RA) of Manuel Azaña. It was a small party composed of intellectuals related to their leader. Its philosophy was based on the modernization of the country’s political and social structures on an anti-clerical, educational, and autonomist, anti-military basis. In 1934, merging with the Radical Socialist Party (led by Marcelino Domingo, which had split from Lerroux’s party) and ORGA (Casares Quiroga, discussed below), it became the Republican Left (IR).

The Labor Left was subdivided into several forces:

The PSOE: Its final objective was the conquest of political power by workers to establish a socialist society. At this time, it increased its number of members, especially intellectuals. It had three leading trends: Julian Besteiro (right), Indalecio Prieto (center), and Francisco Largo Caballero (left).
The PCE (Communist Party of Spain): It did not increase membership significantly, remaining a minority. Its ideology and action followed the guidelines of the Third International. Its leaders were José Díez and Dolores Ibarruri (La Pasionaria).
The POUM (Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification) arose in 1935, Trotskyite and led by Andres Nin. It participated in the Popular Front.
The UGT increased its strength and influence, especially due to its implementation among the peasantry of the south, forming the National Federation of Land Workers.
The CNT (National Confederation of Workers) focused on rejecting political participation (defending personal freedom, community, rejection of authority and private property, etc.). It surpassed one million members at the beginning of the Republic. In 1936, it joined the Popular Front and participated politically and militarily during the Civil War. The influence that the FAI exercised on it is noteworthy.

Autonomist Left had two parties:

ORGA (Galician Republican Autonomous Organization): Galician Republican character, whose leader was Santiago Casares Quiroga.
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, of Lluís Companys and Francesc Macià, defended a broad program of social and economic reforms for Catalonia. His ideas place him in positions close to the Catalan independence movement (as evidenced when he could).

Radical Republican Party, of Alexander Lerroux: notorious for his anti-clericalism and demagogy. It was turning to the right, causing divisions that gave rise to new parties: Republican Union and Radical Socialist Party.

Monarchist Right, represented by Spanish Renewal. A party that was created by Jose Calvo Sotelo. Its activities focused on the return to traditional values (including the monarchy) and opted for authoritarianism.
Fascist currents, which revolved around several minority groups, among which included two: Spanish Falange (FE) by Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, and the Boards of the National Syndicalist Offensive (JONS) of Ramiro Ledesma Ramos and Onésimo Redondo.
The Carlist or traditionalism still alive in defense of the Jurisdictions, Catholic fundamentalism, and political authoritarianism. Transformed into Requetés, they were supporters of overthrowing the Republic by force.