Primo de Rivera’s Dictatorship (1923-1930): Rise and Fall
Alfonso XIII and Primo de Rivera’s Dictatorship (1923-1930)
Introduction
Miguel Primo de Rivera, a military figure from a distinguished family, initiated his career at 14, serving in colonial destinations like Morocco, Cuba, and the Philippines. His rapid advancement led him to become a general in 1912. Despite his ties to Africanist military groups, he advocated for abandoning North African colonies, facing political repercussions. By 1919, he held positions in mainland Spain, including Captain General of Valencia, Barcelona, and Madrid. He witnessed firsthand the social and political turmoil, including anarchist terrorism, employer gangsterism, Catalan nationalism, ministerial instability, and the decay of the party system. Primo de Rivera justified his coup d’état by citing the discredited constitutional regime and the looming threat of social revolution.
Development
With King Alfonso XIII’s support (both fearing accountability for the Annual Disaster) and the acquiescence of employers, clergy, military, and conservative forces, Primo de Rivera established a Military Directory, concentrating power and initially excluding politicians. This move faced minimal resistance, as it replaced a discredited regime with a seemingly temporary dictatorship inspired by Regenerationist ideals. While drawing inspiration from Mussolini’s Italy, his dictatorship remained more moderate and conservative. Some historians suggest his aim was to prevent Spain’s democratization, as García Prieto’s government had introduced potentially threatening reforms.
The Military Directory (1923-1925)
The Military Directory’s initial actions revealed its dictatorial nature: suspending constitutional government, dissolving parliament, sidelining civil authorities, banning political parties and trade unions, militarizing public order, persecuting anarchists and communists, dismantling the Commonwealth of Catalonia, and promoting state protectionism and public works. A new political party, the Patriotic Union, was created to support the dictatorship, drawing members from Catholic officials and rural administrators. A major success was consolidating Spain’s presence in Morocco with a military victory (the Alhucemas landing in 1925), ending years of conflict.
The Civil Directory (1925-1930)
Emboldened by the Moroccan victory, Primo de Rivera sought to institutionalize his regime with a Civil Directory, creating an Advisory National Assembly (1927) to draft a Constitution (1929). This corporate, authoritarian assembly, elected through indirect suffrage, comprised corporate representatives, government officials, and select social power representatives, effectively sidelining universal suffrage. This undemocratic parliament revealed diverse political stances within the dictatorship’s supporters, ranging from conservative Catholics to corporatist authoritarians.
Economic Policies
Economically, the dictatorship benefited from the favorable international economic climate of the 1920s. Nationalist and interventionist policies combined protectionism with public works (railways, roads, hydroelectric projects) and aid to struggling domestic industries. Large monopolies were granted, such as the National Telephone Company and CAMPSA (oil control), leading to a budget deficit and increased government borrowing. A regulatory labor model aimed to mitigate social conflicts through state intervention, integrating moderate labor movement sectors while repressing radical forces. The National Corporate Organization, with committees of employers and workers, regulated wages and working conditions, finding support in the UGT but not the banned CNT.
Conclusion
. Divided their followers and rarefied relationships dictator with the king, were not able to cope with the rise of the opposition, increasingly united against the threat ymovilizada see régimen.Esta perpetuate the opposition was composed of party leaders turno.Socialistas, Communists and Republicans joined in the ladictadura campaign that threatened to drag the monarchy also the habíaapoyado, students, workers and intellectuals against delrégimen demonstrators and the military themselves were plotting against Primo de Rivera. (St John). Similarly did the Catalan nationalists, incluidoslos who had collaborated with the dictator. Finally, unauthorized by the military high command and by the King, Primo de Rivera resigned in 1930 and went into exile in Paris, not to recommend to Alfonso XIII sinantes Some names podríansucederle military (including General Berenguer, who assumed the presidency). EnParís died two months later, amid great bitterness by the ingratitude ydecepción received. His eldest son, José Antonio Primo deRivera enter politics soon after to claim supadre memory, he said. After the fall of Primo, the king responsible formargobiernoalgeneralBerenguer (soft dictatorship)to try to return to the system of the Restoration, a constitutional lanormalidad comprising: opening the courts, the constitution de1876, launch parties and trade unions call for elections. PROCESS was slow and failed. Spanish people do not trust the king haberapoyado the dictator. The opposition begins to organizarse.Se produces the Pact of San Sebastián (August 1930). Laclandestinidad Signed by Republicans, socialists, and Galician nationalists catalanes.Pactan antimonarchical policy and chose a place parallevarla Revolutionary Committee, as well as military action. Uprising Jaca (diciembre1930). Ill-prepared, initiated by Galan and Garcia Hernandez fueronfusilados because it found no echo and éstosdesacreditó fracasó.Los more executions were the monarchy and increases tension in the city and inthe field. In February 1931 he was the last government for laMonarquíapresidido Admiral Aznar. No not solved anything and municipal convocóelecciones April 12> Goal> probe the opiniónpública, if they won the monarchist parties, would also gain the eleccionesgenerales. The first after eight years, were presented as unplebiscito for or against the monarchy. The coalition won Sansebastián Pact in almost all provincial capitals in ciudadesgrandes and industrial and mining areas.
2 .- Development. With the connivance of King Alfonso XIII (both feared that the courts lesexigieran responsibility for the disaster of Annual) and acquiescence debuena the employers, clergy, military and fuerzasconservadoras, Primo de Rivera led a Military Directory concentrótodos state powers profesionales.Inicialmente excluding politicians met with little resistance, as they came to replace the discredited regime and even promising a Dictatorship meramentetransitoria inspired by the ideals expressed by the turn of the century Regenerationists ( as Joaquin Costa), to restore order ydesarraigar cacique influence of political life (including the Socialists leprestaron a benevolent neutrality). Although formally the model sometimes inspired fascist Mussolini’s Italy, his dictatorship was more moderate and conservative. Some historians have suggested recently that perhaps what I wanted was to prevent the democratization of Spain, since the last government of García Prieto had created significant reforms, quepodían be threatening to certain sectors and interests. During the Military Board (1923 – 25) the first measurements showed its dictatorial nature: the suspension of constitutional government, dissolve parliament, leaving the civil authorities, activitieslisted banned political parties and trade unions … all fueacompañado of the militarization of public order and devoted himself to pursuing to losanarquistas (whose union CNT was outlawed) and Communists, to liquidate Commonwealth of Catalonia (regional self-government first experiment) and strengthening the state protectionism for the domestic industry and afomentar the construction of large public works. He created a new political party , the Patriotic Union. I had an ideological agenda defined and whose mission was to support the dictatorship. The mayoríade their members from the ranks Catholic officials and chiefs laadministración rurales.Uno of his greatest successes was to consolidate the Spanish presence inMorocco by a military victory that ended years of permanentesguerras and constraints (the “Annual Disaster” 1921.The desembarcode Alhucemas (1925) was part of a combined operation with ejércitofrancés to end the revolt of the tribes of the Rif. While the above ideas contradecíatodas the dictator, was a success so significant that animóa Primo de Rivera dictatorship to institutionalize a Military Directory duradera.El gave way to a Civil Directory (1925-30) which attempted to institutionalize his regime eldictador with the creation of an Advisory AsambleaNacional (1927) which prepared a draft Constitution (1929). The Assembly had a corporate and authoritarian estabacompuesta by corporate representative elected by sufragioindirecto, for government officials and representatives from the power socialesescogidos. Thus, universal suffrage was relegated alolvido.Aquel undemocratic sham parliament, however, showed ladiversidad of political positions that had among ladictadura followers among conservative Catholics and old-fashioned fascism attracted corporativistasautoritarios. From the point of view Economically, the good situation of the twenties económicainternacional benefited from the dictatorship. Depolítica were years of nationalism and state interventionism interventionist combined elements (protectionism) with a boost of public works (railways, roads, hydroelectric schemes …) lasempresas aid granted that they could not compete with the outside. Grandesmonopolios also awarded as the telephone (Spain’s National Telephone Company), oil Elcontrol CAMPSA. This was a budget deficit and government borrowing ungran. He set up a working model of regulation that sought to eliminate social conflicts through state intervention, the integration of moderate lossectores the labor movement and the repression of másradicales forces. To this end created the National Corporate Organization, creandocomités which consisted of equal numbers of employers and workers. Suobjetivo was the regulation of wages, working conditions, andthe case of conflict mediation laborales.Encontraron support in the UGT, but not in the CNT was banned.