Reign of Isabel II: Moderate Decade & Progressive Biennium
ITEM 15. Reign of Isabel II (1843 – 1868)
Moderate Decade (1844 – 1854)
After the fall of Espartero in 1843 and the proclamation of the coming of age of Isabel II, the moderates came to power with the support of the Crown. This began a period of moderate governments that lasted ten years, ending in 1854 with the progressive military coup known as the “Vicalvarada.” The 1844 elections gave the majority to the moderates, who formed a new government headed by General Narváez. He promoted a policy based on the principles of moderate liberalism, emphasizing order, authority, and political reform combined with repressive measures. This ended the political and social expectations generated by the previous revolutionary stage. The regime settled on the dominance of the landowning bourgeoisie, born from the merger of former aristocrats who had accepted liberalism and the new landowners. The Crown and the military became their strongest guarantors. The government approved the new Constitution of 1845, which embraced conservative ideas: joint sovereignty between the King and Parliament, expansion of executive power, diminution of the legislature’s powers, restriction of voting rights, and the institution of a non-elective Senate. Municipalities and county councils were subjected to the central government, and the National Militia was abolished. Catholicism was declared the official state religion, and the state agreed to maintain the clergy and religious worship. The new constitution largely kept the bill of rights from the 1837 Constitution, but its regulation was deferred to later, highly restrictive laws. It also gave enormous powers to the Crown. A decree in 1845 regulated freedom of the press and imposed government control. The Electoral Law of 1846 established a very restricted suffrage, not exceeding 1% of the population. The moderates also tried to improve relations with the Church. In 1851, they signed a concordat with the Vatican, which established a moratorium on the sale of church property and the return of unsold disentailed property. In exchange, the Holy See recognized Isabel II and accepted the disentailment, while the state committed to supporting the Spanish Church, granting it extensive powers in education, and recognizing Catholicism.
The government undertook necessary fiscal reform in 1845 to increase revenue, approved the Penal Code (1848), and developed a draft Civil Code, which was not approved until years later. Public administration reform strengthened military and civilian governments and provincial councils. The Local Government Act of 1845 established that the Crown would appoint mayors of municipalities with more than 2,000 people and provincial capitals, while the civil governor would appoint mayors of smaller municipalities. The Second Carlist War (1846-1849) coincided with several years of food crisis in Catalonia. The rebels supported the second Carlist pretender, the Count of Montemolín. After some successes by General Cabrera, the pretender’s arrest at the border and the military defeat of the Carlist party ended the insurrection. A national public education system was established, regulating different education levels and developing study plans. This legislation was supplemented by the Moyano Law of 1857, the first major education law in the country. The Guardia Civil (1844) was created, an armed force for civilian purposes but with a military structure, responsible for maintaining public order, especially in rural areas. The moderate governments failed to provide political stability, acting arbitrarily, rigging elections, and reducing the legislature’s importance. Political life unfolded not in the courts but around the court and through the influence of different cliques seeking royal favor or government, disregarding parliamentary life. Authoritarianism worsened under the government of Bravo Murillo in 1852, who proposed a constitutional amendment allowing rule by decree and indefinite suspension of the courts, further restricting suffrage. The proposal failed but exacerbated the breakdown within the moderate party and increased discontent among broad segments of the population.
Progressive Biennium (1854 – 1856)
Government authoritarianism led to opposition from moderate and progressive factions, Democrats, and some disappointed moderates. This union resulted in the June 1854 uprising in Vicálvaro, led by a discontented moderate, General O’Donnell, who founded a new party, the Liberal Union. The rebels issued the Manifesto of Manzanares, demanding compliance with the Constitution of 1845, electoral law reform, and the restoration of the National Militia. Espartero fell again, and O’Donnell was appointed Minister of War.