Second Republic: Constitution of 1931 and its Impact
The Second Republic and the Constitution of 1931
The end of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, along with the failure of governments formed by General Damaso Berenguer and Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar, resulted in the proclamation of the Second Republic, which won elections in April 1931.
The Second Republic was received enthusiastically by a large number of Spaniards, who hoped for the regeneration and modernization of Spain.
The Revolutionary Committee became a provisional government headed by Alcala Zamora. It encompassed almost all political options: the center was represented by Lerroux radicals, the left was occupied by three ministers (Indalecio Prieto, Largo Caballero, and Fernando de los Rios), and the Alianza Republicana by Manuel Azaña. Regionalism was represented by Louis Nicolas d’Olwer and Santiago Casares Quiroga, Catalan and Galician, respectively.
Out of power were communists and anarchists, in addition to the monarchist right, the traditionalists, the Catalan League, and the Basque Nationalist Party.
The gentry kept their social hegemony and became a bitter enemy of the young republic. In the petty bourgeoisie, professionals and officials became extremely relevant. The rural petty bourgeoisie nurtured the ranks of fascist, undemocratic, and anti-Republican elements. Urban workers and peasants suffered the scourge of unemployment and high prices resulting from the crisis of the thirties. They were mostly ardent supporters of the Republic.
The provisional government convened a Cortes to create a constitution for the Second Republic. The first democratic elections were held in June 1931, which gave a majority to the Republicans and Socialists, and demonstrated the failure of Zamora in his attempt to create a major Republican right.
Key Aspects of the 1931 Constitution
The final text was adopted on December 9, 1931.
This was a lengthy Constitution, which was one of its major problems. It was influenced by other constitutional texts of the era, such as the German constitution. The most important features of the constitution of 1931 are:
- Its socialist character.
- Its Republican exaltation.
- For the first time in the history of Spain, the right to vote was proclaimed for anyone aged 23 years, regardless of sex. Some women came to occupy important political positions. MPs were Victoria Kent, Clara Campoamor, Dolores Ibáurruri, and Federica Montseny, who would become Minister of Health.
- Its liberal character.
- The right to request autonomy statutes.
- The approval of civil marriage, divorce, and contraceptive practices.
- Its reformist and transactional nature.
Among its main points are the achievement of autonomous status of self-government (the case of the Generalitat of Catalonia) and the granting of voting rights to more women.
Article 26 and Church-State Relations
Most discussed was Article 26, which governed relations between the state and the Church, defining the state as secular. Republican anti-clericalism was evident in the prohibition of providing education to religious orders, the cancellation of economic aid to the clergy, and the expulsion of the Jesuits. All this led Alcala Zamora to leave the Government.
Agrarian Reform
The republican governments attempted to address the fundamental problems of society and the economy, starting to banish the old despotic practices. They implemented a policy of reforms. The most important of these was land reform. In 1932, the Law of Bases of Agrarian Reform was passed, which pursued the redistribution of land exceeding a certain size that was badly exploited, and the settlement of peasants on them.