Second Spanish Republic: Proclamation, Reforms, and Crisis
Proclamation of the Republic and Constituent Period
Creation of the Provisional Government
The provisional government, headed by Alcalá Zamora, initiated several political actions:
- Called for Constituent Cortes.
- Proposed land reform projects.
- Addressed army reforms.
- Commenced negotiations to resolve regional autonomy issues.
Problems arose from social unrest, opposition from businessmen and landowners, and anticlerical agitation.
Constitution of 1931
The 1931 Constitution was democratic and progressive, featuring:
- A new composition of parliament.
- A comprehensive declaration of rights and freedoms.
- Establishment of an integral state.
- Universal suffrage for men and women at 23.
- Defined the legislature, courts, executive council, ministers, and judiciary.
The Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
The Azaña government presided, with Zamora as president of the republic.
Problems and Reforms
- Military Reform: The Law of the Withdrawal of Officers aimed to reduce the number of officers, but faced aggression as it was perceived as an attack on military tradition.
- Religious Issues: Difficult relations between church and state arose due to anticlerical agitation and the desire to secularize church influence in social life, leading to the dissolution of the Jesuit order.
- Agricultural Reform: The Land Reform Act of 1932 aimed to redistribute land held by large landowners to landless peasants and protect tenants, but faced slow bureaucratic difficulties.
- Regional Autonomy: The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (Estatut de Núria) established a governing body (Macià chairman). The Statute of Estella in the Basque Country was not universally accepted, leading to a political consensus with Aguirre as Lendakari in 1936.
- Social Reforms: Social and educational reforms aimed to improve working conditions, promote secular education, and regulate employment contracts. Employers opposed collective bargaining and arbitration. Misiones Pedagógicas were established to spread culture in rural areas.
Adversaries of Reformism and Social Conflict
Reorganization of the Right
- Political Opposition: Acción Española (monarchical) drifted towards anti-democratic positions. CEDA (Catholic) was a confederation led by José María Gil Robles. Comunión Tradicionalista (national socialist and fascist) paramilitary formations defended direct action against the Left.
- Army Opposition: General Sanjurjo’s coup and the creation of UME (Spanish Military Union) aimed to shift the republic to the right.
Worker Movements and Social Conflict
CNT offered moderate support to the republic, while radicals were linked to FAI. The Casas Viejas incident involved a peasant revolt in Asturias.
The crisis of 1933 led to the resignation of the Republican-Socialist coalition, the dissolution of the Cortes by Zamora, and new elections in November 1933.
The Conservative or Radical Biennium (1933-1936)
Also known as the CEDA or Black Biennium, marked by the triumph of the rightist CEDA led by Gil Robles, and the radicals led by Lerroux.
Paralysis of Reforms
- Agricultural Reversal: Land was returned to the nobility.
- Central Government Confrontation: Confrontation with the Generalitat.
- Religious Policies: Allocation of a budget for worship and clergy.
- Amnesty: Amnesty for Sanjurjo and other rebels.
The government shifted to the conservative side, leading to the radicalization of the PSOE and UGT under Largo Caballero, who opposed collaboration with bourgeois forces and fostered social revolution. Indalecio Prieto advocated for moderate Republicans to work with CCW.
Opposition to the Biennium and Revolution of October 1934
- Asturias: Miners’ social revolution with violence and radicalization, foreshadowing the civil war.
- Catalonia: Proclamation of the Catalan Republic within the Spanish Federal Republic. The revolt was quelled with the declaration of a state of war, and Azaña was imprisoned.
Crisis of the Second Biennium
Causes included a lack of understanding between the president of the republic and Lerroux, corruption scandals, aggravated embezzlement, differences within the government coalition between radicals and cediastas, and a worsening political climate. New elections were called in 1936.
Elections of February 1936
The elections pitted the Popular Front (Republicans, Socialists, and Communists) against the National Bloc (CEDA, monarchists, and traditionalists).
Triumph of the Popular Front
The Popular Front Government
With Azaña as president, the government’s program included amnesty, statutes of autonomy, and reforms. Conservatives reacted negatively, landowners objected, and anticlerical politics fueled fears within the church, promoting a climate of civil strife and political tension.
Preparation for the Coup d’état
The coup d’état, led by Franco and Mola and supported by right-wing political forces, was sparked by the murder of Calvo Sotelo in response to the murder of Lieutenant Castillo, beginning on July 17 in Morocco and July 18 in Spain.