Spain Under the Bourbon Restoration and the Second Republic
The Restoration of the Bourbon Monarchy (1874-1902)
It began with Alfonso XII undergoing a dual process: political, where Canovas del Castillo secured the abdication of Queen Isabella II in favor of her son Alfonso and his acceptance after promising a constitutional government; and military, led by General Martinez Campos, who proclaimed the restoration of the monarchy, which continued after the king’s death in 1885.
The Political System of the Restoration
It was based on two pillars:
- The Constitution of 1876: It was moderate but allowed the parties to govern without changes. It established a comprehensive declaration of rights, with the possibility of being more or less restricted depending on the ruling party. It also established shared sovereignty and a vote to determine the ruling party.
- Turnismo: This was based on the alternation of parties in power.
Problems of the Restoration
- The opposition: Parties excluded from the ‘turnismo’, such as the Carlists, Democrats, and Republicans.
- The beginning of regionalism: Against the Catalan government’s policy on Catalan as the official language. Basques, Galicians, and Andalusians sought solutions to economic and social problems.
- The rise of the labor movement: Reflected in the spread of socialism, following the founding of the PSOE and the UGT, and anarchism, which founded the FTRE.
- The disaster of 1898: The loss of the last Spanish colonies: Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
Alfonso XIII was declared of age in 1902, and the Restoration system was initially maintained. However, from 1917, it entered a crisis, leading to a military dictatorship and later to the fall of the monarchy.
Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930)
In the first phase of the dictatorship (1923-1925), the government was in the hands of a Military Board, which suspended the 1876 Constitution, dissolved the Parliament, banned political parties, suppressed the labor movement and nationalism, and defeated the Moroccans. In the second phase (1925-1930), there was a Civil Directorate. During this period, irrigated agriculture and industry were promoted, the construction of roads was boosted, and railways were improved. However, for various reasons, Primo de Rivera resigned in 1930. There was then an attempt to return to the parliamentary system, but in April 1931, the Republicans triumphed. In these circumstances, Alfonso XIII left the country.
The Interim Government and the Constitution of 1931
On April 14, 1931, the Republic was proclaimed. An interim government formed by pro-republicans, socialists, and nationalists held elections, and most of the seats went to the left. These were imposed in the new constitution. The Constitution of 1931 established a comprehensive bill of rights, popular sovereignty, and the division of powers: universal suffrage (male and female), the guarantee of autonomy for the regions, and the separation of church and state. After its approval, Niceto Alcala was elected president of the Republic. Its evolution had three stages: the Reformist Biennium, the Conservative Biennium, and the Popular Front government.