Spain’s 1917 Crisis: War, Revolution, and Social Unrest
The Crisis of the Great War in Spain (1917)
The year 1917 saw significant political and social conflicts across Europe, including the Bolshevik Revolution. In Spain, growing awareness of the Restoration political system’s serious difficulties, coupled with military discontent and social conflict, sparked widespread protest.
Military Discontent
The Spanish army, strained by colonial wars, had an excessive number of officers. Moreover, inflation had diminished the real value of the already low military wages.
This strong discontent among low and middle-ranking officers led to the formation of so-called defense juntas, the first of which was established in Barcelona. These juntas demanded salary increases, opposed promotions based on war merits, and instead claimed promotions based on seniority. In June 1917, they issued a manifesto blaming the government for the country’s and the army’s problems. There was hope that the army could join a movement calling for national political renewal.
The Political Crisis
The political situation was also critical. The conservative government of Dato was replaced in 1916 by Romanones, who continued the old practice of political corruption. In 1917, Dato returned to power and demanded that the government reopen Parliament. However, the government refused and, furthermore, declared a state of emergency, increasing press censorship.
As a reaction, and taking advantage of the crisis, a Catalan Parliamentary Assembly was held in Barcelona. This assembly demanded the formation of a provisional government to convene constituent Cortes to reform the political system and decentralize the state.
The Assembly aimed to convene a meeting of deputies and senators from all over Spain, but it was primarily composed of Catalan nationalists, republicans, and socialists. The government banned the meeting, but it was held on July 19th and was eventually dissolved by the Civil Guard. The parliamentary motion failed to gain traction and disappeared without achieving constitutional reform. Monarchist forces did not offer support, differences between regionalist and leftist groups made agreement impossible, and the defense juntas opposed the parliamentary initiative. Moreover, a burgeoning strike movement in August inhibited bourgeois forces.
The Revolutionary Strike
The year 1916 had already seen a significant strike movement, and in March 1917, the UGT and CNT trade unions agreed to sign a joint manifesto urging the government to intervene to control prices under the threat of a general strike.
Tensions erupted in August 1917, following a railway dispute in Valencia. The UGT, with the support of the PSOE, decided to call a general strike. The protest gained political and revolutionary momentum as workers demanded an end to the monarchy, the formation of a provisional government to convene Parliament, and the establishment of a republican system.
The strike had a very uneven impact. There were major incidents in many parts of the country, including Madrid, Barcelona, Asturias, and the Basque Country, which came close to paralyzing daily life.
The government’s reaction was primarily repressive: they declared martial law and sent the army to quell the movement. The general strike failed to gain broad support but had enormous consequences: it further weakened the regime, which demonstrated its brutality, and radicalized the opposition. In the following years, the Restoration’s political system entered its final crisis.