Spain’s 19th Century: Reform and Liberal Political Models
Unit 14: Introduction
Two models were faced by politicians: reform (by Joseph Bonaparte) and liberal (Spanish). Spain was at war with British participation. The Spanish rose up against Napoleon.
Political Model 1: The Joseph Bonaparte Model
For Napoleon, the Spanish question was resolved with the abdication of the crown at Bayonne. He obtained it legally; government agencies did not object. It was the only way to avoid chaos and disorder. His reign began in July 1808. He promised integrity and independence for the country, as well as social reforms. He was able to see the limitations of Spanish support. The government was formed by enlightened thinkers, including Jovellanos.
Characteristics of the Spanish Regime:
- He surrounded himself with enlightened and pro-French individuals, wanting to end the Ancien Régime through industrial reform and the Bayonne Statute. Napoleon convened a national meeting in Bayonne, where the three estates (nobility, clergy, and commoners) would not take any important initiative.
- The reformism of Bayonne was moderate and not fully applied due to the war. It was an authoritarian regime based on the power of the king. Reforms included individual rights and liberal Catholicism as the only official religion, representing cuts to the three estates, ensuring equality before the law. Joseph Napoleon I tried to implement reforms, but failed. The invaluable reforms were abolished by Fernando VII.
The Bayonne Statute
It was a charter granted by a foreign monarch, the King of Spain. Was it the supreme law issued? It was not approved by a democratically elected parliament, and therefore not considered a constitution due to the lack of popular will.
Political Model 2: Cortes Constitution of Cadiz (1812)
The National Meetings of the Courts
In war, a new political system emerged as the Spanish did not support Joseph Bonaparte. This led to a political revolution. Village institutions coordinated policies and formed a supreme military and provincial central government. Floridablanca settled in Cadiz, fleeing the French, and conceived the idea to raise some reforms without foreign help. Representatives from various parts of Spain met in an assembly. Those who could not attend were represented by people in Cadiz. There were two ideological groups in Cadiz: liberals and absolutists.
Convocation and Composition of Courts
The meeting was linked to the need for changes in political and social structures. Members of Cadiz, mostly deputies, attended. Liberalism had many substitutes. The Cortes of Cadiz had a dual task: political reform and social and economic transformation.
Political Reform: Constitution of 1812
An extensive liberal rule was approved on the day of San Jose (aka: “La Pepa”). It was a fundamental law by the national parliament of Spain, inspired by French regulation and rearrangement of power in society. It accepted universal suffrage with restrictions. The war prevented the application of the legislature in Cadiz. The return of Ferdinand VII frustrated the liberal experience and led to absolutism. It was a meticulous, extensive, and rigid constitution. There was a big difference between the Ancien Régime and the stratified society, and the liberal state and social classes. The courts suffered social and economic transformation and approved a series of measures that dismantled the old order.
Important Principles of the Constitution of 1812
- National Sovereignty
- Government: parliamentary monarchy (king’s power limited)
- Separation of powers (legislative power in the Cortes)
- Inviolability of deputies to the Cortes, rights, and no declaration of individual liberties.
Proclamation of the Roman Catholic religion as the only official religion.
Universal Suffrage
It was masculine and indirect (degrees neighbors, party, province and deputies). Women, servants, and the illiterate could not vote.
Constitutional Bodies
Cortes, king, ministers, council of state, justice, emergency periods.
Social and Economic Reforms
The courts addressed the social and economic environment, suppressing manorial rights, entails, monopolies, the Inquisition, customs, and guilds. They incorporated a liberal economic organization, secularized properties, and dissolved military municipalities. This led to land application by war.