Spain’s Conservative Biennium: Reforms and Revolution 1933-1935
The Conservative Biennium in Spain (1933-1935)
In the autumn of 1933, the crisis was evident in the Republican-Socialist coalition government. The mayor, Manuel Azaña, resigned, and the President, Alcalá Zamora, dissolved the Parliament and called elections for November.
The 1933 Elections: The Right-Wing Government
The general elections were held on November 18th. These were Spain’s first elections in which women voted and had a high abstention. The left presented disunited to the polls: Republicans and Socialists, faced by social conflicts in the previous stage. In contrast, the right was united and organized in many constituencies. The result was the victory of center-right parties, which opened two years of conservative rule, also known as the “Black Biennium”. This was a time of difficulty due to the progressive forces’ cessation of the reforms, hence its name.
Two political forces yielded the best results: the Radical Party, led by Alejandro Lerroux, and the CEDA, led by Gil Robles.
The Cessation of Reforms
The new government, headed by Alexander Lerroux, took office paralyzing much of the previous reformist project. They slowed down agrarian reform by fixing the return of land to the nobility, canceling the assignment of badly cultivated land, and granting complete freedom of contract. The owners expressed their desire to avenge previous reforms, and the peasants responded with strikes.
The agricultural issue also faced the central government with the Generalitat of Catalonia, in the hands of the Left Republicans, following the enactment in 1934 of the Contracts Act. This act allowed tenant farmers of the vineyards (rabassaires) access to land ownership by working and paying the owners rated prices.
Moreover, the central government also alienated the Basque nationalists by stopping, in the Courts, the discussion of the draft statute promoted by the Basque PNV.
Likewise, the government also attempted to counter religious reform by approving a budget of worship and clergy and initiating negotiations to sign a concordat with the Holy See. As for the army, they approved an amnesty for rebels in Sanjurjo in 1932 and for the collaborators with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.
The shift and the conservative-led reforms blocked in the left biennium had resulted in a radicalization of the PSOE and UGT. The radical wing of the PSOE and the Anarchists declared open war against the new government, which materialized in the proliferation of strikes and conflicts.
In this situation, the CEDA hardened its position and required to participate directly in the government under the threat of withdrawing their parliamentary support. The head of government, Lerroux, awarded three ministerial portfolios to CEDA in October 1934.
The October Revolution of 1934
Threatened by the actions of the new government, there were strikes and demonstrations in some cities to defend social reforms. The national movement failed because of a lack of coordination and the resounding response from the government, which declared a state of war. However, events were particularly severe in Asturias and Catalonia.
In Asturias, the miners staged a social revolution, but repression was very hard: more than 1,000 miners were killed, 2,000 were wounded, and 5,000 were arrested.
In Catalonia, the revolt was more political than in Asturias. With the backing of the President of the Generalitat, Lluys Companys, the successor of Macià, proclaimed the Catalan Republic within the Spanish Federal Republic.
A state of war was declared, and the army, under General Batet, occupied the Palace of the Generalitat. There were over 3,500 prisoners, including members of the Catalan Government and Barcelona City Council. Azaña and several leftist leaders, including Largo Caballero, were arrested in Madrid.
The Crisis of the Second Biennium
The consequences of the October Revolution were remarkable. The CEDA increased its influence in the government and suspended the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. The property was also returned to the Jesuits. Gil Robles was appointed Minister of War, and Francisco Franco was appointed Chief of Staff.
A strong government crisis erupted in the autumn of 1935. The Radical Party was hit by a series of corruption scandals, such as the case of the black market (roulette casinos rigged in Spanish) or the misuse of funds by radical politicians. Gil Robles tried to be appointed Prime Minister to implement the program unhindered from his party, but Alcalá Zamora refused and decided, in late December, to hold new elections in February 1936.