Spain’s Crises and Dictatorships: 1917-1930
The Fall of the Dictator and the Dictablanda
The Fall of the Dictator: Alfonso XIII chose to withdraw confidence from the dictator, who resigned in January 1930.
Dictablanda: General Berenguer took his place, but the return to constitutional normality was so slow that it was called a “soft dictatorship” (dictablanda). Aznar called elections, but because Alfonso XIII was committed to the dictatorship, the elections were presented as a vote for or against the monarchy.
Crises of 1917
Military Crisis
The Spanish army presented formal discontent. Dissatisfaction among junior and middle-ranking officers led to the formation of so-called “defensive boards.”
Political Crisis
The Dato government suspended constitutional guarantees, closed the courts, and imposed press censorship. In reaction, the Assembly of Barcelona was organized, where Catalan parliamentarians demanded the formation of a provisional government capable of restructuring the state.
Social Crisis
Labor problems arose from lower wages at a time when companies had many benefits. In 1916, the UGT and CNT signed a manifesto compelling the government to act to contain prices. The PSOE decided to call a general strike until a transitional government was formed and the Constituent Cortes convened.
Consequences of 1917
The crises were not able to end the Restoration political system, but the system entered a progressive breakdown and deterioration. The system went into crisis in 1923.
The Primo de Rivera Dictatorship
Causes of the Coup d’État
The coup was justified by the fact that the constitutional regime was discredited, there was a political blockade, and there was a grave danger of social revolution. The inaugural manifesto announced its determination to rid the country of caciques, end political banditry, restore social discipline, and eliminate threats to national unity.
State Reorganization
The first measures of the military directory included the suspension of the constitutional system and the dissolution of the legislative chambers. The Patriotic Union was created, whose mission was to provide social support for the dictatorship. The members of this party came from Catholic organizations, officials, administrations, and rural caciques. From 1925, a policy of collaboration with France began. The fruit of this collaboration was the landing at Al Hoceima, which was very successful. After several defeats, Abd el-Krim surrendered in 1926.
Social and Economic Policy
The dictatorship benefited from the favorable international economic conjuncture of the 1920s. The state played an economic role by stimulating public works and approving a law for the protection of national industry. Large monopolies were granted, such as Telefónica and Campsa. The dictatorship sought to eliminate social conflicts through state intervention. It created the National Corporate Organization, whose mission was to regulate wages and working conditions and provide arbitration in case of conflict.
Opposition to the Dictatorship
Intellectual confrontation with the dictatorship was marked by Unamuno, Ortega y Gasset, and others, who collected over 100 signatures against its cultural politics. The CNT was opposed to the regime but was divided into two factions. One of these factions formed the Iberian Anarchist Federation, which favored popular insurrection, similar to the PSOE. The Catalan question became a significant conflict.