Spain’s Tumultuous Transition: Amadeo I and the First Republic
The Reign of Amadeo I (1870-1873)
Amadeo entered Madrid on January 2, 1871, determined to fulfill his role as a constitutional monarch. However, the political forces of the regime were unable to secure stability. Governments rapidly shifted between Sagasta’s Constitutionalists, Ruiz Zorrilla’s Radicals, and Serrano’s old Unionist group.
From the beginning, Amadeo faced opposition from the former moderate, Cánovas del Castillo, who was attracting many dissidents from the Union and Progress parties. Cánovas convinced them that the Bourbon monarchy guaranteed order and stability. This option also had the support of the Church, which was contrary to the new political situation.
This internal weakness was compounded by several factors:
- The opposition of Republicans and Alfonsine monarchists.
- The problem of the Carlist War, which reignited in May 1872.
- The Cuban insurrection, which began in 1868 (to be developed in a later section).
- The unpopularity of the king, who was considered an alien and received little support from the aristocracy and the army.
However, the final crisis of Amadeo’s reign resulted from the disintegration of the governing coalition (Unionists, Progressives, and Democrats). Thus, in two years, six governments were formed, and elections had to be called three times. Finally, deprived of all support, the king forwarded his resignation to Congress on February 11, 1873. His abandonment left Spain with the impression of being ungovernable and resistant to a democratic monarchy. Both Congress and the Senate, meeting as the National Assembly, proclaimed the First Spanish Republic.
The First Spanish Republic (1873-1874)
The proclamation of the First Spanish Republic was the easiest outcome following the resignation of Amadeo of Savoy. However, this did not reflect genuine support for the new form of government. Much of the Cortes was monarchical, and the republican vote was a strategy to gain time and organize the return of the Bourbons to the Spanish throne.
Thus, the Republic was born with little chance of success, evident in its international isolation. Except for the U.S. and Switzerland, no major power recognized the Spanish Republic, viewing it as a revolutionary regime that could jeopardize the stability of a largely conservative, middle-class Europe.
Nevertheless, the Republic was received enthusiastically by the masses, who believed it was time to fulfill their aspirations:
- In Andalusia, an insurrectionary movement sought to solve the problem of land distribution among the peasantry.
- In the cities, widespread popular movements, especially within the Catalan labor movement, demanded:
- Reduced working hours.
- Increased wages.
- Immediate implementation of a federal state.
The First Republic attempted, unsuccessfully, to consolidate the system born in September 1868. However, significant resistance, both political and popular, highlighted the Republic’s weakness. It was considered too radical by some and too lukewarm by others, and it had little social base to support itself. Such a social base had already opted for the Alfonsine solution.
General Serrano then began the fourth attempt at this administrative policy, assuming the executive branch of the Republic under the constitutional order of 1869. Serrano continued, throughout 1874 until December, to lead a unitary and conservative republic. The regime’s days were numbered due to its provisional nature, and the Alfonsine faction, ensuring the restoration of the Bourbons, took advantage after the uprising of General Martínez Campos at Sagunto in December 1874.