Spanish Civil War: Azaña’s Analysis of Land Reform
Introduction: Azaña’s Perspective
The following text is an excerpt from Manuel Azaña’s work, “Causes of the War in Spain,” published in French exile in 1939.
Manuel Azaña’s Background
Manuel Azaña, a politician and writer, founded Acción Republicana. He contributed to the advent of the Second Republic as part of the Revolutionary Committee, which led the interim government. Between 1931 and 1933, as prime minister, he oversaw the passage of the Agrarian Reform Law. In 1936, he again became head of government with the Popular Front and was named President of the Republic in the same year. He fled to France in 1939.
Main Idea: Social and Economic Disparities
The core argument highlights the serious contrasts within Spanish society, compounded by outdated forms of land ownership and exploitation. These issues hampered the peasantry’s existence, justifying the urgent need for agrarian reform.
Historical Context: A Structural Problem
The Republic inherited a structural problem rooted in history, making a solution difficult. The formation of large landholdings during the Middle Ages was consolidated by liberal confiscations, which extended the trend toward concentration of ownership in few hands. The land question became crucial in a country that was still overwhelmingly rural.
Early Attempts at Reform
The government of the Republic was aware of the need to address the land problem immediately. Francisco Largo Caballero, in the Provisional Government, received the portfolio of work, with a mandate to improve the conditions of the peasants. He enacted a series of emergency decrees applicable during the upcoming harvest.
Resistance and Conflict
However, employers resisted implementing the decrees. As a result, farmers grew impatient, strikes increased, and serious conflicts arose in many areas. In 1931, various employer organizations, associations of producers, and industrialists formed the National Economic Union to defend the interests of large landowners.
The Agrarian Reform Law
Opposition to government policy increased after 1932, when the draft Land Reform Act was discussed in Parliament. The law was overwhelmingly approved that year. The properties of the nobility were expropriated without compensation. The Agrarian Reform Institute (ARI) was created to promote reform. The reform moved slowly due to the difficulty of completing the inventory and the limited budget allocated to fund holdings.
Republican-Socialist Biennium: Objectives of Land Reform
Land reform faced major problems, including landlordism and a large number of landless laborers. The three objectives were:
- Social Objective: Give land to peasants to gain their support and avoid conflicts and riots.
- Political Objective: Eliminate the economic power of large landowners, a vast majority of whom were monarchists and enemies of the Republic.
- Economic Objective: Increase agricultural production and raise the income level of the peasantry.
The Agrarian Reform Law was passed in 1932 after long discussions and debates, slowed by obstructionism from right-wing parties.
Biennium Right: Counter-Reform and Conflict
The launch of a genuine agrarian counter-reform blocked the process initiated by the previous government. The government halted the reform by increasing compensation and slashing the state budget devoted to settling landless peasants. These actions intensified conflict among the peasantry.