Spanish History: Restoration & Regency (1874-1923)

Posted on Oct 23, 2024 in History

The Restoration (1874-1923)

Alfonso XII (1874-1885)

With the fall of King Amadeus I and the First Republic, a parliamentary monarchy was established, and Alfonso XII was crowned king in 1874. His reign focused on three key areas:

  • Ending the Third Carlist War and gaining recognition from Carlist factions.
  • Addressing the Cuban conflict, which would eventually lead to the loss of the colony to the United States in 1898.
  • Initiating the Restoration period, marked by bipartisan politics between liberals and conservatives, led by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta and Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, respectively, and characterized by caciquismo (political bossism).

Regency of Maria Cristina (1885-1902)

Following Alfonso XII’s death, Maria Cristina served as Queen Regent until 1902. Her regency saw several significant developments:

  • Consolidation of the working class and socialist movements.
  • The Cuban War, culminating in the loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines in 1898.
  • The rise of Catalan political expression, exemplified by the Bases de Manresa (1892).
  • Favoring Sagasta’s Liberal Party, which implemented various, albeit limited, reforms.

Alfonso XIII (1902-1923)

Alfonso XIII’s reign began with his mother’s regency, marked by the Spanish-American War and the loss of colonies. Declared of age in 1902, he resisted constitutional limitations and favored the army. Key events include:

  • Dismissing Antonio Maura due to protests against the repression of the Tragic Week (1909).
  • Appointing José Canalejas, whose government provided a period of stability (1910-1912).
  • The Moroccan War and the establishment of a protectorate in northern Morocco (1912).
  • Political instability after World War I, culminating in the Disaster of Annual (1921).

Key Events and Conflicts

Violent Acts

  • Tragic Week (1909): Unrest in Barcelona sparked by mobilization for the War of Melilla.
  • Pistolerismo (1916-1923): A period of violence, particularly in Catalonia, related to labor unrest and the CNT.
  • Assassinations: Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (1897), José Canalejas (1912), Salvador Seguí (1923).

Wars

  • Third Carlist War (1872-1876)
  • Ten Years’ War (1868-1878)
  • Moroccan War (1906-1927)
  • World War I (1914-1918)
  • Little War (1879)
  • Spanish-American War (1898)
  • Cuban War of Independence (1895)

Battles

  • Annual (1921)
  • Cavite (1898)
  • Santiago (1898)
  • Alhucemas (1925)

Treaties

  • Zanjón Pact (1878)
  • Treaty of Paris (1898)

Other Notable Events

Economic and Social

  • Phylloxera outbreak (1879)
  • Cánovas Tariff (1891)
  • Abolition of Slavery (1888)

Political and Legal

  • Constitution of 1876
  • Electoral Law of 1907
  • Lockout Law (1909)
  • Replacement of Consumption Tax (1910)
  • Ley de Fugas (1921)

Political Parties and Organizations

  • Cuban Revolutionary Party (1893)
  • Katipunan (1892)
  • Radical Republican Party (1908)
  • Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico (1895)
  • Republican League (1901)
  • Republicans of the Left (1910)
  • Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) (1888)

Workers’ Organizations

  • Spanish Regional Federation of the International Workingmen’s Association (1871)
  • Workers’ Solidarity (1907)
  • National Confederation of Labor (CNT) (1910)