Spanish Restoration and 20th Century Political Systems
Key Concepts of the Spanish Restoration
Restoration: This refers to the historical period from the pronouncement of Arsenio Martínez Campos at the end of the First Spanish Republic until the proclamation of the Second Republic. It is characterized by institutional stability, the construction of a liberal state model, and the incorporation of social and political movements that emerged during the Industrial Revolution. The period saw a decline leading up to the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.
Regeneracionismo: This was an intellectual movement that sought to reflect objectively and scientifically on the causes of Spain’s decline as a nation.
Caciquismo: A political and social system where formal institutions of parliamentary democracy exist, but in practice, real power lies with individuals who hold significant economic and social influence in specific towns, counties, or regions. These individuals manipulate election results according to their own interests.
Oligarchy: A form of government or social organization in which most or all political power effectively rests with a small segment of society.
Fraud: This consists of forging election results. Electoral fraud was especially frequent during the rotation of power in Spain between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party during the years of the Bourbon Restoration.
Gunmen (Pistolerismo): A method used in Spain during the crisis of the restoration of Alfonso XIII. It involved employers hiring paid assassins to target active workers and trade unionists.
Governance and Ideology
In a totalitarian political regime, the government intervenes in all spheres of life. The state concentrates all power in the hands of a group or a single party, often abolishing or ignoring political rights and civil liberties.
A dictatorship is a form of government where power is concentrated around a single individual, usually through the consolidation of a de facto government, characterized by an absence of the separation of powers.
The formula “Single Thought” (Pensamiento Único) was popularized in 1996. It condemns the uncritical and increasing acceptance of the doctrine arguing for the primacy of the economy and neoliberal ideology over all other social domains.
Pluralism is the tendency to recognize and allow the expression, organization, and dissemination of different views, including opposition to the government, within the dynamics of democratic societies.
Influential Historical Figures
Leaders of the Restoration
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo: He was the primary architect of the Restoration’s political system and the leader of the Conservative Party. He is considered one of the most brilliant conservative politicians, though he was criticized for creating a false appearance of democracy through political manipulation.
Práxedes Mateo Sagasta: He founded the Liberal Party. This party, along with the Conservative Party, formed the two-party system of alternating government that characterized the Restoration. Sagasta signed the Pact of El Pardo and formed a new government.
Antonio Maura: He joined the political ranks as his liberal brother had introduced him. Maura proposed a bill to resolve the conflict in Cuba but faced criticism due to the insurrection. When politicians sought his return, he joined the Conservative Party and became its leader.
José Canalejas: A supporter of the Progressive Democratic Party, he joined the Liberal Party during the Regency. He served as a minister in several of Sagasta’s governments. He eventually established his own Liberal-Democratic Party. Before he could implement his desired political reforms, he was assassinated by Manuel Pardiñas.
Dictators of the 20th Century
Miguel Primo de Rivera: He exercised a military dictatorship in Spain from 1923 until 1930, serving as the Spanish Prime Minister during this period.
Adolf Hitler: He was a German dictator and one of the most powerful figures of the twentieth century. He led the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and is considered one of history’s cruelest dictators. His main goals were to “purify” the German people for the “Aryan race” and to recover territories lost after the First World War.
Benito Mussolini: He was the dictatorial head of state in Italy from 1922 to 1943 and the creator of the undemocratic regime known as Fascism.