Spanish Restoration: Political System and Key Events
The Spanish Restoration: A Conservative Era
The stage of affirmation of the liberal revolution was, in its most conservative form. The ideological bases of the restorative system were those of the creator Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, taking into account: the Constitution of 1876, the Pacific Time party, the oligarchies, the chieftaincy, and the creation of the King-Soldier, as a means to end interference with the military in political life.
Cánovas’s Presidency (1876-1881)
Cánovas’s presidency lasted from 1876 to 1881 (Cánovas dictatorship). Its purpose was twofold: to ensure the consolidation of the monarchy and build a highly centralized political system. Liberties were curtailed, and strict censorship was imposed. He dealt with two major problems: the Carlist War and the Cuban War (completed with the Peace of Zanjón, 1878). This stage is marked by the Constitution of 1876, which lasted until 1923, when General Primo de Rivera established the dictatorship. It was a short text, which emerged as a synthesis of previous constitutions. This was an elastic constitution, allowing other parties to govern. The essential features were shared sovereignty between the king and the Cortes, which would be bicameral. The monarchy would be the central axis of the State, individual rights were limited, the right to vote was restricted, and religious freedom was introduced (limited to privatized).
Liberal Interlude (1881-1885)
From 1881 to 1885, the Liberals, under Sagasta, implemented practices that meant putting in place new rights and freedoms, such as modernizing the Army and Navy, a free-trade policy, and freedom of the press.
The Regency and the Pact of Pardo
The king died on November 25, 1885, opening a new period, the regency of his widow, Maria Cristina of Habsburg-Lorraine, which served until the age of majority of her son, Alfonso XIII, who was born in May 1886. To prevent the return of Elizabeth II, an agreement called the Pact of Pardo was reached. The agreement established that Cánovas and the regent Sagasta would take turns in power to ensure the monarchy after the double threat (Carlist and Republican).
Bipartisan System
The bipartisan system was dominated by the Conservative and Liberal parties. The Conservative party was led by Cánovas, while the Liberal party, led by Sagasta, was closer to liberalism.
An agreement was established where two parties would take turns in power by manipulating the electoral process. During the long liberal period (1885-1890), reforms were undertaken, such as the legalization of labor unions, freedom of the press, universal suffrage law of 1890, and army reform. In this decade, the Conservatives took the government twice (1890-92 and 1895-97), and the Liberals further two times (1892-95 and 1897-99).
For this process of alternating in power, decomposition occurred in the two parties, as was the case with Silvela, Francisco Romero Robledo, and the Conservatives, or Martos, and López Domínguez Gamazo among the Liberals. As for the Republicans, they promoted pronouncements easily repressed by Ruiz Zorrilla. The latest development was the labor movement from 1881, which authorized new associationism. Anarchism was implemented this way.
Emergence of New Forces
At the same time, the PSOE was developed in 1879, the UGT in Madrid in 1888, and the PNV in 1894. This system of the Restoration would suffer a new force: regionalism as an alternative to centralism (e.g., Catalan regionalism sets Prat de la Riba Bases Manresa, which defends its own institutions. Basque regionalism was very radical at first, advocating secession from Spain. Sabino Arana was a prominent figure).
The Disaster of 1898
An international event, the major blow to the Restoration, was the Disaster of 1898. The origin of this Cuban-Spanish war started in 1895. The U.S. had tried to buy the island and then adopted an anti-Spanish policy, which ended when the explosion occurred on the battleship Maine, which was blamed on Spain. The U.S. government presented an ultimatum to Spain (to give up Cuba and withdraw troops). The conflict resulted in a home defeat. The Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, ended the Spanish Empire.