Spanish Restoration System: Crisis and Collapse

Posted on Aug 21, 2025 in History

CRISIS AND COLLAPSE OF THE RESTORATION SYSTEM:

  • There were major movements in the regeneration of the system. The failure of Canalejas and Maura ushered in an era of instability and uncertainty, which had its peak in the triple crisis of 1917 and the military coup of 1923.
  • The governments of these years were not ideal. Executive powers seemed weak and almost always overwhelmed by the initiative of problems. Their duration was short, averaging 9 months.

The First World War and Increased Social Conflict:

  • After the outbreak of the Great War, Spain, governed by Dato, declared neutrality. Spain experienced a passionate debate between pro-Germans and Anglophiles.
  • Spain’s neutrality provided a magnificent opportunity for trade with the belligerents, which required an imperative commitment to the war effort.
  • The belligerents’ production had reduced their agricultural and industrial output. Spain sold metals, minerals, textiles, and strategic materials.
  • The Bank of Spain’s reserves tripled, and new companies were created. The employed population increased, and new ships were registered in the Spanish fleet.
  • The distribution of wealth was uneven, increasing social differences. Inflation grew at an alarming rate, and wages rose much more slowly.
  • The result of the combination of inflation and inadequate wage growth was the reduction in the purchasing power of individual workers.
  • The news of the 1917 revolution, with the overthrow of the Tsar, fueled socialist agitation. A general revolutionary strike was agreed upon in Huelva.
  • Its purpose was not simply social but also political. The objective was to depose the King and proclaim the Republic.

The Triple Crisis of 1917:

  • The social problem was not the only issue facing the government in 1917. Discontent within the Army and the political situation were added.
  • The unrest stemmed from the precarious economic situation of the Army and government promotion policies. This situation led to the creation of the Military Juntas of Defense, which the government ordered to be dissolved.
  • A highly critical political group decided to convene a Parliamentary Assembly in Barcelona with the intention of demanding a new constitution for Spain.
  • Anarchists and the most radical socialists declared a general strike. The main achievement of the revolutionary protest was to clear the military and accept the political concentration.
  • The Lliga Catalana integrated into a government headed by García Prieto.
  • The triple crisis left the Restoration regime mortally wounded. Its final demise was due to the clash of opposing interests.
  • The most significant news was the incorporation of a minister from the Lliga into the government, Cambó. This meant that for the first time, the national system established by Cánovas was broken.

Morocco and the Disaster of Annual:

  • At the end of the Restoration, when the regime faced political, social, and economic problems, colonial disasters took place in Morocco.
  • The cycle started with the defeat at Annual. France and Spain signed the Treaty of Fez, which constituted the Protectorate of both powers over Morocco.
  • Military operations were conducted intermittently in the Spanish area, often facing belligerent tribes.
  • General Silvestre initiated an offensive aimed at occupying the Rif region and reaching Alhucemas.
  • His advance was opposed by the Rif led by Abd el-Krim. He met with a counterattack from the bulk of the rebel forces in Annual, where the Spanish army was surrounded and routed.
  • The defeat degenerated into a real siege of Monte Arruit, where over 3,000 Spaniards were killed by the Rif tribesmen.
  • Maura was recalled to preside over a national government. A commission of inquiry, chaired by General Picasso, revealed a state of corruption and military ineffectiveness that aroused general indignation.

” } }” general indignation.