Spanish Second Republic: Biennium, Revolution, and 1936 Elections
Biennium Conservative (1933-1935)
The government of Manuel Azaña fell in September 1933 due to political disagreements regarding the events of Casas Viejas and incompatibility with President Niceto Alcalá-Zamora. Alcalá-Zamora dissolved Parliament and called elections for November 19.
The Rise of the Right
During the Reform Biennium, the Spanish right reorganized into two groups. One opposed the Republic, including monarchists, traditionalist Carlists, and fascist factions like the JONS and the Falange. The other group, including the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights (CEDA), accepted the Republic but aimed to transform it conservatively. José María Gil-Robles led the CEDA.
The election campaign revealed deep societal divisions. Socialists labeled Gil-Robles as fascist and threatened a social revolution if the right won. The right criticized the previous government and proposed revising the Constitution, ending land reform, and granting amnesty for political crimes. The 1933 elections favored the right and center due to absenteeism, political maneuvering, and the reorganization of right-wing parties. Lerroux, leader of the Radical Party, formed a government supported by the CEDA. However, the alliance between the Radical-Republicans and the Catholic CEDA was unstable, marking the start of the Conservative or Black Biennium.
The October Revolution of 1934
Months after the right’s victory, sectors of the PSOE and UGT prepared an armed insurrection and general strike. This was partly influenced by Hitler’s rise in Germany and the persecution of Socialists in Austria. The immediate cause was the inclusion of CEDA members in Lerroux’s government, which left parties equated with fascism. On October 5, the UGT called a general strike. The insurrection succeeded only in Asturias for two weeks, where workers’ committees took control. The Asturian revolution was brutally suppressed by the army led by General Francisco Franco. Other strikes were quickly controlled. The failed insurrection led to the arrest or exile of major labor leaders.
The October Revolution also had repercussions in Madrid and Catalonia. In Catalonia, Lluís Companys, President of the Generalitat, proclaimed a Catalan state within the Spanish Federal Republic. However, lack of support led to the defeat of the uprising in Catalonia. The government’s repressive policies extended to Catalonia, with the detention of Companys and his cabinet and the removal of its political autonomy.
Epilogue: The 1936 Elections
The October 1934 crisis eroded the center-left governments. Repression, including arrests and press bans, increased public sympathy for political prisoners. Unpopular government actions in 1935, such as the Land Act and the blocking of the Basque Statute of Autonomy, further weakened the government. Corruption scandals forced Lerroux’s government to resign in September 1935. The subsequent governments were short-lived due to a lack of consensus. President dissolved Parliament and called elections for February 16, 1936.
The 1936 elections divided Spanish public opinion. The left united in the Popular Front, while the right was fragmented. The Popular Front won 34.3% of the vote, and the right, in coalition with the center, won 33.2%. However, the electoral law gave the Popular Front a majority in Congress. In early March 1936, generals began planning a military uprising against the Republic, which was carried out in July. The military conspiracy was driven by resistance to change, fear of revolution, and the revolutionary aims of leftist parties. The October 1934 insurrection had highlighted these revolutionary intentions.
The Republican Constitution of 1931
The elections of June 28, 1931, resulted in a victory for the left and center. The PSOE won 116 seats, the Radical Republican Party 90, and the Radical-Socialist Party 52. The right was disorganized and became a minority. The new Constitution, adopted on December 9, 1931, reflected secular and leftist values: popular sovereignty, a single chamber, a secular state, individual rights, and regional autonomy. Articles 3, 26, and 27 prohibited religious orders from teaching. This anticlericalism stemmed from the belief that the Church was responsible for Spain’s backwardness. The Constitution defined the state as a republic of workers, recognizing regional autonomy and including universal suffrage for the first time, including women’s vote.