Spanish Second Republic Reforms and Conflicts (1931-1936)
Spanish Second Republic: Reforms and Conflicts (1931-1936)
Reforms of the Republic
Agrarian Reform
Establishment of the Wing aimed to redistribute land suitable for cultivation. However, due to its complexity, bureaucratic difficulties, lack of budget, and resistance from landowners, it was unsuccessful.
Reform of the Centralized State
This reform granted historical nationalities the right to own institutions and statutes of autonomy. Catalonia initiated the process, establishing the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Educational and Cultural Reform
The Republic prioritized secular and liberal education, aiming to guarantee the right to education for the entire population. Cultural campaigns were promoted to improve the cultural level of the masses.
Labor Reform
This reform focused on improving working conditions. The Law of Employment Contracts regulated collective bargaining, established mixed juries for arbitration, introduced 7 days of paid leave, spurred wage increases, and strengthened the role of farming unions.
Conservative Biennium (1933-1935)
In 1933, Manuel Azaña resigned, and Alcalá Zamora dissolved the courts, calling for elections in November where women could vote. The left, disengaged by social conflicts, lost to the united right. The Radical Party and CEDA gained prominence. Fearing CEDA’s potential constitutional reform, Zamora entrusted the government formation to the Radical Party. Lerroux’s government paralyzed the Agrarian Reform, returning land to nobles, and approved a religious counter-reform. This led to the radicalization of the PSOE and the UGT, with Largo advocating for social revolution. The Catalan government’s passing of a law similar to the previous one highlighted the social and political differences between the left and right, and between the central government and the Generalitat.
Following discussions, the Catalan Parliament passed the Law of Contract Farming, allowing farmers access to land ownership. However, landowners opposed it, and the Catalan government’s refusal to accept the annulment further emphasized the political divide. CEDA’s call for stronger action and direct government participation was perceived by the left as a drift towards fascism. A general strike by the UGT to prevent the new government’s consolidation failed nationally due to lack of coordination. In Asturias, a social revolution ensued, with revolutionaries besieging Oviedo. In Catalonia, Companys proclaimed the Catalan Republic within the Spanish Federal Republic on October 6th. The government declared a state of war in Catalonia, suspended the Statute of Autonomy, and annulled the Law of Contract Farming. CEDA’s influence increased, with Gil Robles, Francisco Franco, and the war chief of staff appointed as ministers. Corruption scandals and embezzlement affected the government. Gil Robles’s desire to be prime minister was refused by Alcalá Zamora, leading to new elections.
Popular Front and the Military Coup
The Catalan nationalist left united under the Popular Front, advocating for amnesty for 1934 prisoners. The Popular Front government, formed exclusively by left Republicans, launched the agreed-upon coalition. A climate of violence prevailed in Spain. Favoring industry, a military coup against the Republic was planned. Mola’s plan involved a simultaneous military pronouncement across garrisons, supported by right-wing political forces and Italy and Germany. The murder of Calvo Sotelo on July 14th accelerated the coup plans. The uprising began in Morocco on July 17th, initiating the Spanish Civil War.