Spanish Second Republic: Black Biennium, Catalonia & Popular Front
The Black or Biennium Rights (1933-1936)
The Electoral Victory of the Right in Spain
The election result was a shift of 33 parliamentary seats to the right.
The Governments of the Right
The Radical Party, with Lerroux as the ruling head of government, proposed to neutralize the left’s reformism.
The new government’s primary focus was on religious, labor, and agricultural issues.
On October 4th, 1934, a new government was formed, including three CEDA ministers.
Asturias and Catalonia in October 1934
The
Read MoreAustria in the 17th Century: Valid Kings and the Crisis of 1640
Austria in the 17th Century: Valid Kings
The kings of the Austrian dynasty in the 17th century were characterized by a weak character and lack of political vocation, leading to the delegation of government to the validos (the king’s trusted person, who, without an official position, exercised power). Top validos were the Duke of Lerma, favorite of Philip III, and the Count-Duke of Olivares, valido of Philip IV.
The validos had to cope with the slow decline of Hispanic hegemony, motivated by the depletion
Read MoreThe Tumultuous First Spanish Republic: 1873-1874
The Tumultuous First Spanish Republic (1873-74)
The First Republic was proclaimed after the failure of Amadeo I’s reign. Spanish courts established the republic, influenced by two main Republican factions:
- Unitarians: Advocated for a centralized Spanish state.
- Federalists: Supported a federal state, with each region having its own laws.
Proclamation of the Republic
On February 11, 1873, the National Assembly, dominated by radical monarchists, proclaimed the First Republic. This was seen as a radical
Read MoreSpanish Restoration: Political System and Key Figures
The Regeneracionista era saw the rise of the Fusionist Liberal Party, later known as the Liberal Party, founded in 1880. Its principal leader was Matthew Práxedes Sagasta. The party’s programmatic bases included universal male suffrage, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and free trade. Electoral manipulation and chieftaincy were crucial to the effectiveness of the agreed-upon turn (turnismo), which was essential for controlling the entire electoral process. First, electoral districts were
Read MoreWorld War I: Causes, Characteristics, and Consequences
1.1 Causes of World War I: There were territorial conflicts between France and Germany over the possession of Alsace and Lorraine, and between Italy and Austria-Hungary over Istria and Trent. Nationalist conflicts existed in the larger empires, where some minorities claimed independence. This was the case in the Balkans, where different national identities were fighting against the oppression of the Austrian and Turkish empires. There were also colonial conflicts between the competing colonizing
Read MoreAmerican Revolution: Causes and Path to Independence
American Revolution
The American Revolution was a colonial revolt that took place between 1765 and 1783, leading to the Declaration of Independence and the freedom of America from the British. The American Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain, becoming the United States of America. They defeated the British in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in alliance with France and others.
While the exact cause of the Revolution is complex, many important social, cultural,
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