Spanish Conflicts: Independence, Liberalism, and Succession
The War of Independence (1808-1814)
1808: The Beginning of the Conflict
In 1808, King Ferdinand VII was crowned after overthrowing his father in the Mutiny of Aranjuez. Napoleon then handed the crown to Joseph I. Napoleon enacted the Charter of Bayonne, a constitutional-looking statute.
May 2nd Uprising and Resistance
On May 2, 1808, the people of Madrid rebelled. A central supreme junta was formed, assuming sovereignty in the absence of Ferdinand VII. Part of the French army was defeated at the Battle
Read MoreWorld War I: Causes, Consequences, and Peace Treaties
Causes of World War I
Conflicts Between the Powers Before the War
- Between England and Russia: Russian attempts to expand into the Mediterranean and colonial rivalry in Asia.
- Between England and France: Colonial rivalry in Africa.
- Between France and Germany: The question of Alsace and Lorraine, and colonial rivalry in Africa.
- Between England and Germany: Commercial rivalry and a naval arms race.
- Between Austria-Hungary and Serbia: The question of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbian nationalism.
- Between Austria-
Political, Economic, and Social Transformations in 18th-19th Century Europe
Introduction to Liberalism
Liberalism is a political, economic, and social current that emerged in Europe during the eighteenth century. It opposed the old regime and served as the ideological basis for the bourgeois revolutions of the nineteenth century.
Political Spectrum of Liberalism
The most influential thinkers in its design were Montesquieu, Locke, and Rousseau. Its fundamental principles are:
- National Sovereignty
- Division of Powers
- Constitution-Making
- Recognition of Individual Rights and Freedoms
- The
Spain’s Restoration Crisis: 1902-1923
Socio-Political Situation in Spain in the Early Twentieth Century
In 1900, Spain was still an agrarian country, with two-thirds of its population working in agriculture and living in poverty. This situation made it clear to the Spanish, in the aftermath of 1898, that the distance that separated us from Europe was the largest in our history. Adding to this was the unfair distribution of wealth, especially land, which led to the development of a rural workers’ movement that was very assertive. This
Read MoreSpain’s Restoration Era: Politics, Nationalism, and Industrial Change
Canovas del Castillo drove a two-party system modeled on the English. His intention was to create two major political parties that could meet different criteria, provided they conformed to the law that he himself had designed.
Cánovas led the Conservative Party and Sagasta led the Liberal Party. The Conservative Party, which had won the elections, drafted the new Constitution of 1876. Since then, the country’s political life was based on the peaceful alternation of the two major parties.
Bipartisanship
Spain’s Liberal Biennium: 1854 Revolution & Reforms
The Liberal Biennium and the 1854 Revolution in Spain
The Rise of the Liberal Union
This manifesto was carried out by rebels who formed a new party, the Liberal Union, founded by O’Donnell. It consisted of progressives and moderates who were dissatisfied with the authoritarian actions of the moderate government in place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II since 1844. That is why, in June 1854, the Vicalvarada pronouncement was produced, in which members of this party made their intentions clear
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