The Birth of the Second Spanish Republic: 1931
The Birth of the Second Spanish Republic (1931)
1. The Configuration of the New Regime
The municipal elections of April 12, 1931, marked a clear shift in the political situation. The election result was mixed: while the aggregate number of monarchist councilors exceeded that of the Republicans nationwide, the monarchists suffered a major defeat in large cities (in Madrid, Republicans tripled their votes, and quadrupled them in Barcelona).
After learning the outcome of the election, on the morning of April 14, in the town of Eibar, Guipúzcoa, the Republic was proclaimed. Throughout the day, the Republic was also proclaimed in other Spanish cities (Valencia, Seville, Oviedo, Zaragoza, Barcelona, etc.), while the population went out to celebrate the advent of the new regime. Facing this new situation, Alfonso XIII relinquished royal power and decided to leave the country into exile.
2. The Creation of the Provisional Government
2.1. Formation and Composition
In Madrid, the Republican leaders of the Revolutionary Committee took over the government and proclaimed the Republic amidst popular enthusiasm. They formed an Interim Government headed by Niceto Alcalá Zamora. This government involved a broad coalition of political groups:
- Liberal Republican Right: Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Miguel Maura.
- Radical Republicans: Alejandro Lerroux and Diego Martínez Barrio.
- Republican Left: Manuel Azaña and Marcelino Domingo.
- Catalan Nationalists: Lluís Nicolau d’Olwer.
- Galician Republican Regionalists: Santiago Casares Quiroga.
- Socialists: Francisco Largo Caballero, Indalecio Prieto, and Fernando de los Ríos.
Excluded from the government were the monarchist right coalition, the Basque nationalists, and radical unionism (Communists and Anarchists).
2.2. Political Groups within the Provisional Government
The Provisional Government was composed of diverse factions, each holding specific roles and political objectives:
- Liberal Republican Right
- They were placed in key positions to ensure the regime would remain moderate and not become radical. Niceto Alcalá Zamora, President, had been a member of the Liberal Party. Miguel Maura, Minister of the Interior, had belonged to the Conservative Party.
- Radical Republicans
- Wary of the presence of the Socialists in government, they opposed any concessions to regional nationalists. Key figures included Diego Martínez Barrio, Minister of Communications, and Alejandro Lerroux, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs). Both belonged to the Radical Party.
- Republican Left
- They supported collaboration with the Socialists and the decentralization of state power for the regions. This group included Marcelino Domingo, Minister of Public Instruction, and Álvaro de Albornoz, Minister of Development (both of the Radical Socialist Party), and Manuel Azaña, Minister of War (the equivalent of Defense, excluding the Navy), who had formed his own party, Republican Action.
- Regional or Moderate Nationalists
- They supported granting autonomy statutes to the regions to decentralize the country. Santiago Casares Quiroga, Minister of the Navy, represented Galician regionalism, while Lluís Nicolau d’Olwer, Minister of Economy, belonged to Catalan regionalism.
- Socialists
- This group was divided. Some represented the intellectual wing of the PSOE and favored working with the Republican Left. Others belonged to the socialist labor movement (UGT). Indalecio Prieto, Minister of Finance, and Fernando de los Ríos, Minister of Justice, were part of the intellectual group. Francisco Largo Caballero, Minister of Labor, wasn’t a trade unionist (representing the labor movement wing).
3. Initial Actions and Challenges
Following the agreement reached in the Pact of San Sebastián (an agreement to demolish the monarchy), the Provisional Government called for elections to the Constituent Cortes on June 28, 1931. These elections were won by the Republican-Socialist Left. The government immediately launched a series of ministerial decrees to implement extremely urgent reforms, including a project of land reform, military reform, and the opening of negotiations with the Catalan and Basque autonomous communities to agree on a solution.
The new Republic soon had to face a series of significant challenges, including social conflicts (strikes in Seville, Asturias, Barcelona, etc.), the growing hostility of employers and landowners, and the strong opposition from the Catholic hierarchy.