The Crisis of the Spanish Restoration (1913-1921)
The Governments of Dato and Romanones
Conservative Government of Dato (1913-1915)
After a brief rule of Romanones, Dato became president of the Executive on October 23, 1913. His most impactful government measure was the publication of the decree that allowed some associations in Catalonia. Dato’s autonomism had to define the Spanish position in World War I, which could not be one of neutrality.
Liberal Government of Romanones (1915-1917)
His government’s achievements included the Alba project on fiscal reform.
The Impact of World War I
World War I had a significant effect on Spain. The position of neutrality promoted economic activity, which allowed the cancellation of debts and the accumulation of capital. We can speak of a pre-war Spanish capitalism and a different one afterward. A major role was played by the Bank of Spain. The favorable situation arose with the arrival of large quantities of gold and with the growth of Spanish capitalism due to the evolution of foreign trade based on the export of iron, lead, zinc, coal, etc. The war caused shortages of some commodities and the consequent rise in prices. This situation favored a massive membership of industrial and agricultural workers in unions and caused protests leading to the crisis of 1917.
The Constitutional Crisis of 1917
During the summer and autumn of 1917, the monarchy of the Restoration underwent one of its most profound crises due to the conjunction of several factors:
- Significant economic development accompanied by a lack of social redistribution of benefits among wage earners.
- A political system that did not adapt to the new reality.
- Discontent within the army.
- Lack of stability in the Liberal and Conservative parties.
The main forces involved in the Constitutional Crisis of 1917 were threefold: military, bourgeois, and workers, and they had one common goal: to overthrow the government and reform the constitution.
Military Juntas
Since 1916, there was serious discontent among army officers. The cause of the discontent stemmed from scheduled examinations for promotion to command positions in the hierarchy, which clashed with the promotion by seniority. At the same time, the rapid advancement based on merit of the Africanist military was perceived as discriminatory. As a result, protests arose, starting in Barcelona with Colonel Martín. He organized a military defense board, and soon more were created throughout the peninsula. The boards prepared a constitution and began to be considered by public opinion and some intellectuals. The Romanones government’s attitude was initially condescending, but later it ordered the dissolution of the boards. The insistent pressure of the mobilized military, along with the arrest of its founder, forced Dato to appoint a new President who suspended constitutional guarantees but accepted the demands of the boards.
Parliamentary Assembly
A second force that manifested itself in the summer of 1917, initiated by Francesc Cambó, was that of the parliamentarians, demanding the reopening of the Cortes. On July 5, 1917, an assembly met in Barcelona comprising Catalan representatives and senators. This meeting called on all Spanish members to gather in Barcelona if the government did not reconsider Dato’s decision. On July 19, sixty-eight parliamentary deputies and senators met in Barcelona, but the assembly of parliamentarians could hardly carry out its work and was dissolved by the use of force.
The General Strike of 1917
The high cost of living was the origin of a large strike movement that accelerated the unification of workers’ associations. The political climate created by the emergence of the defense boards, the manifesto of the assembly of parliamentarians, and the Valencia rail strike was seen by unions as the right moment to call a general strike. A manifesto drawn up by the UGT and PSOE defined the objectives of the strike, which were specified in the rejection of the political system and the creation of a provisional government. It emphasized the peaceful nature of the movement and the need not to clash with the army. Despite these recommendations, the confrontation with the army became a reality. At the start of the strike, the government declared a state of war, and violent clashes occurred in Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Bilbao. The Andalusian proletarian movement did not participate, which weakened the strike. The parliamentarians also considered the strike a secondary issue. The strike committee was arrested on August 14. Repression resulted in the deaths of 70 workers and over 2,000 detainees. The Socialist leaders were tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. The fear of a new uprising changed the attitude of a large number of parliamentarians. In early November 1917, a concentration government headed by García Prieto was established, which included Rodés and Maura. On March 22, 1918, Cambó held the finance portfolio in the government presided over by Maura.
The Disaster of Annual
Part of the Spanish military and political class, such as Primo de Rivera, and social leaders advocated for the complete withdrawal from the protectorate area in North Africa. However, the governments of Alfonso XIII maintained the idea of conquest. To achieve this, they prepared the presence of large contingents of troops while creating special units, such as the Legion commanded by Franco in 1920. The government sought to minimize casualties. The end result was minimal progress in Moroccan territory due to the outdated weaponry. In 1919, General Damaso Berenguer was appointed High Commissioner of Morocco, who decided to deploy troops to expand the Spanish protectorate zone. In 1920, he began the offensive towards Xauen. From Melilla, General Silvestre intended to control the area and reach the Rif region in July 1921, but he underestimated the Moroccan forces led by Abd el-Krim. After taking Igueriben, Abd el-Krim’s forces advanced into the Annual region, where they inflicted a heavy defeat on the Spanish army, resulting in the death of over ten thousand soldiers.
As a result of the disaster, the Spanish troops experienced reduced control over the protectorate. Even the city of Melilla was in danger but was saved thanks to reinforcements. The Spanish army reacted and managed to re-establish its control over the previously occupied areas.