The Popular Front Program in Spain’s Second Republic
Introduction
Type: Primary source / As regards form → Narrative text / Content → Social, economic, political text || Author: Popular Front (group of left-wing political parties) || Addressee: Readers of the newspaper “El Socialista”, especially followers of PSOE + UGT → Public text || Objective: Explain the Popular Front program, to win elections and form a left government / Main purpose = to replenish the reforms initiated during the period of Reformist Biennium (1931-33) || Location + Date: Madrid, during the 2nd Republic, at the end of the Black Biennium, at the time of the convocation to elections to Cortes.
Main Idea
Explain the Popular Front program (3 important ideas):
P.1 Intro: Explanation of the purpose of the text
Explaining the objectives agreed by the different left groups that united in a coalition, the Popular Front, drew up a common government program.
P.2-3 Agreements between signatories: in 2 things X problems between republicans + socialists
- Grant a broad amnesty to imprisoned for social and political reasons after the 1933 elections.
- Restore the principles of the 1931 Constitution and reforms initiated during the Reform Biennium.
P.4-5 Disagreements between Socialists + Republicans: Measures proposed by Socialists X approved by Republicans
- Nationalization of land, although they recognize the need to improve the system of land distribution to the peasantry and the banking system.
These disagreements will basically mean two ways of understanding the Republic: the socialists defend a socialist Republic “more directed to the social and economic classes” and the Republicans defend a reformist Republic “of public interest that promotes reasons for a democratic regime of freedom and social freedom.
Context
Second Stage of the Republic, End of the Period of the Black Biennium
Precedents: Context of Formation of the Popular Front
- International context: To face the rise of fascism (Nazism), the Communist International (Stalin) promoted in Europe an anti-fascist coalition with the name of Popular Front. The theory of the Popular Front soon put it into practice in Spain.
- Internally: Between 1933-1936 the influence of the politics of the radical right of right-wing groups based around the CEDA has to be taken into account. In the November 1933 elections for the first time women will be able to vote.
Not as it happened in the elections of 1931, the left was presented separately in these elections; on the other hand, the right made it united. All the reforms initiated during the previous two years (1931-1933) would be eliminated and steps were taken backwards. The unrest will spread in all corners, strikes and conflicts between groups of the extreme right will increase.
The 1934 revolt sprang from two different sources: radical middle-class Catalanism and proletarian revolution. The revolt of October 1934 was the most serious moment of the Republic, and the most prominent places Asturias and Catalonia. The rebellion of Asturias will be an announcer of the civil war, which will divide the history of the 2nd Spanish Republic in two. The two sides, the right and the left, were clearly defined.
Present Moment: Conformation of the Popular Front
The serious social and economic situation of the country made necessary the union of all the left political forces again around the Popular Front, apart from returning to the reformist line of the reformist period and ending the policies of the Black Biennium.
Financial attributions to several government ministers, black market scandals, wearied the government.
Popular Front was joined by Izquierda Republicana, Unión Republicana, UGT, PSOE, Juventudes Socialistas, PCE, POUM, Partido Sindicalista and ERC from Catalonia.
The program of the Popular Front will consist of undertaking a common plan of action, granting a broad amnesty to the reprisals for social and political crimes after the elections of 1933 during the period of government of the rights, defense of freedom and justice based on the Constitution of 1931, a regime of freedom imposed for reasons of public interest and social progress. Mainly apply the ideas that are exposed in the analysis of the text.
Consequences
Due to the crisis of the government of the CEDA, Lerroux had to present his resignation. Alcalá Zamora again called elections on February 15, 1936.
In this convulsive political situation, two major blocks were differentiated: the left and the right: Popular Front and National block. The Popular Front won the elections. The victory of the left wing would fuel the desire for conspiracy among the monarchist and right-wing military.
The new government recovered the laws of the first years of the republican era: political amnesty, reinstated the government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, brought the Basque statute to the Cortes, changed site to the generals close to the coup. The Cortes withdrew Alcala Zamora as president and put Azaña as president of the Republic.
After losing the elections, the military began to prepare the military uprising. On July 17, 1936 the troops of Morocco rose (Franco at the head) and Mola would rebel on the 18th in Navarra. The government did not take the measures that should have been thinking that the uprising would fail as in 1932. Thus began a 3-year civil war.
Conclusion/Importance of the Text
This text is very important because it shows us the value of the union of the left. Socialists and Republicans joined to not repeat the failure in the elections. Even so, there were still important differences between the two, due to the influence of the ideological plurality within the coalition. Therefore, as can be seen in the analysis, there were 2 ways of understanding the Republic, the social Republic for socialists and the reformist Republic for republicans