The Restoration in Spain (1874-1923)
1. The Constitutional Monarchy
1.1. Canovas’ Constitutional Monarchy Project
Antonio Canovas del Castillo was the key figure in the return of the Bourbons and the architect of the restored political system. Canovas believed that the monarchy was the best form of government for Spain.
1.2. Martinez Campos’ Goal
Some monarchist sectors wanted to accelerate the restoration process. These sectors favored a coup led by General Martinez Campos.
1.3. The Constitution of 1876
The 1876 Constitution was based on the principle of shared sovereignty (lawmaking power between the king and the courts). The king retained significant power: directing the executive branch, commanding the army, and participating in the legislature. The Constitution granted preferential treatment to the Catholic religion.
1.4. From Universal Suffrage to Census Suffrage
Suffrage shifted from universal to census suffrage for men aged 25 and older with a minimum of two years of residence in their town. Women could not vote.
2. Political Mechanisms of the Restoration
2.1. Bipartisanship and Turno Pacifico
The Conservatives understood that system stability required the collaboration of the Liberals. The best way to achieve this was to integrate them into a system of peaceful alternation of government, known as the Turno Pacifico. The goal was to prevent the Conservative leader of the opposition from resorting to force to govern. Parliamentary life was governed by the principles of bipartisanship between the two parties (Conservatives and Liberals).
2.2. Electoral Manipulation and Caciquismo
To achieve parity in the Turno, manipulation of election results was employed. Local bosses, or caciques, were influenced by wealthy landowners in the municipalities. These individuals, through various fraudulent methods (pressure, vote-buying), secured the majority of votes for the ruling party.
3. Instability and the Articulation of the Opposition
To consolidate the monarchy, Canovas had to resolve two major conflicts: the Third Carlist War and the Cuban War.
3.1. The End of the Third Carlist War and the New Traditionalist Opposition
One of the new regime’s objectives was to end the Third Carlist War. However, the war’s end did not resolve all political problems. One consequence of the Carlist defeat was the reform of the legal system towards centralization and uniformity.
3.2. The Little War (Guerra Chiquita)
The Peace of Zanjón ended the first war for Cuban independence, but the conflict remained unresolved. A revolt known as the Little War (Guerra Chiquita) was suppressed.
3.3. The Republican Opposition
The main Republican parties during the Restoration were: the Possibilist Democratic Party, the Progressive Republican Party, the Centralist Republican Party, the Federal Democratic Republican Party, and the Federal Organic Republican Party. There were differences among these Republican parties.
3.4. The Socialist Current
Marxist-inspired socialist thought faced difficulties gaining traction. The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) was founded. The working class’s emancipation, the establishment of social property, and the conquest of political power were essential elements of the party’s agenda.
4. The Social Triangle
4.1. The Law of Associations and Political Reform
With the Liberals’ arrival in government, trade unions were restructured. The labor movement received a significant boost with the approval of the Law of Associations, which allowed the right to organize freely.
4.2. Socialist Unionism
The General Union of Workers (UGT) was a union that followed a strategy of moderation against the radical anarchists. One of the socialist union’s main objectives was the achievement of the eight-hour workday.
4.3. The Anarchist Movement
The Bakuninists organized a congress to rebuild the Spanish Regional Federation of Workers (FTRE). Internal clashes and killings attributed to the Black Hand unleashed repression against anarchists. The FTRE disappeared.
Direct Action Anarchism
A period of radical individualism (individual attacks) began, employing the tactic of direct action. An anarchist typographer threw two bombs at General Martinez Campos and was sentenced to death. Later, two bombs were thrown into the stalls of the Lyceum Theater. Another bomb was thrown at the Corpus Christi procession. Prime Minister Canovas del Castillo was assassinated.
5. Regionalisms and Catalanism
5.1. Catalanism
Catalanism, a claim of the Catalan national movement, aimed to protect the historical and cultural value of Catalonia.
The Renaixença
A cultural movement that developed in Catalonia, its objectives were the recognition of Catalan cultural identity and the recovery of Catalan as a literary language.
Protectionism
Catalan industry was defended through protectionist policies to mitigate the impact of competition from foreign products.
Catalan Politics
Catalan politics took shape. Notable figures include Valentí Almirall (progressive ideas), Enric Prat de la Riba (a great theoretician of conservative Catalanism), and Josep Torras i Bages (Catholic Catalan regionalist approaches).
Catalanist Platforms
The First Catalanist Congress was organized to discuss Catalan leadership.
The Campaign Against the Unification of the Civil Code
The Memorial de Greuges (Memorial of Grievances) was a document addressed to King Alfonso XII in which the Catalan bourgeoisie highlighted their discontent. The first Catalan political party, the Lliga de Catalunya, was founded by right-wing bourgeoisie who defended conservative moral, political, and economic positions.
Unió Catalanista and the Bases de Manresa
Unió Catalanista, a left-wing Catalan nationalist party, sought to unite the Catalan nationalist movement. The first assembly of delegates from the organization was held in the Manresa town hall meeting room, where they approved the foundational principles known as the Bases de Manresa.
The Closure of Banks (Tancament de Caixes)
A protest movement arose against the government’s tax reform and the announcement of a new tax, known as the Tancament de Caixes (Closure of Banks). They opposed paying taxes.