The Second Republic of Spain: A Political Analysis
Proclamation of the Second Republic
The municipal elections of April 12 marked a clear shift in the political landscape. Considering itself the result of the ballot, on the morning of April 14th, the Republic was proclaimed in the town of Eibar, Guipúzcoa. Faced with this new situation, Alfonso XIII suspended royal power and decided to leave the country.
The new provisional government, presided over by Alcalá Zamora, was composed of radicals (Lerroux and Martinez Barrio), radical socialists (Albornoz Sunday), socialists (Prieto, Largo Caballero, and Rivers), the Catalan Nicolau D’Olwer, the Galician Casares Quiroga, the Catholic Miguel Maura, and the Republican Michael Ana.
The 1931 Constitution
The June 28 elections gave a majority to the Republican-Socialist coalition. The new composition of Parliament reflected a significant change, with Parliament becoming the center of the country’s political life. The courts appointed a Constitutional Commission to draft a constitution. The 1931 Constitution was democratic and progressive, establishing the following principles:
- The State was established as a unified entity.
- Legislative power resided in the Cortes (Parliament). Executive power rested with the Council of Ministers and the President of the Republic. The judiciary was entrusted to independent judges.
- Expropriation of property was foreseen under certain conditions.
- The Constitution included a broad declaration of rights and freedoms. It established the right to vote from the age of 23 and granted women the right to vote for the first time.
The Constitution did not achieve consensus among all political forces. Catholic sectors opposed the non-denominational nature of the state. The approval of articles concerning religion led to the resignation of Catholic figures, resulting in Manuel Azaña replacing Niceto Alcalá Zamora as Head of Government, who then became President of the Republic.
The Reform Biennium (1931-1933)
After the adoption of the Constitution, a new period began with a government headed by Manuel Azaña and formed by Left Republicans and Socialists. In December, Niceto Alcalá Zamora was elected President of the Republic. The Republican-Socialist government embarked on a comprehensive reform program in an unfavorable economic environment, marked by rising unemployment. These were the main measures:
- Labor reforms initiated by the Ministry of Labour under the Socialist Largo Caballero, which favored the position of workers and unions but faced strong opposition from employers.
- Educational reform:
- A comprehensive program of school construction and teacher recruitment: 6750 schools and 7000 teachers with better salaries.
- Mixed-gender education.
- Religion was no longer a compulsory subject, which escalated the confrontation with the Church.
- Military reform: Aiming to secure the loyalty of the army to the new republican regime and reduce the excessive number of officers, an oath of allegiance to the new Republic was required. Those who refused could opt for early retirement with full pay.
- Land reform: Approved in 1932, the Basic Law of Agrarian Reform sought to resettle landless peasants on under-exploited estates. Its implementation was largely a failure, and very few farmers benefited from the law, leading to widespread disillusionment among the peasantry in an economic context of rising unemployment.