The Second Spanish Republic: A Democratic Experiment
The Second Republic: An Attempted Democratic Solution
The Articulation of a New Political System
The municipal elections of April 12, 1931, marked a turning point in Spanish politics. Republican-socialist candidates emerged victorious in major cities and industrial centers. Prime Minister Admiral Aznar famously remarked that Spain had gone to bed as a monarchy and woken up as a republic.
On April 14, the Republic was proclaimed in numerous cities. In Madrid, Republican members of the Revolutionary Committee established a provisional government comprising Republicans and Socialists, led by Niceto Alcalá Zamora (Right Liberal Republican). King Alfonso XIII suspended the exercise of royal power and left Spain to prevent bloodshed.
Text: Press Release of Alfonso XIII, April 14, 1931
The most pressing issue was the delicate Catalan question. On the same day, April 14, Francesc Macià proclaimed the Catalan State in Barcelona. A provisional autonomy for Catalonia was granted until the court approved a definitive statute.
Following the Pact of San Sebastian, the provisional government held elections for the Constituent Cortes on June 28. The new Republic soon faced social conflicts and opposition from employers, landowners, and a segment of the Catholic hierarchy. Cardinal Segura publicly opposed the new regime. Anti-clericalism resurfaced, and churches and convents were burned in several cities in May. Catholic opinion distanced itself from the republican regime.
The June 1931 Elections
Universal male suffrage led to a victory for the Republican-Socialist coalition, with Alcalá Zamora continuing as Prime Minister. The results were as follows:
- Left: PSOE (116 seats); Radical Socialist Party (56 seats); Republican Action (26 seats); ERC (36 seats)
- Center-right: Radical Party (90 seats); Agrarian Party (26 seats); Matches (36 seats)
The monarchists were left out. Republican parties like Acción Republicana (Azaña), Radical Socialist (Marcelino Domingo), and autonomist parties like ERC (Macià, Companys), along with the PSOE (Prieto, Besteiro) and PCE, advocated for democratization of the army, a secular state, land reform, expansion of social and labor rights for workers, and regional autonomy.
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) is a left-wing nationalist party that dominated Catalan politics. Led by Macià and Companys, both served as presidents of the Generalitat.
PSOE is the historical party of the working class, advocating for a classless society. They supported collaboration with Republicans to achieve reforms beneficial to the working class.
Center-right parties defended the state religion, the privileges of the army, traditional land ownership, and a centralized unitary state. They opposed labor reforms.
The Radical Party, led by Alejandro Lerroux, is a center party that abandoned its anti-clerical and anti-bourgeois past. It opposed the socialists.
The Agrarian Party is a right-wing party representing small and medium farmers of Castile-León.
These parties had significant membership and the ability to mobilize their followers. The Cortes became the center of political life, with intense and passionate discussions.
The Constitution of 1931
In December 1931, Parliament approved the new Constitution, which was both democratic and progressive.
Text: Constitution of 1931
The new Constitution reflected the ideas of the Republican-Socialist coalition. Its key features include:
- Popular Sovereignty: Declares the new Spanish state as a “democratic republic of workers of all kinds.”
- Universal Suffrage: Grants voting rights to both women and men after a lengthy debate in the Cortes.
- Extensive Declaration of Rights and Liberties: Includes social rights to work, education, health, and decent housing.
- New Division of Powers: Legislative power resides in a unicameral Cortes. Executive power introduces the President of the Republic, indirectly elected (by Cortes and commissioners elected by universal suffrage), with veto power and the ability to choose the head of government. The President’s term is six years without the possibility of re-election. The Prime Minister, appointed by the President, requires parliamentary approval. The Judiciary introduces a Court of Constitutional Guarantees to resolve conflicts between powers.
- Separation of Church and State: Guarantees freedom of worship and recognizes civil marriage. Eliminates the budget for worship and the clergy. Prohibits religious orders from engaging in education.
- New Territorial Organization: The Republic is an integral state, compatible with the autonomy of municipalities and regions. This opened the possibility of establishing autonomous regions. Provinces with shared historical and cultural characteristics could apply for a statute of autonomy, subject to approval by the Cortes.
The most debated issues were religion and autonomy. In October, Prime Minister Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Minister Miguel Maura resigned due to disagreements over religious matters. Manuel Azaña (Acción Republicana) became Prime Minister. On December 9, 1931, the Constitution was approved, and the following day, Alcalá Zamora was elected President of the Republic.