The Second Spanish Republic: From Constitution to Revolution (1931-1936)
The Republican Constitution
The 1931 elections resulted in a victory for left and center forces, particularly the ERC-led coalition. The right wing became a minority, with agrarian parties gaining prominence. The newly elected Cortes (parliament) drafted a new constitution, known as the “Constitution of 1931,” which was approved on December 9, 1931. This constitution reflected secular and leftist values, including popular sovereignty, a single chamber, state secularism, individual guarantees, and the possibility of autonomy for regions that requested it.
The Constitutional Government (December 1931 – November 1933)
Niceto Alcalá Zamora entrusted Manuel Azaña with forming a government. Azaña’s government continued the reforms initiated by the interim government, including the Agrarian Reform Law, military reform, and the granting of the Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia.
The Agrarian Reform Law
While the law made large areas of land available to the state, the distribution of property among peasants was slow and did not generate the expected number of properties. The reform’s failure was attributed to the state’s inexperience and the complexity of the problem. This, along with opposition from the Catholic sector, led to unrest in the countryside, including the anarchist uprising in Alto Llobregat in January 1932 and the attempted coup by Royalist General José Sanjurjo on August 10, 1932.
Autonomy of Catalonia
In Catalonia, the Catalan Republican government, led by Francesc Macià, lasted only from April 14 to 18, 1931. Following the arrival of three interim ministers of the Spanish Republic in Barcelona, Catalan nationalists advocated for national sovereignty and a federal government. Catalonia obtained interim self-government arrangements, the Generalitat of Catalonia, and a commitment from the central government to initiate the process of drafting and approving a Statute of Autonomy.
The Statute of Autonomy
The Núria Statute of Catalonia proclaimed the right of self-determination and defended the structure of the Spanish state as a state of autonomies within the Spanish Republic. The statute included the ability to add new territories, defend the Catalan language, control education, etc.
On May 6, 1932, the Spanish Cortes began discussing the Statute. Right-wing parties and some minority groups within Azaña’s government launched harsh attacks against the statute, accompanied by an intense anti-Catalan campaign. The attempted coup by Sanjurjo led the Republic to gather votes in favor of the Statute after a brilliant speech by Azaña. Finally, on September 9, 1932, the Statute was approved, but with the central government retaining control of education and the power to suspend the statute.
Francesc Macià, President of the Generalitat
On November 20, 1932, elections were held in the Catalan parliament, with the coalition led by the Republican Left of Catalonia winning. Francesc Macià was elected president of the Generalitat, a position he held until his death on December 25, 1933. During his tenure, the Statute was implemented, the voting age was set at 21, and several financial, political, social, and agrarian laws were developed.
The Labor World
The working class in Catalonia mostly voted for the Republican Left of Catalonia but organized themselves through the CNT union. Within the CNT, there were two factions: the anarcho-syndicalists, led by Juan Peiró and Angel Pestaña, and the anarchists of the FAI. The two factions had different views on political action. From the April 1932 congress onwards, the anarchists and FAI members, despite being a minority, controlled most of the union, contributing to the radicalization of labor movements.
The Conservative Biennium (November 1933 – February 1936)
Azaña’s government fell in September 1933 due to disagreements between the political parties that had supported him regarding the Casas Viejas incident and his incompatibility with President Niceto Alcalá Zamora. Alcalá Zamora dissolved the Cortes and called for elections on November 19.
The Right to Power
During the biennium, the Spanish right had time to reorganize. Two groups emerged: one openly opposed the republican regime and was composed of monarchists, Carlists, and fascist groups such as the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (JONS) and the Falange Española (FE), founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera. The other group accepted the Republic but aimed to transform it into a right-wing state. This second group included the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups (CEDA), formed in February 1933 around the Catholic-influenced People’s Action Party. The most prominent leader of the CEDA was José María Gil Robles. This period highlighted the deep division within Spanish society.
The 1933 elections favored the right and center-right parties, representing a significant defeat for the leftist parties. In Catalonia, the coalition led by the League won. Alejandro Lerroux was tasked with forming a government.
October Revolution of 1934
A few months after the right’s victory, the PSOE and the UGT prepared an armed insurrection accompanied by a general strike. The initiative came from Francisco Largo Caballero, the most radical leader of the Socialists. The justification for the revolt was the entry of CEDA members into Lerroux’s government. Leftist parties identified the CEDA with fascism. On October 5, the UGT called a general strike, which the CNT did not join.