The Second Spanish Republic: Stages, Conflicts, and the Path to Civil War
The Second Spanish Republic: A Tumultuous Journey
The Progressive Biennium (1931-1933)
The Second Republic began with the election of Alcalá Zamora as President and Manuel Azaña forming a coalition government with the Socialists. Azaña, a man of great intellect and vision, spearheaded a period of rapid reform aimed at modernizing Spain. Despite economic challenges, these reforms targeted long-standing obstacles to progress.
However, the Republic faced immediate challenges:
- Strained Church Relations: Anti-clerical sentiment among the public and within the government created friction with the Catholic Church.
- Growing Popular Discontent: Labor conflicts, strikes, and street riots became increasingly common.
- Anarchist Uprising: The Casas Viejas incident in January 1933, marked by anarchist agitation in Andalusia, damaged Azaña’s reputation and cast him in a repressive light.
- Right-Wing Opposition: The rapid pace of reforms angered the right, leading to a failed military coup attempt by General José Sanjurjo in Seville. The right found a more suitable political vehicle in the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights), led by the young lawyer Gil Robles.
These mounting problems eroded Azaña’s government, leading President Zamora to appoint Diego Martínez Barrio to form a new government and call for elections in October 1933.
The Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)
The 1933 elections gave the victory to the conservatives of the CEDA and the political center, formed by Alexander Lerroux radicals. The victory was due to discomfort with Azaða sectors and to abstain from the anarchists. The burden of leadership fell on the government and its radical líder.La CEDA represented the response of most Catholics anticlericalism of the previous biennium. Amnon ultraconservative elements in their ranks. Their leader, Jose Maria Gil Robles, is the revelation of this bienio.La CEDA accepted the Republic, but not making an explicit declaration of loyalty was doubted his sincerity republicana.El most critical moment of this stage was the outbreak of the October Revolution of 1934.
It emerged in Catalonia and Asturias. In Catalonia, organized by Lluis Companys, President of the Generalitat Macið’s death was easily suppressed. In AsturiasOrganized by the Socialists, with the help of anarchists and communists triumphed in the coalfields. To quell it had to resort to the army in Morocco. The repression was sangrienta.Tras the October Revolution was the polarization of political positions. Gil Robles took the portfolio of the Ministry of War and accelerated revisionist policy. Thus, land reform was suspended; fascist groups emerged, such as Spanish Falange, founded in 1933 by José Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of the dictator, and further deepened with the far-right totalitarian positions, beginning to shine José Calvo Sotelo, leader Renewal of the Monarchist Party Española.Se causes the breakdown of the Radical Party, abandoned by Martínez Barrios and undermined by the corruption of the black market scandal. This handle makes Manuel Portela Valladares form a government in order to call new general elections.3. Popular Front for the February 1936 elections tense divided country. Appointment represented Portela Valladares failed attempt to find middle ground. Right had divided and worn out. The left appeared united in the Popular Front which included Republicans, Socialists and Communists, backed by anarchists. Last won elecciones.Azaña responsible for forming the Popular Front government, renewing Republican-Socialist coalition, the PSOE had radicalized azanide rejected bourgeois reformism and believed that the Popular Front alliance was nothing but to win was overwhelmed when elecciones.Azaña general disorders occurred. Street play a leading role scene of violent clashes between party activists and labor Falangists, started the “Spring Tragic” of 1936.Destitución Alcala Zamora as president and his replacement by Azana complicated the situation: this cancellation policy for its limited functions. Head of Government occupied by Santiago Casares QuirogaNot right man to bring down tensiones.Planes smoothing Republic accelerated since the Popular Front victory. Speakers right-wing politicians and military officers. Dispersed to the military government suspects: Coded moved to Balearic Islands and Franco Mola to Navarre. Measurement error was as serious because he could make contact with Mola Carlist traditionalists and Franco stayed with greater freedom of acción.Asesinato of Jose Calvo Sotelo in Madrid, provided a pretext for military insurrection.