The Spanish Restoration: 1874-1902
The Restoration Scheme
The issue that we will deal with covers the period from the fall of the First Republic until the proclamation of Alfonso XIII as king in 1902. The restoration of the monarchy of Alfonso XII represents a stage of stability that lasted until the late nineteenth century. It was prompted by the 1876 Constitution, the party system created by Canovas, and some economic prosperity. But these achievements do not hide major flaws of the system: electoral fraud and chieftaincy leaving the masses outside the system, and marginalization of parties outside the system (Republicans, labor movements, nationalism, etc.).
The great shock to the system will be the crisis of 1898, the year in which Spain lost the last of its colonies, and there arises its modernization. The political system of the Restoration, which began in the nineteenth century, continued into the twentieth century with the fall of Alfonso XIII and the proclamation of the Second Republic in 1931.
I. Functioning of the Restoration
The 1868 revolution was a failure. It did not create a stable form of monarchy. Thus began the period called the Restoration. It was meant to restore the Bourbon dynasty and create the conditions necessary to maintain it, which meant a return to more pure liberal conservatism.
1. The Return of the Bourbon Dynasty
After the coup of General Pavia (January 3, 1874), General Serrano headed the government and devoted all his efforts to put an end to the Carlist War. On December 1, Prince Alfonso, on his seventeenth birthday, sent from the U.S. Military Academy Sandhurst (England) a manifesto to the nation, drawn by Canovas, in which he asserted that the only solution to the problems of Spain “from the working classes to the highest”, lay in the restoration of the traditional monarchy. This began the period called the Restoration, which sought to restore a moderate liberal regime before 1868.
2. The First Steps of Canovas del Castillo
To accomplish this, Canovas was devoted to reconciling the moderate progressives and unionists around the future King Alfonso XII. At last, the king came to Madrid on January 14, 1875, as an “attorney of life together”.
a) The First Measures of the New Regime and Advocacy
A session was convened in Parliament, making the constitution of the Restoration, by universal suffrage. During 1875 the first measures of the new regime were: to obtain support from the Church, which was distant due to the attacks received during the revolutionary period, suspend the opposition newspapers, establish special courts for the crimes of the press, and give the Church the power to adjudicate many writings; secure support from the Army, reinstate the controls that had been eliminated by the six-year, renew the charges of the provinces and municipalities. And to avoid future military uprisings, the king would henceforth be an effective head of the army, which was assured the submission of military commanders.
b) Administrative Centralism
Centralism, with its axis in Madrid, became restricted. Citizen participation in elections for the posts was restricted, leaving these to the owners. It was determined that in populations of more than 30,000, mayors would be appointed by the king, which is equivalent to being the government. The Basque Provinces were cut outside the building on the end of the Third Carlist War.
3. The Constitution of 1876
Cánovas considered it essential to establish a monarchy above political parties and against future debates over its validity and power. The Constitution appealed to the power of making laws residing in the courts with the king, and its articles were approved in a short time and with few debates. The Constitution established a confessional state but allowed other religions.
The brief 1876 Constitution gave the monarch the power to appoint the mayor, a position that first appears in a completely defined manner. It suspended most individual rights recognized by the 1869 Constitution. As for the chambers, it established a bicameral parliament. The Senate was elected from the largest taxpayers, and Congress had five years in office.
The constitution was promulgated on June 30, 1876, and would remain in force until 1931. Although it is moderate, it is elastic enough to be accepted by the progressives.
4. The Official Political System: Bipartisanship and Turnismo
The political system of the Restoration was based on the existence of two major parties, the Conservative and Liberal, which coincided essentially ideologically but consensually assumed two roles that complemented each other.
The Liberal-Conservative Party (Conservative Party) was organized around its leader, Antonio Canovas del Castillo, herding the most conservative and traditional society (with the exception of the Carlists and the most radical fundamentalists). The Liberal-Fusion (Liberal Party) had as its main leader Práxedes Mateo Sagasta and met former progressives, unionists, and some former moderate Republicans.
As for his political activity, the differences between the parties were minimal. Conservatives were more prone to political stagnation and the defense of the Church and the social order, while liberals were more inclined to a more progressive reformism and secular character.
5. The Real Political System: Patronage and Electoral Fraud
The alternation in government was made possible by a corrupt and manipulative electoral system that used the influence and economic power of certain individuals on society (caciques), which became widespread after 1890 with the reintroduction of universal male suffrage.
The term “cacique” comes from Latin and meant something like “Indian chief”. The caciques were individuals or families who, by their economic or political influences, controlled a particular constituency. The chief was most evident in rural areas. Turnout did not exceed 20% in most of the Restoration period.