The Spanish Second Republic: A Nation in Turmoil (1933-1936)
The Second Spanish Republic (1933-1936)
1. The Radical-CEDA Biennium (1933-1935) and the October Revolution of 1934
a. The Radical Government and the Rectification Program
The biennium was marked by deadlock since governments lacked political stability, and parliamentary actions showed more willingness to review the reforms of the Azaña period than a vocation to build a republic. Extremism was growing during those years, and after 1934, Republican disloyalty to the regime grew.
In the new political map, the results of the general elections of 1933 disrupted the landscape of the Republic. Left Republicans were defeated. Lerroux’s radicals increased their representation. The winners were the CEDA, and this had consequences such as constant government instability. The parties that had forged the arrival of the Republic no longer constituted a majority of the chamber, and the courts lost the leadership that chose violence to enforce their political arrangements.
The program was a negative political government that sought to correct or suspend some of the reforms of the Azaña period. Religious policy was changed to approach the Vatican, agrarian reform was halted, and the coup was administered. The Radical party was engaged in strong tension within the government.
Association and the radicalization of the left: there was a dramatic growth in social unrest and labor strikes, in which they became public events as a means of achieving social revolution that could not be achieved within the republican regime of that time. The radicalization of the socialist left radicalized their positions, announcing a general revolutionary movement if the CEDA was called on the government. Lerroux entrusted three ministries to CEDA members, who had won the elections in 1933.
b. The October Revolution of 1934
In response to the notice of entry of the CEDA into the government, a general strike was called. The response of the Socialists was uneven in Spain, just Asturias, where the UGT and CNT acted together, witnessed an authentic armed insurrection.
The origin of the revolt of Catalonia is in the conflict that kept the Generalitat and the central government concerning the law of contract farming, which favored the position of tenants. On October 6, Companys proclaimed the state of the federal Catalan Spanish Republic. The consequence was that many political leaders went to prison, and thousands of politicians were detained.
In the Asturian revolution, which took place between October 5-12, socialists dominated, but with the strong participation of the CNT. They implemented a program of revolutionary character. The elite of the army carried out a brutal crackdown on insurgents and civilians.
The events strengthened the role of the CEDA in government. The governments of the right faced repression by those responsible for the revolution. Governments deepened in their task of reviewing Azaña’s reforms and forced the republican left to reconsider the tactics of the insurgency. This would lead to the formation of the Popular Front.
c. The End of the Biennium
Radical governments were headed by Lerroux, but the influence on them of the CEDA was much more direct since Gil-Robles entered the Ministry of War. Ricardo Samper sponsored a counter-agrarian reform.
The political climate was accentuated by two large scandals: one on the black market (the “Estraperlo” scandal) and another that of Nombela. Chapaprieta had to resign for the government to form, and finally, Portela Valladares called for elections.
2. The Elections of 1936 and the Popular Front
a. The Elections of February 1936
They were the last of the Republic and were held with some order. There were many parties grouped into two main blocks: the right block that formed the monarchy and the CEDA. José Antonio Primo de Rivera criticized the lack of a program and retained the Phalanx outside the coalition. The participants left the Republican party left, the regionalist parties except the Socialists and Communists, and the PNV. The election results drew a new political map in which the Popular Front was victorious. The big news was the disappearance of the Radical party.
b. Government Actions
Leftist groups opened the prisons and released all prisoners. The Prime Minister resigned, and Azaña was forced to form a government without the participation of the PSOE. The government declared an amnesty, and the most significant aspect was the occupation of land and the resumption of land reform.
Azaña formed a strictly Republican government without the participation of the Socialists. One of the measures was to promote the impeachment of the president of the Republic.
The results of the February elections failed to calm the political life of the Republic: the unions, the UGT and CNT, acted far more united than in the first two years and led to a significant number of strikes and labor actions. The right-wing extremist groups increasingly relied less on the parliamentary tactics of the CEDA.
The intersection of this social and political polarization was street fighting. Some of their commanders, coordinated by Mola, participated in the military conspiracy. The murder of Calvo Sotelo eventually accelerated the military uprising.
c. Military Conspiracy
The atmosphere in the Army was quite ready, which led to insurrection since the election. The authorities took some measures, such as military surveillance on some suspects, and moved to destinations considered dangerous, little wary generals whose loyalty was questioned.
The first attempt at military conspiracy occurred in December. With the victory of the Popular Front, the right-wing leaders concluded that only a military coup could avoid what they saw as an impending socialist revolution. The political plot joined representatives of the oligarchy who pledged their support financially and militarily. General Sanjurjo took command of the conspiracy. The military coup was precipitated by the killing of an officer of the Assault Guard. Finally, on July 17, the revolution began in Morocco and extended to the peninsula.