The Spanish Second Republic: From Reform to Civil War
The Biennium of Right-Wing Governance (1933-1935)
In November 1933, new elections resulted in a victory for center-right parties. The CEDA, led by Gil Robles, emerged as the largest party but lacked a majority. This necessitated a reliance on the Radical Party’s support, led by Alejandro Lerroux, to form a government. Lerroux became the head of government, while Alcalá Zamora remained president.
This new government focused on dismantling the reforms of the previous biennium. Agrarian reform stalled, lands were returned to the nobility, and temporary land grants to peasants were revoked. Total freedom of contract was reinstated, leading to a decline in rural wages. This policy clashed with the Catalan Generalitat, which remained under Republican control. The central government also alienated Basque nationalists by halting parliamentary discussion of their proposed statute.
Regarding religious reform, the government restored church funding and granted amnesty to rebels associated with the Sanjurjo coup and the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. The construction of public schools slowed considerably. Positive aspects of this period included the promotion of public housing and construction projects.
However, the backlash against reforms culminated in an attempted coup d’état in October 1934. This uprising was fueled by Gil Robles’ growing influence and desire to end the Republic. Communists, anarchists, and socialists participated in the revolt, viewing the right-wing victory in 1933 as a threat to the democratic republic and fearing the rise of fascism in Europe. The revolt was triggered by the inclusion of CEDA ministers in the government.
The revolt began with a general strike in several cities, intensifying in Asturias and Catalonia. Catalan nationalists joined the revolutionary action, and Lluís Companys, President of the Generalitat, proclaimed the Catalan State within the Spanish Republic. This was a reaction against the central government’s attempts to hinder Catalan autonomy. The army swiftly quelled the uprising, imprisoning Companys and suspending Catalonia’s autonomy statute.
In Asturias, well-armed workers and miners seized control of significant areas, but the uprising was brutally suppressed by troops brought in from Africa under the command of Francisco Franco. The revolution resulted in 30,000 imprisonments, extrajudicial executions, and widespread censorship. Revolutionaries also looted properties, and civil guards and priests were killed.
The Popular Front and the Onset of Civil War (1936)
In February 1936, new elections were called. Left-wing parties (socialists, communists, and republicans) united under the Popular Front, while right-wing parties formed coalitions aiming to create a National Bloc. The Popular Front won with 48% of the vote, and Manuel Azaña was appointed head of government.
Key decisions of Azaña’s government included: 1. Amnesty and release of prisoners from the October 1934 uprisings. 2. Restoration of Catalonia’s autonomy statute. 3. Outlawing the Falange and imprisoning its leaders due to their involvement in various attacks. 4. Acceleration of agrarian reform. 5. Transfer of military figures deemed dangerous due to their anti-Republican sentiments away from Madrid (Franco to the Canary Islands, Mola to Pamplona, and Sanjurjo to Portugal).
The Popular Front government faced serious challenges: 1. Exacerbated social conflicts, rising unemployment, strikes, and public unrest. 2. Increased violence from both the extreme right and left, culminating in the murder of José Calvo Sotelo (leader of the monarchist opposition) by leftist police officers seeking revenge for the murder of José Castillo, a member of the Assault Guard. 3. The decision by powerful socio-economic conservatives and military leaders to overthrow the Republic through a coup to prevent further reforms that threatened their interests.
The military coup against the Republic took place on July 17, 1936. General Emilio Mola orchestrated the conspiracy, aiming to swiftly seize major Spanish cities through a simultaneous uprising. Despite initial setbacks for the rebels and the Republican government’s failure to defeat them in the early stages, the coup escalated into a protracted and bloody civil war that lasted three years and resulted in a dictatorship that ruled Spain for nearly 40 years.