The Spanish Second Republic: Reforms and Civil War
The Second Republic (1931-1936)
The Second Republic (1931-1936) was a significant stage in the contemporary history of Spain. The Republic attempted to launch a series of reforms; however, its obscure birth in the polls, the antagonism between the affluent and the working classes, and the radicalization of some hindered the development of others. The framework of democratic solutions that the Republic represented failed because it developed in an inappropriate international context and amidst strong polarization of Spanish society, whose extremism led to a new military conspiracy and a bloody civil war.
Background
The last government of the monarchy, chaired by Admiral Aznar, called for municipal elections as part of a program to return to constitutional normality after the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. The election campaign was intense, and participation reached 65% of registered men. The election result was uneven; although the overall number of royalist aldermen (41,224) exceeded that of the Republicans and Socialists (39,248), the royalists were defeated in the provincial capitals. On April 14, the popular tide proclaimed the Republic in urban areas across the country. The Republican committee, faced with this situation, asked King Alfonso XIII to leave the country. Alfonso XIII suspended the exercise of royal power without giving up his rights, as expressed in his farewell manifesto, to avoid a fratricidal civil war. This peaceful political change prepared the new revolutionary political framework.
A provisional government was established, composed almost entirely of members of the Revolutionary Committee created a year earlier by the Pact of San Sebastián. The new government was headed by Niceto Alcalá. The Provisional Government called for elections to the Constituent Cortes (elected by universal male suffrage for men over 23 years) to draft a new constitution and legitimize the republican regime. The election date was set for June 28.
The Minister of Labor, Largo Caballero, adopted the first measures of land reform: Decree of Municipal Terms, Decree of Forced Tillage, and labor reform: National Fund against Unemployment, Required Workers’ Insurance, and the eight-hour workday in the countryside. Marcelino Domingo promoted important educational legislation. Furthermore, he promoted educational reform through the Council of Public Instruction. Manuel Azaña, as Minister of War, also initiated the reform of an army whose commanders were mostly monarchists, while accepting political change. For the preservation of the republican order, the Government enacted the Law for the Defense of the Republic, which gave it full powers and allowed it to suspend constitutional guarantees.
Development
The Elections to the Constituent Cortes
In May 1931, elections were called to the Constituent Cortes. The Chamber would be composed of 470 deputies elected by universal male suffrage (males over 23 years); women could be chosen but could not be electors. The elections were held on June 28, 1931, with broad participation (70% of the electorate and about 4.5 million voters). Days after, the Cortes were established, which reaffirmed the government that had hitherto acted provisionally.
The Constitution of 1931
The fundamental objective of the Government and the Parliament was drafting a new constitution to replace the monarchy’s constitution of 1876. The Constitution was adopted on December 9, 1931, and consisted of a preliminary title, 125 articles divided into nine titles, and two transitional provisions.
It begins with a definition of the new State, which it calls a “democratic republic of workers of all kinds.” It then develops a comprehensive bill of rights and liberties, both individual and social or collective. Popular sovereignty is proclaimed, enshrined in universal suffrage for those over 23 years, acknowledging for the first time women’s right to vote.
It establishes a division of powers, although the legislative branch, represented by a unicameral Cortes (Congress of Deputies), has a certain primacy over the executive (President and head of government) and the judiciary (Supreme Court). The Head of State is the President of the Republic, elected every six years by the members of the Cortes and some commissioners. It declares the non-confessional nature of the State (Art. 3) and the consideration of all religions as mere associations (Art. 26).