Understanding the Political System of the Restoration Era
The Political System of the Restoration: The New Political System: Conservative groups received with satisfaction the Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, hoping that the new political stability would return. Cánovas wanted a new political model that would overcome some of the problems of liberalism: the partisanship and military intervention in politics. To achieve this, he proposed targets: developing a constitution based on bipartisanship and pacifying the country by ending the war in Cuba and the Carlist conflict. The first political step was the convening of elections for a Constituent Assembly to draft the new constitution. New Constitution of 1876: The constitution drafted in 1876 is a clear sign of doctrinal liberalism, characterized by census suffrage and shared sovereignty between the Courts and the king. It was a conservative constitution inspired by the traditional values of the monarchy, religion, and property. It regarded the monarchy as an institution of higher education, meant to be a moderating power and ensure proper understanding and alternation of political parties. Therefore, it established shared sovereignty and granted sweeping powers to the monarch: the right of veto and the appointment of ministers. The courts were bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the Congress of Deputies. A law established based on census voting. In 1890, universal male suffrage was adopted. The constitution proclaimed a Catholic confessional state but tolerated other beliefs.
The new constitution included a Bill of Rights, which tended to restrict especially the rights of the press, association, and assembly. Bipartisanship and Pacific Time: Antonio Cánovas del Castillo introduced a system of government based on bipartisanship and the alternation of power between the two major parties: the Conservative and Liberal parties. It was accepted that stability would be achieved through the participation in power of the two families of liberalism. The army was subordinate to civil power, with its mission being to defend national independence and not interfere in the contentions of the parties. It gave the military a degree of autonomy for their internal affairs and endowed the army with a high budget. The End of the War: The stability of the system was favored by the end of the Carlist wars and the conflict in Cuba. However, the conflict continued for a few months, especially in the Basque Country, but the government army managed to weaken the Navarra and Basque resistance to their total surrender in 1876. In February of that year, Charles VII crossed the French border into exile, and the war ended throughout the country. The immediate consequence of the Carlist defeat was the final abolition of the statutory scheme. Basque territories were subject to payment of taxes and military service. The end of the Carlist war allowed for an easier conclusion to the Cuban insurrection; in 1878, the Zanjón Peace was signed. It included a broad amnesty, the abolition of slavery, and the promise of political and administrative reforms. The delay or failure of these reforms would lead to the beginning of a new conflict in 1879 (Little War) and the subsequent uprising of 1895.