Understanding the Second Spanish Republic: Key People and Events
Key Figures and Events of the Second Spanish Republic
Niceto Alcalá Zamora: Born in Priego de Córdoba, he was a member of the Liberal Party and a deputy since 1905. Radicalized during the dictatorship in 1930, he declared himself a Republican, joined the revolutionary committee, and became its head. Upon the proclamation of the Republic, he became interim prime minister but resigned. Soon after, however, he accepted the position of president and remained until 1936.
Alejandro Lerroux: His incendiary, radical, anticlerical, and Spanish speeches connected with some sectors of the labor movement. His popularity allowed him to be elected as a Member of Parliament in 1901, 1903, and 1905 for the Republican Union. His visceral opposition to the Catalan Solidarity movement introduced unionist tensions within the Republican party, ultimately leading to a break in relations and the foundation of his own party, the Radical Republican Party (1908).
Núria Statute: The law that granted the Principality of Catalonia autonomy, approved by the Spanish Parliament on September 9, 1932. Despite the proclamation of the Catalan Republic by Francesc Macià on April 14, 1931, the provisional government of the Spanish Republic opposed this and demanded a strict interpretation of the Pact of San Sebastian.
CEDA (Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas): A political party created in Madrid in early March 1933, which brought together different right-wing factions in Spain. Its reorganization was one of the causes of the crisis of the left-wing biennium.
Manuel Azaña: A politician, lawyer, and writer. In 1925, he founded Acción Republicana, and in 1930, he joined the revolutionary committee. He served as Minister of War in the interim government since 1931 and also as head of government in place of Alcalá Zamora. He was a major promoter of labor reforms during the biennium (1931-1933) and a strong defender of the Statute of Catalonia. In 1936, he replaced Alcalá Zamora as President of the Republic.
File Picasso: Refers to the record set by the general explanation of all developments in the Annual disaster, where the head of Morocco, Abd el-Krim, conducted a counteroffensive that led to a total defeat for Spain, with 12,981 deaths. This defeat caused a great impact on public opinion and led to an even larger crisis.
Prats de Molló: The city from which Francesc Macià proposed an invasion of Catalonia to rally against the dictatorship. However, the conspirators were arrested, and Macià was tried in Paris.
Assault on the Cu-Cut!: On November 25, 1905, a large group of army officers assaulted the editorial office of the weekly satirical magazine Cu-Cut! because officials complained that Catalanists were making jokes about a new colonial defeat in North Africa, thus offending the honor of defending the homeland.
Enric Prat de la Riba i Serra (1870-1917): A Catalan politician. In 1891, he was elected secretary of the Catalanist Union. He was a leading Catalan agitator, joined the Catalan National Center, helped create the Regionalist League (1901), and became editor of the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya. In 1907, he was elected president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, and in 1914, he became the first president of the Commonwealth of Catalonia.
Francesc Cambó (1876-1947): A lawyer, financier, and politician. He joined the Catalan National Center and was a founder of the Regionalist League. He was the main driving force behind Catalan Solidarity. Upon the death of Prat de la Riba, he became the leader of the League. Critical of the Republic, in 1932, he reshaped the League into a new party called the League of Catalonia.
Dictablanda: The name given to the regime of General Berenguer because it did not fundamentally change the regime introduced by Primo de Rivera. When Primo de Rivera left, King Alfonso XIII appointed General Berenguer as head of government and asked him to slowly return to constitutional normality, which he attempted to do.