The Spanish Republica

1. The Spanish Republica

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The Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939) was the second period in Spanish history in which the election of both the positions of Head of State and Head of government were in the hands of the people. The First Spanish Republic was from 1873– 1874.
The Second Republic was an attempt to modernize Spain, to reach the level of development of other European countries.

The traditional, conservative elite, composed of the agrarian and financial oligarchy, and traditionally allied with the Spanish church and the army, were unwilling to any of their privileges and power, and opposed the Republic from the start.

The Second Republic began on 14 April 1931 after the abdication of King Alfonso XIII, following local and municipal elections in which republican candidates won the majority of votes in urban areas. The abdication led to a provisional government under Niceto Alcalá Zamora, and a constituent Cortes to draw up a new constitution, adopted on 9 December 1931. This led to a republican-socialist government under Manuel Azaña.

2. The Spanish Republica: reforms

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The first president was Niceto Alcalá Zamora (1931 – 1936). The Basques and the Catalans claimed independence but did not actually immediately receive even the autonomy they wanted.

The Reformist Biennium tried to carry out reforms in the political sphere and as well as in the social and the economical ones.

Some of their main tasks were:

1. Writing the 1931 Constitution.-link-
2. Separation Church and State
3. Military reform
4. An agrarian reform
5. Culture -link- /Schools- link-
6. Autonomous governments: Statute in Catalonia and the Basque Country
7. Universal suffrage, even for women.(link) (article 36)

3. The Spanish Republica: 1933-1939

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New elections on 19 November 1933, after the Casas Viejas affair, led to a right-wing victory, nominally led by the centrist radical Alejandro Lerroux but dependent on the parliamentary support of the CEDA, Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas a party led by José María Gil Robles with support ranging from Christian Democrats to fascists. The entry of three CEDA ministers into the government on 1 October 1934 led to armed rebellions by socialists and anarchists in Asturias and Catalonia on 6 October; Spanish nationalists later pointed at this as an indication that left-wing republicans only supported democracy when they won elections, thus justifying a similar approach from the right. During this time, the government expended great efforts to annul the social gains that had been made in the previous years, especially in agrarian reform.

The Straperlo scandal undermined the confidence in centrist republican parties and led to polarization and the Conservative or Black Biennium ended.

The establishment of a popular front by left-wing parties enabled the left to regain power at elections on 16 February 1936, installing Manuel Azaña as the second president (1936 – 1939).