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.