Second Spanish Republic
The
Second Spanish Republic (
1931 –
1939) was the second and last 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 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.
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
Straperlo scandal undermined the confidence in
centrist republican parties and led to
polarization.
Despite the brevity of its existence, the Second Spanish Republic achieved stunning developments on many fields, that surprised the world and placed Spain at the vanguard in many social and cultural matters. The
agrarian reform, the introduction of
female suffrage, numerous advances in legislative subjects of all sorts, an effective separation of powers, a strong promotion for worker's rights, widespread improvements in the education and health systems, the complete and successful secularization of the Spanish state, a strong promotion of the arts and culture as well as many scientific developments, could be counted among the Republic's many successes.
Not everything was positive though. Freedom of speech was instaurated but restricted in practice if deemed as "antirrepublican" by the Government. This resulted in the shut down of more than a hundred newspapers. Religious practices were restricted in practice and many Christians were executed for attending mass. The renewed secularisation of the State resulted many times in plain anti-Christianism. The fine line between spread of wealth and respect for private property was repeatedly broken. And the leftist Government was unable to control the increasingly lawlessness, radicalism and violence of its most powerful factions, namely the Socialists, Communists, Anarchists and other authoritarian leftists.
These political and social changes and the increasing radicalisation of left wing political forces would progressively widen the deep rift in Spanish society. Previously under-privileged social actors such as
labour unions, left-wing parties, workers, poor peasants and anarchist groups felt suddenly encouraged by the government's actions that provided them with new rights that they had previously been unable to enjoy. At the same time, the big landowners, the upper classes, the most reactionary faction of the army, and the heads of the
Catholic Church in Spain (the traditional priviledged members and elite rulers of the Spanish society), along with wider sectors of Spanish society like plain Catholics and non-leftists, started to feel a sense of lack of freedom, legal and phisical insecurity that continued to wide the rift between what started to become the "2 Spains".
This division of the Spanish society would continue to widen, as the impatience of left-wing groups and the poorer social classes would evolve into a virtual revolution against clerics, landowners, monarchists, christians, conservatives and other non-leftist. Some groups, such as the
POUM or the
CNT, would start to collectivize factories and farms by force, and commit political assassinations against what were perceived as "enemies of the people". Groups such as the
Spanish Phalanx or the
Carlists would retaliate and attack left-wing groups, carrying out bombings and political assassinations against left-wing parties, syndicates and anarchist politicians.
The
Popular Unity government would become weakened from internal dissention, as well. Some of the parties supporting the Popular Unity coalition would accuse the others of being either excessively reformist and centrist, or excessively radical, violent and impatient.This, combined with nationalist desires of greater autonomy from the different Spanish regions, right-wing reaction, and political turmoil and lawlessness fomented from both right and left sides of the spectrum, would eventually prevent the republic from overcoming this deep rift between the factions of the Spanish society, reaching from fascist Falangists to monarchists, conservative liberals, left liberals, socialists, communists and Anarcho-Syndicalists.
New elections on
19 November 1933 led to a
right-wing victory, nominally led by the centrist
radical Alejandro Lerroux but dependent on the
parliamentary support of the
CEDA, 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
coups d'état by socialists and
anarchists in
Asturias and
Catalonia on
6 October. Miners in Asturia revolted, occupying
Oviedo, leading to the death of about 40 people. The uprising was put down by force by General
Francisco Franco following orders from the relevant Government authorities. The Uprising and its suppression divided the nation.
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.
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).
The Republic suffered a terrible crisis when a group of leftists went to the home of the conservative parlamentarian leader Gil Robles, presumably to execute him. The didn't find him there, and went instead to the home of Jose Calvo Sotelo, another conservative parlamentarian, kidnapped him and shot him. This took the frustration and sense of insecurity in non-leftist sections of Spanish society to the limit.
General Franco and other army officers attempted a coup on
18 July 1936, which was the start of the
Spanish Civil War, this can be seen as the prelude of the
Second World War because of the direct military aid to Franco's forces by
Fascist Italy and the
German Nazi Condor Legion where they tried out weapons and tactics, including the first destruction of a town by aircraft bombardment at
Guernica. The Republic, under military
boycott by
Britain and
France, was militarily inferior to Franco's
Nazi-aided forces and dependent for aircraft and tanks upon
Stalin's distant
USSR and for some of its front line troops upon
International Brigades comprising
socialist volunteers from around the world and Spanish anarchist
militias. The Republic though, controllled the richest and most industrial parts of Spain (Basque Country, Madrid and Catalonia). They also controlled the financial institutions and the totality of Spain's currency and gold reserves, which they ended up donating to Stalin. During the time, the Republican government became a satellite of the Soviet Union. Azaña's government lasted until February 1939, though with control over a gradually reducing proportion of Spain. The Republic formally fell when General Franco and his troops took
Madrid on
April 1, 1939, with the assistance of Franco's "
fifth column". Most Republican leaders fled Spain for France, the Soviet Union, and Latin America.
A
dictatorship (
Franquismo) was established. During this period, Franco declared Spain to be a
monarchy, but kept himself as
regent to the throne. Only 36 years later, on Franco's death in
1975, did Spain revert to a royal head of state. During Franco's government, Spain progressed economically to reach standards of living that had been unkown for centuries. After the initial repression inmediately after the Civil War, there were no significant uprisings nor repression for many years. Once Franco died, Adolfo Suarez, one of the most prominent figures of the Franco regime was democratically elected to be Spain's first democratic Prime Minister for decades, simbolising the smooth transition from the debilitated and liberalised Franco regime of latter years and the new beginning that democracy brought to the Spanish people.
Many authors emphasize that the Spanish Republic should be remembered not by the political turmoil and social divisions that marked its time, nor by the fascist reaction and repression that followed it, but by the strong priority that its successive governments gave to the arts, to culture, to free speech, to social equality, to defend the rights and welfare of women, children, workers and the poor, the weakest and most unprotected sectors of its time.The Republic made a bet in favour of the defence of public spaces as the fundamental scenario of Spanish life and development, assuming the need to match the living conditions of rural and urban populations, and developing politics in promotion of equality, not only among individuals, but also among the richest and the poorest regions of the country.
Nowadays, the re-establishment of a democratic republic in Spain is a cause embraced by numerous left-wing and
anti-monarchist groups, even though most of the mainstream political parties don't endorse the idea. The Second Spanish Republic is remembered in Spain and Latin America as the representative of an entire generation of activists, emmigrants (or immigrants, depending on the country), artists and intellectuals, and as a
cause célèbre that failed due to the reactionary nature of many sectors of Spanish society, the inactivity of the international community, and the interference of the fascist governments of
Italy and
Germany. For such reasons, the Nationalist victory in the
Spanish Civil War and the abolition of the Republic are regarded by many as the first defeat of democracy, and a prelude of what was about to happen in the rest of Europe.
*
Constitución de la República Española (1931)*
Pro-Republic, 75th Anniversary Manifiesto (Spanish)
*
Original article from the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in "The Guardian" archives*
Account of the history of the republic and the victory of the Popular Front in elections
