Spain 1900-1939

To start

• Do you remember what was the situation in Spain at

the end of 19th century?

• Political:
• Economic:
• Social:
• Cultural:
 CONTENTS
• 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII
• 1.1. The reign of Alphonso XIII until WWI
• 1.2. From the crisis of 1917 to 1923
• 1.3. Miguel Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship (1923-1930)
• 2. THE SECOND REPUBLIC
• 2.1. Provisional government
• 2.2. Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
• 2.3. Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)
• 2.4. The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic
(1936)
• 3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)
 GLOSSARY

• Cacique
• CNT
• Tragic Week
• Dictatorship
• CEDA
• Popular Front
• Manuel Azaña
• International Brigades
• Militiaman
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
The reign of Alfonso XIII until WWI

He was really marked by the Crisis of 1898 and he wanted to

make very deep reforms in Spain; it was the so-called
Regenerationism.
He intervened in politics directly.

During the first part of his reign the peaceful

alternation of political parties went on:
Conservative Party & Liberal Party
Elections were manipulated
Other political parties did not have any chance to
govern

Political oposition:
-PSOE: Pablo Iglesias was the first socialist
deputy elected (1910)
-Radical Republican Party
-Regionalist (PNV & LLiga)
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
The reign of Alfonso XIII until WWI

Political & social reforms:

Law of Mancomunidades Creation of regional associations

Legal recognition for trade unions: UGT (socialist) CNT (Anarchist)
Some advances in workers conditions (8h working day, pension (not universal)

Aim: Regain prestige

Colonial problems:
- Spain tried to acquire new colonies in North Africa
Created new problems
-Tragic week:
The government wanted to raise 40,000 more soldiers for that war.
A major revolt rose up in Barcelona to protest for that recruiting since it just affected lower-class people.
Many people took part in this revolt and the trade unions led it.
Some churches were burnt and barricades were erected on the streets.
The government undertook a major repression of the revolt by
sending the army.
-Protectorate established in 1912

Vídeo explicativo semana trágica

 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
The reign of Alfonso XIII until WWI

Economy:

More industrialised society But less than other European countries

Migration from countryside to cities (Madrid, Bilbao & Barcelona)
There was economic prosperity associated to the Spanish neutrality, which
allowed a major industrial growth.
Prices rose during WWI.
Spanish industry did not restructure after the end of WWI and that caused an
important recession…..
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
From the crisis of 1917 to 1923

After the WWI Spain suffered an economic crisis

General strikes. They took place in August.

Workers were mobilized by the Anarchist Trade Union (CNT) and the Socialist Trade Union (UGT).
They protested against how prices rose due to the industrial speculation during WW.
The army stifled the revolts that were associated to the strikes. The leaders were imprisoned
A government of national concentration was formed in order to face this crisis.
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
From the crisis of 1917 to 1923

After the WWI Spain suffered an economic crisis

General strikes. They took place in August.

Workers were mobilized by the Anarchist Trade Union (CNT) and the Socialist Trade Union (UGT).
They protested against how prices rose due to the industrial speculation during WW.
The army stifled the revolts that were associated to the strikes. The leaders were imprisoned
A government of national concentration was formed in order to face this crisis.
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
From the crisis of 1917 to 1923

During the Moroccan War the Disaster of Annual (July 1921) shocked all Spain:

General Silvestre led some troops that went from Melilla to Alhucemas.
The Moroccan leader Abd el Krim ambushed the Spanish troops and killed 10,000 soldiers and
captured other 4,000.
Major protests rose in Spain to protest against the government, the army, and the Crown.
An official investigation was carried out and the final report was published in 1923. Many military
officers and the King himself seemed to have some links with the disaster in Morocco
Entrada al campamento de Monte Arruit 1921
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
Miguel Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship (1923-1930)

Miguel Primo de Rivera staged a coup d’état in Barcelona on 13 September 1923 and
imposed a dictatorship. Had the following characteristics:

Approval of the king

At first many different sectors of society supported it: Army, Church, business owners, UGT….
Only one party: Patriotic Union
Suppressed protest, regionalist (Mancomunidad of Cataluña was abolished) and Anarchist
organizations
The Moroccan War ended (1926) thanks to some military campaigns with French assistance that
followed the Alhucemas Landing

Alfonso
XIII with
Primo de
Miguel Rivera
Primo de and other
Rivera militaries
 1- The Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902-1931)
Miguel Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship (1923-1930)

From 1928 onwards, the dictatorship faced growing opposition

Primo de Rivera wanted to remain in the power Political parties wanted to restore the Cortes
Intellectuals and universities claimed against the censorship
Some members of the army were dissatisfied with the system of promotion
Great depression brought economic problems
Alfonso XIII withdrew his support to Primo de Rivera.

Primo de Rivera finally resigned in 1930

 The king tried to go back to
a parliamentary monarchy but the
Opposition against him had growth
a lot due to his support to the
Dictatorship.

“…somos nosotros, y no el régimen mismo; nosotros gente de la calle,

de tres al cuarto y nada revolucionarios, quienes tenemos que decir a
nuestro conciudadanos: ¡Españoles, vuestro Estado no existe!
¡Reconstruidlo!
Delenda est Monarchia”
Ortega y
Gasset
 There were municipal elections in April 1931

Republicans in coalition with the

Socialists, made the elections a real
plebiscite against the monarchy which
was identified with the dictatorship

The expectation in the country was

huge and the turnout was very high
(70%)

Enfermo acudiendo a votar en 1931

 Elecciones
municipales,
12 de abril 1931
Monarchists and conservatives got
more councilors. But Republicans won
in 41 of the
50 provincial capitals
 Proclamation of the II República Española

Puerta del Sol, Madrid

Alcalá Zamora

•Proclamación de la II República vídeo

 Once Alfonso XIII abdicated and the 2nd Republic was
proclaimed a provisional government was established to rule
Spain, which was composed of several tendencies:

1 12
2 11
4 3 10
9
Former monarchists 5 8
6 7
Traditional republicans

Socialists:

Regionalists:

This government was presided over by

Niceto Alcalá-Zamora

The Second Republic can be divided into 3 periods:

Ññ
•2.2. Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

Azaña vota en las elecciones a Cortes Constituyentes

The victory was for the Republican-Socialist coalition

•La II República vídeo

•2.2. Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

The 1931 Constitution was very

advanced but it was not agreed between
parties of left and right.
Its provisions on religious matters did
not have the support of Catholics.
The result of consensus of Free and compulsory Private property expropriation
Republicans and Socialists, primary education but for social utility
but without the support
of right-wing parties

Territorial organization:
autonomies within
Democratic, progressive
a comprehensive state
and secularist ideology

Extensive
rights & freedoms
An extensive and detailed
Constitution (125 art)
Universal suffrage.
Women's suffrage

Popular
sovereignty Form of government:
Divorce.
Very sharp Republic
Civil marriage
division of powers President of the Republic
elected by Parliament
every 6 years
 Principales partidos políticos y sindicatos de izquierda en la 2ª República

Largo Caballero

Lluis Companys Julián Besteiro

Ángel Pestaña Federica Montseny

ACCIÓN-IZQUIERDA REP. Azaña Marcelino Domingo

José Díaz Dolores Ibarruri (Pasionaria

Martínez Barrios

Francesc Maciá Lluis Companys

ORG. REPUBLICANA
GALLEGA Casares Quiroga

PARTIDO OBRERO DE
UNIFICACIÓN MARXISTA Andreu Nin
 Principales partidos políticos de derechas en la Segunda República

PARTIDO
REPUBLICANO RADICAL
Conservative Centrista /Lerroux
Radical right/
Calvo Sotelo
Gil Robles

FALANGE
ESPAÑOLA
Fascista
J. A. Primo de Rivera
MonárquicoPemán
/ y Maeztu

J.O.N.S.

JUNTAS DE OFENSIVA
NACIONAL SINDICALISTA
PNV, Republicano Fascistas Redondo
J. Antonio Aguirre Ledesma

Monárquicos , carlistas,
Cambó
Integristas Alfonso Carlos de Borbón Fal Conde
 2-The second Republic
2.2. Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
The Reformist Biennium was governed by the left-parties, although the Parliament
elected Niceto Alcalá-Zamora as President of the Republic, who belonged to the
republican right-wing parties

The government was presided over by Manuel Azaña,

who made a coalition with other left-wing parties

Many reforms were promoted

by the new government:

Alcalá-Zamora Manuel Azaña

 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

Military reforms. He tried to build a professional

army and democratic adept to the Republic and
subject to civilian power, reducing the number of
officers.

Many members of the army opposed this change, specially

the militaries in Africa such as Franco, Mola or Sanjurjo.
Assault Guard, a urban police force, defender of the Republic was
created.
 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

Secularisation of the State

-The Jesuits were expelled from Spain.

-Cemeteries were secularised and controlled by the
State.
- The Catholic Church would not be funded by the
State.
- Religious orders could not teach any more.
- The Divorce Act was passed by the Cortes.
- Civil marriage was legalised

Anticlericalism was promoted by leftist forces

(anarchist, communist and socialist)
 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
Agrarian reform.

Spain was a rural country: more than 45% of

active population was half agricultural
laborers and landless or small farmers.

The economic crisis of the 30s aggravates unemployment

and triggered intense politicization of the peasantry,
framed in anarchist ranks (CNT) and socialist (UGT)

Cuadrilla de segadores
 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
Land Reform Law (1932) large agricultural estates were expropriated, so they
could be broken up and given to the poor, landless farmers.

Problems:

-Landowners opposed this policy

-Its slow implementation caused a discontent among the rural working class
 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

Education policy.
Illiteracy exceeds 50% and the Republic opted for the
free, secular and liberal public compulsory
education.
In two years, 14,000 schools were built, 7,000
teachers were hired and the number of schools
doubled.
Religious education in schools was banned

Educational missions, theaters and mobile libraries were created to bring culture
to rural areas.
Education in the Second Republic. Vídeo
 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
Territorial reforms. Statute of autonomy for Cataluña. País Vasgo got its own statute when the Civil War started

This situation was rejected by the right and presented as

the disintegration of the motherland unity.
 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
Labor reforms.

New laws forced businesses to negotiate working conditions and wages with trade unions
Working week was reduced to 40 hours and 6 days
Wages were increased

Largo Caballero.
Labour Minister

Business owners rejected these changes

 2.2 Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)

Some problems arose during the Reformist Biennium since there was a strong opposition from
some groups

Right wing:
•General Sanjurjo led a coup d’état on 18 August
1932 in Seville, which was completely unsuccessful. He
was forced to exile in Lisbon.
• Monarchists also opposed the new regime.
• Extreme-right parties:
José Antonio Primo de Rivera created Falange
Española as a copy of the Italian Fascist Party.
 Ramiro Ledesma founded the Juntas de Ofensiva
Nacional Sindicalista (JONS).
Sanjurjo en Sevilla el día del golpe y
durante el juicio
Anarchists:
FAI (Federación Anarquista Ibérica) proposed revolutions in Spain through strikes.
There was a major rebellion at Casas Viejas (Cádiz, January 1933), which was put
down by the Guardia Civil. 22 people died.
These crises and revolts caused a government crisis and Azaña
decided to call for new legislative elections for a new government.
 The elections of November 1933 were marked by the reorganization of rights,
women vote for the first time in Spain and the campaign for abstention by
anarchists.

Campaña electoral: Calvo Sotelo (Renovación Española ) Gil Robles (CEDA) Lerroux (P.
Radical)
Propaganda anarquista por la
abstención

Mitin de Azaña (Izquierda

Republicana)

Moneda de 10 cts. resellada

Mitin de Indalecio Prieto (PSOE)

Election results in November 1933: Victory of Rights

Uno
 2.3. Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)

Alcalá Zamora, presidente

de la República

Lerroux, presidente
del gobierno

El lema de su partido: “Familia, orden, trabajo, propiedad, religión y patria”

 2.3. Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)

The government formed by radical Republicans and independents supported by the CEDA,
suspended the previous reform legislation
 2.3. Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)

October 1934 Revolution:

• It took place in the Basque Country and in Asturias, where it was extremely radical.
In Asturias the Trade Unions UGT and CNT formed an alliance to put the bourgeois
Republic into an end
• Catalan Republic proclaimed – Generalitat disolved
The army quelled the uprising, with a balance of
1,500 dead and brutal repression. Franco
commanded the operations of the army

The consequences
were tragic
and mistrust
between left and right
was replaced by
a mutual fear and hatred
growing
For a week, Asturias lived a real civil war. The revolutionaries controlled Avilés,
Mieres, Trubia and Gijon.Oviedo besieged.
 2.3. Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)

The increasing tension and many cases of corruption brought about new
elections in February 1936

The Left parties, who had learned the lesson of their

disunity in 1933, constituted a major electoral coalition
called "Popular Front". Included Left Republicans,
socialists, communists and nationalist Catalan and
Galician.
Wanted to go back the first biennium reforms and
amnesty for prisoners of the revolution of October 34.
 Elecciones del 16 de febrero de 1936

Rights, around the CEDA, Renovación Española, Partido Agrario, Renewal

and Partido Carlista.
Its aim was to achieve an absolute majority to amend the constitution.
The centrist Radical Party was in full decomposition.
 The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic (1936

Azaña as leader of the Popular Front, formed a government again.

It was made entirely of Republicans left,
as socialists and communists were limited to support it.
Tras
 The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic (1936)

Azaña was proclaimed President of the Republic

The new government tried to implement the reforms that had started during the Reformist Biennium

Reinstatement of the Catalan Generalitat

Amnesty for political prisoners of the revolution of
1934
Intensification of Land Reform.

Ideological radicalization Increasing number of protest and violent clashes

between left wing and right wing followers:
The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic (1936)

Attacks on convents
and churches burning
 The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic (1936)
Extreme right also participated in crispation, organized, now unified paramilitary groups of fascist
ideology:
Spanish Falange and JONS initiated a terrorist spiral through so-called "blue shirts".

José Antonio, Ledesma y Ruiz de Alda

 The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic (1936)
The pre-war climate: Killings of Lt. Castillo and Calvo Sotelo:
July 12 was killed in Madrid by extreme right-wing gunmen Lt. Assault Guard, José del
Castillo, instructor of socialist militias. His funeral took place in a climate of great tension
and became
a leftist spontaneous demonstration against the violence of right-wing gunmen.

Velatorio y entierro del teniente

Castillo
 The Popular Front and the end of the 2nd Republic (1936)
The pre-war climate: Killings of Lt. Castillo and Calvo Sotelo:
At dawn the next day, in retaliation, police co-Castillo, led by a captain of the Civil Guard,
kidnapped and murder Calvo Sotelo, leader of the monarchists.

Cadáver de Calvo Sotelo abandonado en el depósito

del cementerio de la Allmudena

Also his funeral took place in an

atmosphere of great tension and excitement of the right groups

The incident cleared doubts and

accelerated preparations for
the conspiracy against
the republic by conservatives
and a large section of the army.
 El clima pre-bélico

Viñeta publicada en 1936 en el semanario derechista “Gracia y

Justicia”

Public disorder, that the government was unable to control, street clashes between paramilitary groups
extreme left and right, along with the climate of pre-revolutionary agitation of anarchists and some
socialists,
drove the Republic to a dead end. The country, deeply divided into two irreconcilable
banks and convinced to carry out their solutions by force was, like Indalecio Prieto, said
"the ideal situation that needs fascism to flourish,". Indeed, the military conspiracy that had
brewing for months, materialized on July 17, 1936 with the revolt of the army of
Africa.
3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)

Coup d'etat and the division of Spain 18th July 1936

Accepted by the church, part of the army, carlistas,

monarchics, conservatives and nationals
Nationals in: Castille, Galicia, Cáceres, Navarre, parts of
Andalusia, Balearics and the Canary Islands
Xunta de Defensa Nacional in Burgos
Republicans in: most of Aragon, North of Spain,
Catalonia, Levante, Madrid and most of Andalusia.
Milicias populares

•¿Cómo empezó la guerra civil española?

3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)

The Civil War outside Spain divided international public opinion

•Conference: France and Britain – no interference

• Outside support:

• Republicans

USSR
Many intellectuals supported the Republic
International Brigades

• Nationals

Fascist Italy and Germany

3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)
La Guerra Civil 1936 vídeo

• Evolution of the Spanish Civil War - 3 phases:

Campaign around Madrid (July 1936-
March 1937)
• Moroccan army to Madrid
• International Brigades
– Battle of Jarama (Feb 1937)
– Battle of Guadalajara (March 1937)
3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)

• Evolution of the Spanish Civil War - 3 phases:

The North Front (April-October 1937):

• Franco's army to the North

• Cantabrian coast- Guernica
• Republicans attacked Brunete
and Belchite.
3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)

• Evolution of the Spanish Civil War - 3 phases:

The end of the War (October 1937-April

1939):

• East and Teruel

• Battle of Ebro

• Catalonia was isolated

• Barcelona was seized

 3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)

• Life during the War::

• Years of hunger, death and fear

• Rationing after the War
• People afraid of bombs
• Reprisals in both sides
• Imprisoned and murdered ofleft-wing
leaders
• Supporters of nationals killed by
republicans (nuns,
priests...)
• Executions in both sides
• Common graves
• Refugees
• Children of the War
Children of war video
3- THE CIVIL WAR (1936-1939)

• CONSECUENCES:

• 500,000 casualties

• Many people in exile

• Devastated country

• Establishment of a dictatorship that

lasted until 1975