3) Years of reaction 1933-36

• • 1933 election - r/w gov, led by Alejandro Lerroux, attempted to reverse the reforms of the previous 2 years
  • l/w critics described the new gov's period as the bieno negro - 'the black years'
• • political divisions widened
  • right and left began talking about abandoning democracy
  • Gil-Robles spoke out in praise of Hitler's regime
  • PSOE - Largo Cabellero - threatened violent revolution
• • Asturias uprising - 1934 - groups on both sides who were prepared to use violence
  • right were better prepared and willing to use brutal force to suppress their opponents
  • parties of the left formed a new alliance
• • 1936 - popular front established
  • gave the left a chance of beating CEDA - left were still committed to beating democracy
  • as a result of the Asturias uprising - right were able to claim that the formation of the Popular Front was the first step towards a Marxist revolution