Undoing the reforms of 1931-33

• New government undermined and undid the reforms of the previous government:

  • attacked the laws that had entrenched workers' rights. - wages of industrial and agricultural workers fell
  • reversed land reform - wealthy landowners could retake the land that was confiscated and the peasants that had taken the land were evicted
  • Lerroux refused to enforce the aspects that separated the church and state
• FNTT action:


  Responded to Lerroux's agricultural policy by organising a general strike. Lerroux responded by ordering the Civil Guard to crush the strike.
• CEDA enters government:


  President Zamora had attempted to keep CEDA politicians out of Lerroux's government.
• CEDA enters government:


  Zamora had good reason for wanting to exclude CEDA from government.
• CEDA enters government:


  First, CEDA deputies had refused to swear loyalty to the republic.
• CEDA enters government:


  Second, Zamora, like many outside CEDA, suspected that Gil-Robles and CEDA intended to turn Spain into a dictatorship akin to Mussolini's Italy or Hitler's Germany.
• CEDA enters government:


  Finally, in 1934 the PSOE's leader Largo Caballero, proposed an armed uprising if CEDA were to enter a Spanish government.
• CEDA enters government:


  However, which such a large number of deputies in the cortes, excluding CEDA provided difficult to maintain.
• CEDA enters government:


  In October 1934 Gil-Robles threatened to withdraw CEDA's support for the new government in the cortes unless CEDA members were given positions in the government.
• CEDA enters government:


  CEDA was the largest group in the cortes and therefore a withdrawal of its support would have destroyed the government. As a result, Zamora was forced to reconsider. In order to save the government he allowed CEDA to enter the governing coalition.
• CEDA enters government:


  The new coalition would include three CEDA ministers, responsible for labour, justice and agriculture respectively.
• The threat of a revolution:

  On hearing that CEDA was about to enter the government, Largo Caballero repeated his threat of revolution. His talk of revolution was part of a broader move on the Spanish left away from democracy towards more radical measures.
• The threat of a revolution:

  The 1933 election defeat had radicalised the Spanish left.
• The threat of a revolution:

  The failure of democracy to deliver meaningful reform persuaded many socialists that they should abandon democracy and embrace democracy.
• The threat of a revolution:

  The PSOE's promise to initiate a revolution was half-hearted. None of the leaders of the PSOE expected Zamora to allow CEDA to enter government.
• The threat of a revolution:

  Largo Caballero misjudged the situation, but felt unable to back down. Zamora's decision to allow CEDA members into Lerroux's government prompted the socialists to stage the revolution they had been threatening.