1930-33

• Fall of the monarchy


  1. After 7 years of extremely unpopular power Miguel Primo de Rivera's economic policies caused hardships and he was dismissed by the King in 1930

  2. New dictator Dámaso Berenguer ended some of the more repressive policies to diffuse opposition - moderate policies led to the nickname 'the toothless dictatorship'
• The coup failed (initiated much earlier than planned) but Spanish socialist and liberal leaders continued to work together
• New provisional government and republic were not universally welcomed, Spanish politics had long been dominated by powerful conservative elites who wanted to retain their power
• Parties


  • Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE)
  • Spanish Communist Party
  • National Confederation of Labour (CNT)
  • Unión General de Trabajadores
  • Republican Action Party
  • Radical Republican Party
• Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE)

  • Led by Largo Caballero former plasterer
  • Believed spain was destined to become a mature capitalist democracy - exiled in dictatorship
  • Society individual rights, workers should improve their position through unions and laws that protect people's rights
  • Part of Popular Front coalition in 1936: internal divisions between the more radical and moderate factions
  • Did not believe Spain could become fully Socialist; fought for better position within Capitalism
• Spanish Communist Party


  • Divided between Soviet communism and Trotskyism
  • Anti fascist struggle during the Civil War
  • PCE was small and had little influence
• National Confederation of Labour (CNT)

  • Anarchist trade union: wanted to help anarchists cooperate across Spain and was quickly banned
  • Survived as an underground and coordinated major strikes -> General strike in 1917 caused brief standstill
  • CNT highly democratic: no paid officials, started as grass roots
  • Membership largely restricted to working people
  • Grew quickly in the 1930s: 1 million in 1933 vs 1.4 million in 1934
• Unión General de Trabajadores

  • Socialist trade union (worked closely with PSOE)
  • Biggest in madrid - grew quickly during WW1
  • Used Marxismas its ideological basis: statutory as political status
  • Did not consider class struggle as basis principle
  • Grew rapidly after 1917 and by 1920 ad 20,000 members
  • Had to compete with the anarchist trade union (CNT)
• Republican Action Party


  • Moderate republicans
  • Led by Manuel Azana
  • Middle class with anti clerical tendencies
  • Moderate centre right: protected interests of bourgeois - president
  • Separation of church and state, land reform and modernisation
  • Divisions: supported republic government vs conservative factions
• Radical Republican Party


  • Led by Alejandro Lerroux and Diego Martinez Barrio
  • Centre but opposed monarchy
  • Fairly middle class, did not support more radical social reforms of the socialist party
  • Involved in corruption scandals and thus lacked public support
• Main forces of conservatism in Spain in the 1930s

  • The Catholic Church
  • The Alfonsists and Carlists
  • The Army
  • Landowners
• The Catholic Church


  • Traditionally support the Church: Pope Pius XI liked Alphonso due to his faith and willingness to use the government to support the Church
  • Pope: extremely conservative: believed democracy would lead to socialism, atheism and communism
  • 20/30s backed extreme far right dictatorships e.g. Mussolini and Hitler to protect morality
  • Weak position: limited support in industrial working classes, anti clericalism (damage to property)
  • Second republic: laws tried to curb the Churches influence e.g. in education
  • Spanish education system not as advanced as other European countries and primary education had traditionally dominated by the Church
  • Catholic bishops opposed the new government
  • Attacks on the church led op the revival of monarchism: anti clerical policies of new government became clear and opposition began to emerge
  • Traditional links between King and Church meant supporters of the King were quick to organise in defence of Church
• The Alfonsists and Carlists


  • Disagreed over who should be the rightful King
  • Alfonists supported restoration of King Alfonso
  • Carlists supported a different branch of the Spanish Borbón dynasty
  • Two branches of the royal family fought in the Carlist War in the 19th century - defeat of Carlists and their supporters
  • Both groups were unified in their belief that the Church should be defended from the 'ungodly' republic
• The Army


  • Leadership dominated by conservatives and monarchists and Primo supporters
  • Average person: disconnected, did not help the common people and lost faith in the leaders of the army because:
  • Leading members of the army had little understanding of the needs and concerns of the Spanish poor. Views of the military did not reflect theirs
  • Military government from 1923-31 failed to improve the lives of the poor
  • Blamed the collapse of the Spanish empire from end of 19th century on the army
  • Military considered as draining spanish resources and the reason for poverty of many citizens
  • Many Spanish officers saw themselves as defenders of the traditional spanish culture and catholicism
  • 1931: military argued they had a duty defending spain from its internal enemies (Communists and anarchists)
  • 1930s: Junior officers turn against the monarchy because of policies that blocked promotions for a significant proportion of junior officers
  • Junior officers tended to be more careerist than their older superiors
• Landowners


  • Southern spain (Andalusia) farming dominated by large estates knows as latifundia
  • Workers had little protection from their employers who could hire and dismiss them at will and who wanted to maximise profits (usually at expense of workers)
  • Feared support of left wing parties - threatens their position
  • Suspicious of democracy: poor peoples would sue political power to enhance rights at expense of traditional elites
  • Election of socialist government 1931: democracy leads to socialism, undermines their political and economic interests
• Problems the Second Republic faced


  • Economic Problems
  • Social Problems
  • Education Problems
• Economic Problems


  • Spanish economy was predominantly agricultural: 46% of the Spanish workforce employed on farms. Some more advanced: Catalonia - thriving textiles industry which led to foreign trade
  • Poverty widespread even in developed areas: meant that domestic demand for industrial goods - little stimulus for economic development
  • Wages were very low - little state help to protect from extreme poverty
  • Low quality infrastructure and sanitation
  • Previous government borrowed large sums of money: budget deficit
  • Great Depression: falling exports and falling industrial production - Unemployment rose from 400,000 in 1931 to 600,000 in 1933. Worse in rural areas: 65-70% spain's unemployed lived in rural areas
  • Peseta had to be devalued reduced confidence in Spain's economy: 1928 peseta stood at 29.50 against sterling, 1930 this reached 42.10
• al reform - constitution should be in line with spain's traditional values e.g. love of church and army
• Army Reform


  • Status highly politicised 1923-31: supported highly undemocratic and repressive government
  • Republicans believed army fundamentally undemocratic - essential to cut its size and influence
  • Azana: army too powerful and inefficient but capable of interfering in politics
  • Officers forced tot ake an oath of loyalty to the republic
• Army Reform


  1. Officers early retirement and pay for full pay - 8,000

  2. 1923-30 officers who committed crimes tried and jailed

  3. Review of Promotions: power to revoke promotions awarded by Primo de rivera, 500 investigated as part of the review
• Army Reform: Half of generals and 40% officers decided to retire early
• Army reform: Removed number of right wing officers like Emilio Mola
• Army reform: Right wing newspapers presented it as campaign to 'crush the army'
• Army Reform: Did not remove all supporters: Francisco FRanco: commanding officer at Saragosa Academy when it shut down - 1928, fierce critic
• Initial Land Reforms


  • Maximum 8 hour working day for agricultural labourers
  • A legal right to pay overtime
  • Wage disputes settled by committees with representatives form both parties
  • Small tenant farmers cant be evicted from their farmers
• Law of Municipal Boundaries (April 1931)

  Required landowners to recruit workers from surrounding area rather than cheaper migrant workers
• Law of Obligatory Cultivation (May 1931)


  Aimed to increase employment by forcing landlords to use land for arable purposes - or risk confiscation
• Agricultural workers had legal rights which strengthened their position
• Socialist Landworkers Federation (FNTT) affiliated with UGT - socialist trade union
• The Agrarian Reform Law 1932


  • Aimed to address rural inequality through land redistribution
  • Institute of agrarian reform: confiscate land and give it to peasants in south
  • Landowners could only own property under 23 hectares
  • Basically a failure: acted indecisively and slowly; little funding (50 million pesetas approx. 1% of gov budget)
  • Resettled only 4,400 peasants during first year - 10% of those estimated
• New laws alienated landowners who started supporting right sign groups
• Criticism from the left: FNTT and UGT became more radical
• Led to creation of CEDA - Gil Robles - toured/campaigned in 15 villages in less tan two days in 1931
• Ceda support grew rapidly in reformed areas: Castille, Aragon and parts of Andalucia
• CEDA claimed reforms would drive down prices of wheat and plunge into poverty vs. reality - higher profit for large landowners vs little change to small farms
• Right wing press campaign against agriculture minister Marcelino Domingo - blamed policies not long term problems
• Left Wing Response and Repression: Welcomed Policies

  • Nationalisation of banks, railways, mines and forests
  • Legalisation of divorce
  • Legal protection of civil rights
  • Separation of Church and state
• Disagreements: Parliamentary democracy form of bourgeois government
• Frustrations at slow space of change: UGT, FNTT and anarchist CNT initiated strike
• Pasai Basque Country, May 1931


  Representatives of PSOE ask for strikers to wait for reforms, CNT says its similar to Rivera's dictatorship, Civil guard sent to break the strike, 8 killed - UGT becomes more radical