-
Sandhurst manifiesto
Cánovas, the leader of the future Conservative Party wrote it, where he promised a constitutional government. -
Period: to
Reign of Alfonso XII
In 1875 the monarchy was restored under the son of Isabella II, Alfonso XII of Bourbon. The following two processes made possible the Bourbon Restoration in Spain:
- The political manoeuvring of Antonio Cánovas del Castillo which helped achieve Queen Isabella II´s abdication in favour of her son Alfonso XII.
- A military revolution by General Martínez Campos in which Alfonso XII was proclaimed king. The Restoration was maintained by the regency of Maria Christina. -
PSOE is founded
Some political parties did not accept the electoral system established by the Constitution of 1876. One of them was the Spanish Socialist Workers´ Party (PSOE) which was founded by Pablo Iglesias and was consolidate by the huge surge in the labour movement during this period. -
Period: to
Regency of Maria Christina
After the death of Alfonso XII, the Restoration was maintained by the regency of Maria Christina, his wife, while their son, Alfonso XIII, was still a child -
Bases de Manresa
The Catalan nacionalism declared the following proposals in the Bases de Manresa, written by Prat de la Riba:
-Official status for the Catalan language.
-The establishment of Catalan political parties and courts.
-Catalan autonomy -
Treaty of Paris
There was a crisis in 1898. War erupted in the Pacific (the Philippines) and the Atlantic (Cuba and Puerto Rico). In both conflicts, Spanish fleets were destroyed by the US. Spanish was forced to sign the 1898 Treaty of Paris, where they recognised the Independence of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. -
Period: to
Reign of Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII acceded to the throne in a political environment characterised by the crisis of Cánovas del Catillo´s political system, the influence of regenerationism and the deaths of Cánovas and Sagasta. There were two stages divided by the crisis of 1917:
-The continued practice of party rotation (1902-1917)
-The crisis of the Cánovas system (1917-1923) Between 1923 and 1930 he supported the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. In 1930 he returned to the throne until 1931. -
Tragic week
(25 july - 2 august) The spanish occupation of its protectorate led to a war with the inhabitants of the Rif, which required reservists to be called up. This set off violent protests in Barcelona, known as the Tragic week. The harsh repression by Maura´s conservative government caused the liberals to break their pact of rotation with him. -
Disaster of Annual
(22 july 1921 - 9 august 1921)
Spain suffered a brutal defeat in the Rif war against Morocco in what was known as the Disaster at Annual, resulting in 10000 deaths and widespread public commotion, negatively influencing public opinion. -
Period: to
Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
There was a coup d´état by General Primo de Rivera on 13 September 1923, who imposed a dictatorship supported by the king.
It had two stages with two different goverments:
-The Military Directory (1923-1925)
-The Civil Directory (1925-1930). In January of 1930, there were problems due to the 1929 economic crisis so Primo de Rivera was forced to resign. -
Period: to
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Republic was proclaimed, then a provisional government was formed, made up of Republicans, socialists and nacionalists who held elections for the Constituent Cortes.
The left-wing parties won a majority and drafted the Constitution of 1931. It established rights, separation of powers... Also it defined Spain as a "Republic of workers". The Republic went through three stages:
-Reformist Biennium (1931-1933)
-Conservative Biennium (1933-1936)
-Popular Front (February - June 1936) -
Proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic
Alfonso XIII tried to go back to the parliamentar system but the citizens disapproved it. This led to significant Republican victories in the 1931 municipal elections. The king went into exile and the Second Republic was declared. -
October Revolution
The new government halted many reforms, which led to an increase in strikes and more actions by left-wing parties. CEDA then demande positions in the government. This sparked the October Revolution of 1934, which was more intense in Asturias and Barcelona. -
Tragic Spring
The political violence reached its peak in what was known as the Tragic Spring, consisting of a wave of attacks and street violence between staunch falangist, communist and anarchist activists. -
Period: to
Spanish Civil War
The coup d´état began in Melilla, Tetuan and Ceuta on 17 July 1936. The country was divided into two zones:
-The Republican zone (a social revolution took place and the government was led by Largo Caballero and later, by Juan Negrín).
-The "Nationalist" zone (Franco concentrated all the powers into one single party and finally they win the war). The objective of the insurgents was to take Madrid. The war caused many deaths and political exiles. Franco imposed a dictatorial political system. -
Bombing of Gernika
When the Civil War was moved to the Cantabrian coast, the harsh battles were reflected by the bombing of Gernika by the German air force´s Condor Legion. The German air force enabled the insurgents to control key industrial and mining areas. -
End of the Civil War
The Civil War moved to the Mediterranean, with the purpose of dividing the Republican zone in two. To prevent this, the Republicans launched an offensive known as the "Battle of Ebro" in 1938. The insurgents took Catalonia and entered Madrid with no resistence. Then the Civil War ended.
