| Hello
and welcome to the final, volatile years preceding the outbreak of civil war.
We left off last week in 1931, just as the Second Republic had taken over the
reigns of government from the defunct parliamentary monarchy. Not surprisingly
(for those of us aided by hindsight), political and social tensions began to make
themselves felt almost immediately after the inception of the new regime. Certain
controversial reforms, most notably the Agrarian Reform, as well as the institution
of what, at that time, was considered ultra-modern legislation (i.e. the separation
of Church and State, freedom of religion, universal suffrage, the right to divorce,
etc.) caused the extreme right to conspire against the Republic, at first erratically
and unsuccessfully, then methodically though still unsuccessfully, and finally
militarily and effectively. Before going on to examine the
specific content of these radical new measures, it will first be helpful to block
out the Republic’s general path of development - which can best be described
as a brave and rocky road to defeat. An Overview within
an Overview The Second Republic based its political
function on the Constitution of 1931, the existence of a wide array of parties,
and regular elections to determine the members of the legislative and executive
bodies, the Parliament and the government respectively. Comprised of 125 articles,
the Constitution set forth, among other principles, the equality of all Spaniards,
the separation of Church and State, the division of powers, the right to political
autonomy within Spain’s different regions, and many fundamental points of
civil liberty. Azaña’s Reformist Biennum The
five year’s of the Republic’s existence were divided into three distinct
phases, known as the Reformist Biennium (1931-1933), the Black Biennium (1933-1935)
and the Popular Front (1936). I will give a very brief sketch of each period so
as to provide readers with a broader perspective before delving into the particular
developments of each period. The Reformist Biennium, under the presidency of Manuel
Azaña, receives its name from the ruling coalition’s attempts at profound
social and political transformation. It was during this time, for example, that
the Agrarian Reform and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy were implemented as well
as important laws that, on the one hand, protected workers and, on the other hand,
reduced the hegemony of the Church and the Army in Spanish society. The
Counter-Reform The Black Biennium is so called due
to the rise of the Partido Radical de Lerroux and CEDA, two conservative parties
that eventually formed a centre-right coalition, effectively managing to annul
the legislative opus of the previous phase. Now it was the left who, resenting
the loss of its hard-won gains under Azaña’s rule, organized a general
strike in 1934. In Asturias, this manifestation escalated into a full-scale proletariat
revolt that was bloodily repressed by military intervention. The conservative
coalition remained in power despite the incident until economic scandals and administrative
corruption caused its downfall and, subsequently, the collapse of Spain’s
entire political centre. The Popular Front In
December of 1935, Parliament was disbanded with two transition governments holding
down the fort until new elections could be held in February of 1936. The Popular
Front, a coalition of all of Spain’s left-wing parties, won the new parliamentary
majority with 287 seats out of 473. However, at that time, a majority of seats
did not necessarily translate into a majority of power, for the main strength
of the country still resided in the privileged elite, a hefty chunk of which was
comprised by the armed forces, a rather unmanageable ilk. In the early months
of 1936, with the almost total disappearance of its political centre, Spain became
diametrically polarized into two blocks, the Bloque Nacional and the Frente Popular.
Meanwhile, Azaña, who had been appointed president
of the Republic, patiently resumed the task of social reform, endeavouring once
again to institute the policies that had been annulled during the Black Biennium.
The right wing, which by this time had become nothing less than reactionary (i.e.
monarchical factions, religious factions and those determined to maintain the
country’s status quo), was categorically opposed to any action taken by the
left and quickly united behind a military conspiracy that had been brewing for
several months. Civil War Breaks Out A
climate of political uncertainty punctuated by violent confrontations between
the right and the left grew to unobtainable dimensions - a situation virtually
identical to the social panorama directly prior to Primo de Rivera’s grab
for power. The tension finally reached breaking point on 13th July, 1936 when
Calvo Sotelo, leader of the National Block, was assassinated in Madrid by left
wing activists. The shooting provoked the immediate reaction of the right and
is classically considered the spark that ignited the war. In truth, however, Calvo
Sotelo’s assassination, while significant, was simply the incident (one of
many) that fell in closest proximity to the launch time of the army’s premeditated
military coup. On the afternoon of 17th July 1936, the Generals Franco, Mola,
Yagüe and Goded, with the support of the Church and the political right,
staged an uprising against the Popular Front, thus initiating the Spanish Civil
War. Closing We will conclude
our ‘overview within an overview’ for this week, resuming next time
with the most important points of reform and counter-reform within the Second
Republic. We will also detail Franco’s military machinations, carried out
with utmost secrecy from the Canary Islands. Join us then.
Emily
Kaufman
emilykaufman@ibizahistoryculture.com
| |
