Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for History for Baccalaureate

Radical-CEDA Biennium (1933-1936)

With the victory of the center-right, the President instructed the government to make radical changes. Lerroux acted against Gil Robles and the CEDA, considering its political discourse too totalitarian and sympathetic to fascism. Agrarian reform was paralyzed with the Reform Act of Agrarian Reform. The delivery process of land was stopped, rural settlers were expelled, and expropriated land was returned to its former owners. Moreover, the freedom of contract and wage setting in the countryside was decreed.

Military reform was arrested, and key military positions were given to Goded, Cabanellas, Mola, and Franco, some well-known anti-republicans. Religious and educational policy also underwent radical change....

Agrarian Reform

The Agrarian Reform was initially applied in 1932 to the estates of southern Spain. It was later extended to the whole country. Small and medium landowners strongly opposed the reforms, which were implemented very slowly. The central government reform was not satisfactory for anyone.

Labor Reforms

These reforms were the work of Largo Caballero. They created a new framework for relations between employers and workers and established a labor law for the agricultural sector. The main measures were:

• The Law of Labor Contracts
• The Law of Mixed Juries
• The Law of Municipal Terms
• The Law of Compulsory Tillage
• The Law of Accidents in the Field
• The imposition of an eight-hour workday in agriculture

Other reforms, such as the Worker Intervention...

The Moderate Decade (1845-1854)

Supported by the bourgeoisie, the reactionary moderates returned to power. They enacted new laws, limiting progressive influence and restoring the relationship with the Church by signing the Concordat of 1851. The Holy See was weakened by the confiscation of Mendizabal. With a centralized policy, they unified the rights of the tax system and education and created the Civil Guard. The Constitution of 1845 was quickly adopted to uphold the principles of liberalism based on a census. It established shared sovereignty between the courts and the king, a bicameral system where the Senate was composed of members appointed by the king for life, and the House of Representatives was composed of members elected by a vote...

Spain and the First World War: The Crisis of 1917

In 1913, the conservative government of Eduardo Dato was formed. Spain maintained a position of neutrality in the European conflict. Spanish society, however, was divided, taking sides with one or the other opponent, resulting in strong controversy:

• Germanophiles: The upper classes, the Church, the Army, and even the King favored the Central Empires (Germany and Austria), representatives of authority and order.
• Allied Supporters: Those with more progressive leanings favored the Allied powers (France and England), who had ideals of democracy.

Neutrality favored a major economic expansion, and Spain became a supplier of industrial and agricultural products to all belligerents. This brought increased...

Cortes of Cadiz

The Central Board, amidst the power vacuum caused by the King's absence, assumed sovereignty and decided to reform the country's government by convening Parliament. A Regency was appointed in 1810 to convene the parliament. In its first meeting, it proclaimed the principles of national sovereignty and national representation.

Ideological Trends

From an ideological standpoint, the deputies of the Cortes of Cadiz were organized into three distinct trends:

• Absolutists: Supporters of the *ancien régime*.
• Liberals: Stood for freedom, equality, and property rights.
• Jovellanistas: Represented a middle way between absolutists and liberals.

Composition and Impact

The composition of the Cortes of Cadiz, largely composed of members, favored the...

The Referendum and its Aftermath

Following the success of the 1976 referendum, the government faced challenges in consolidating the transition to democracy. Despite calls for abstention by the opposition, the referendum passed, marking a crucial step forward. However, the period following the referendum was fraught with tension and violence.

On December 23, 1976, police arrested Santiago Carrillo, the leader of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Recognizing the potential repercussions of detaining a prominent political figure, the government released Carrillo eight days later. This event highlighted the delicate balance the government had to maintain during the transition.

The government's efforts to restore democratic security and ensure free...

A Dictatorial Regime
The Franco regime was a dictatorship that, depending on international political circumstances, evolved over time. Its most notable characteristics were:

• Born as a dictatorship inspired by fascist totalitarianism.
• Abolished the 1931 Constitution, popular sovereignty, political parties, and trade unions.
• Only allowed the existence of a single party and an official union.

Franco was the leader, the "charismatic leader" who ran the state government and served as president for much of the dictatorship. Moreover, he was Generalissimo of all the armies and the national party leader. He was not an elected leader and was only answerable to God and history.

The regime had a unitary and centralist conception of the state, abolishing autonomous...

The Spanish Civil War

Causes of the War

The causes that gave rise to the Spanish Civil War include:

• Ending the chaos that existed.
• Fear of the ruling classes of being removed by a social revolution.
• European instability, which made it a prologue to World War II.

The Uprising

Emilio Mola attempted an uprising in Madrid to end the Second Republic, but failed. This prolonged the conflict, giving way to the Spanish Civil War.

Beginning of the Conflict

The war started on July 17, 1936, in Morocco, where Franco was in charge. The next day, it extended to the Iberian Peninsula.

• Conservative ideology regions (Navarra, Galicia, and Castilla y León) supported the uprising.
• In Andalusia, the rebels came to power, albeit precariously.
• The uprising in Madrid and Barcelona

Renaissance Architecture

General Overview

Renaissance architecture, grounded in reason and numerical principles, moved away from purely technical considerations. It drew inspiration from classical antiquity, incorporating elements like capitals, pilasters, columns, and arches. Colored marble adorned the structures, and windows were transformed, often framed by columns or pilasters supporting triangular pediments. Wooden ceilings were replaced with barrel vaults, domes, or groin vaults. Churches adopted central (Greek cross) or basilica plans. Homes for the nobility and bourgeoisie gained prominence, exemplified by palaces with central courtyards, towers, and rooms arranged around a central axis, featuring ornate windows, cornices, and grand...

Economic and Social Developments in 17th Century Spain

Economic and Social Developments in the Seventeenth Century: Generally, one can speak of an economic depression with a mild recovery in the last third of the century (during the reign of Charles II).

• Agriculture: Productivity was very low due to a lack of manpower and archaic methods. The areas of irrigation show the impact of the expulsion of the Moors.
• Husbandry: There was a major decline in transhumance due to the difficulty of exporting wool.
• Industry: Since the previous century, Spain lost competitiveness compared to northern Europe due to inflation and the rising crisis in wages. From 1620, there was a decline in the interior wool textile industry.
• Commerce: Trade was hampered by poor