19th Century Spain: War, Politics, and Social Change

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The War of Independence and its Aftermath

Pro-French: Spaniards who recognized Joseph Bonaparte as king.

Fernandina: Spaniards who remained loyal to Ferdinand VII.

Guerrillas: Armed civilians who harassed Napoleon's army and hindered its control of territory.

The War of Independence began on 2 May 1808.

The royal family was not able to organize the fight together, which is why a board was organized to create a supreme central government.

Political Instability and the Reign of Ferdinand VII

Pronunciamiento: A typical military uprising of the nineteenth century aimed at changing a particular political system.

Holy Alliance: An alliance of several European kings to deal with liberal governments.

The reign of Ferdinand VII, after his return to Spain, restored the old regime. Ferdinand ruled for 6 years. The liberals were persecuted, and many fled Spain. Those who remained were imprisoned or executed. This led to a serious internal crisis, with the state without funds and the loss of the American Empire. Ferdinand's attempts to end the crisis failed. As Ferdinand had no sons, his daughter Isabel was to reign. However, many Spaniards opposed this, leading to the Carlist Wars, which Queen Isabel II eventually won.

The Reign of Isabel II and the Rise of Liberalism

During the reign of Isabel II, the liberal political system was consolidated.

As Isabel was a minor, there was a period of introducing liberalism. Her mother was the first Regent, but she resigned shortly after clashing with the progressives. General Espartero was proclaimed king, but he also resigned due to conflicts with both progressives and moderates. Isabel II was then proclaimed Queen of Spain at only 13 years old.

During the early years of Isabel's reign, the government was moderate. During those years, a new constitution was approved. General Narvaez was the strongest figure. After the Vicalvaro uprising, the government was led by progressives like Espartero. The new government initiated a new process of secularization and adopted the law on railways. This led to a major economic improvement, but by 1866, the monarchy of Isabel II was in a serious crisis.

Disentailment: The seizure and sale of state assets from other institutions.

Regency: When a monarchy is ruled by someone other than the rightful king due to disability.

The Final Crisis of the Reign of Isabel II

Factors Leading to the Crisis:

  • Riots in the countryside and cities caused by economic problems and hunger.
  • The queen's increasing unpopularity due to her scandalous lifestyle.
  • Liberals, Republicans, and Democrats were excluded from power and were unhappy.

Cantonal Movement: Aimed at the creation of sovereign states and provinces within Spain.

The First Republic was born with serious problems and only lasted eleven months.

Mayorazgo: Land linked to a noble family that could not be sold or surrendered.

Social Changes in the 19th Century

In the nineteenth century, the population grew and Spain urbanized. Society transitioned from a class-based system to a class society.

The Spanish population increased due to improvements in hygiene and health, but not as much as in other countries. Birth rates remained high, and mortality decreased slightly, which did not allow for very high population levels.

The most advanced regions grew above the national average: Catalonia, Basque Country, Asturias, the Levant, Navarra, La Rioja, and Madrid. Citizens from other cities had to emigrate to other cities or countries such as Argentina and Cuba.

The aristocracy was made up of nobles who had lost their manorial rights.

The bourgeoisie was composed of the owners of factories and financial firms.

The middle class included small business owners, traders, and officials. This class was not numerous.

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