Alfonso XIII's Manifesto: Abdication & the Second Spanish Republic

Alfonso XIII's Manifesto: A King's Farewell to Spain

This is a public text in which King Alfonso XIII, in one way or another, apologizes to Spanish society for the mistakes committed during his reign. This manifesto was published in the ABC newspaper on April 17, 1931.

Alfonso XIII's Intentions

Alfonso XIII's aim in publishing the manifesto was not just to apologize and say goodbye to Spanish society, and particularly the government, but also to dissociate himself from all the expected problems for Spain. Hence, he takes a step back but never rejects his rights as King of Spain.

The Road to Abdication

The fact that Alfonso XIII made such a decision was mainly due to the significant discontent of the population, in general, with his policy. This discontent was demonstrable in the municipal elections of April 1931. After these, Alfonso XIII decided to undertake a long journey to avoid starting a Civil War. However, the discontent of the majority of the population stemmed from three main problems:

• The dreadful situation of the working classes
• The problem of Morocco
• Catalan nationalism

But certainly, the straw that broke the camel's back was the King's acceptance of the dictatorship proposed by Primo de Rivera.

Primo de Rivera's Dictatorship and its Impact

Primo de Rivera always considered himself a monarchist, and because of that, along with the policy he pursued, Alfonso XIII was unable to avoid being linked to the dictatorship. In the second stage of the board conducted by Primo de Rivera, the King stayed out of the dictatorship, but he never came to be in opposition to it.

The Rise of Republicanism

In 1929, a social crisis struck, marking the establishment of general criticism against the dictatorship. The dictatorship was linked to the monarchy, which made some liberals, nationalists, and intellectuals become Republicans. Once in 1930, after the ouster of the dictator, the Pact of San Sebastian was made, which generally rejected the monarchy.

The Second Spanish Republic

In early 1931, the Aznar government called for an election, which caused the downfall of the monarchy and the triumph of the Republican Party. In April of that same year, the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed, a period that, in turn, included four years divided into two biennia: the Reformist and the Anti-Reformist.

The First Biennium (Reformist)

In the first biennium, the Constitution of 1931 was approved through elections won by the progressives. There were also other reforms:

• The separation of state and church
• The adoption of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
• An important agrarian reform

The Second Biennium (Anti-Reformist)

The slow speed of the reforms and pressure from conservative movements accounted for a small revolution that led to the resignation of Manuel Azaña and the call for new elections that gave victory to the conservative forces. In this way, the second biennium began, defined as anti-reformist, as there was a step back in the system of government.

The Path to Civil War

In conclusion, the Second Republic, with many changes, both progressive and regressive, resulted in an internal crisis in Spain, which led to a war, resulting in a civil war.

The International Context

At the international level, it is important to highlight the deep financial crisis that occurred in the U.S. and spread globally. The consequences of this major problem began to show in Spain in 1932.