The Cantonal Insurrection and Federalism in 1873 Spain

The Federal Experience

After the brief tenure of Figueras, the government was chaired by Pi y Margall. The new president formed a commission to develop a new Constitution. This followed federalist models similar to the United States and Switzerland, envisioning the Spanish nation structured into 17 states, including overseas territories like Cuba and Puerto Rico. Each state could develop its own constitution, provided it remained within the bounds of the greater national constitution. The proposed constitution was progressive, mirroring the 1869 document regarding rights and freedoms. However, the Federal Constitution of 1873 was never enacted due to the cantonal uprising, the resurgence of the Cuban war, and the outbreak of the Carlist War.

The Third Carlist War

The proclamation of the Republic intensified a conflict that was not resolved until 1876, following the Bourbon restoration of King Alfonso XII. The Carlist War, led by Charles VII, intensified in 1873. The rebellion began in the Maestrazgo region of Valencia and extended through Aragon, Catalonia, Navarra, the Basque Country, Cuenca, and Albacete.

The Rising Cantons

The most radical Republican federal cantonal insurrection began in Cartagena in July 1873, quickly extending through the Levant and Andalusia. Everywhere, cantons appeared—territorial governments or small independent states federated freely with each other in a process that culminated in a greater federation covering the entire national territory. The cantonal movement was the practical realization of the federal idea, forming a state "from the bottom up." The government of the Republic suppressed the movement, using the army to crush it. General Martínez Campos was used to suppress the insurrection in Valencia, just as General Pavía did in Andalusia. In the end, only the canton of Cartagena resisted until 1874.

Consequences of the Insurrection

The cantonal insurrection brought significant consequences:

• Short-term: Republican authorities immediately adopted increasingly conservative positions.
• Medium-term: The total ruin of the federal idea and the failure of the six-year democratic experiment.