The Construction of the Liberal State in 19th Century Spain
Spanish Liberalism: Historiographical Context
Liberalism in Spain is a historiographical text, the work of a historian analyzing events after the fact. The text refers specifically to the period from 1837 to 1840, years during which the Moderates governed, despite a later constitution. This era was defined by crucial factors: military power, the Carlist War, and significant economic debt.
The 1840 Municipalities Act and subsequent riots in Barcelona and Madrid led to the resignation of Queen Maria Cristina as governor, initiating the Espartero Regency. The text discusses the confrontation between the various liberal factions—Moderates and Progressives—and the social support each commanded.
The Dynastic Question and Ideological Conflict
Following the death of Fernando VII, decisions regarding the dynastic question (the conflict between the Salic Law and the Pragmatic Sanction, which allowed women to reign) led to what is often called the Succession Litigation. This litigation actually concealed a profound ideological conflict that divided Spanish society into two sectors with conflicting interests:
The Elizabethan and Carlist Factions
The Elizabethan Side: This faction grouped together the urban Liberals, including bourgeois businessmen, civil servants, army officers, the nobility, and high church hierarchies. They chose to defend the dynastic rights of Isabel, anticipating the triumph of their liberal ideas.
The Carlist Side: This group was formed by all those opposed to the liberal revolution: some minor gentry, the most reactionary military officers, part of the lower clergy, and many farmers and smallholders. These humble farmers associated liberalism with increased taxation.
The Regency of Maria Cristina (1833–1843)
The death of Fernando VII left almost no chance for the survival of the absolutist system, especially considering the contemporary triumph of liberalism in France and Portugal. The Carlist uprising ultimately forced the Queen Mother, Maria Cristina (who personally held no sympathy for liberal ideas), to trust those who had been opponents of her late husband and to introduce political reforms. The Liberals emerged as the only force capable of upholding the rights to the throne of her daughter, Isabel.
During the Civil War, the link between the liberal movement and the advocacy for Princess Isabel strengthened. Maria Cristina assumed the Regency in 1833, acting as Head of State because her daughter was a minor. Thus began the Regency phase (1833–1843), a transition that led to the construction of the liberal state. The full realization and implementation of this state occurred during the reign of Isabel II (1843–1868).
Political Practices and Electoral Corruption
The political system was based on patronage networks and small groups of party leaders and big business. This system relied heavily on a corrupt electoral process, manipulating both the census and the results. Ministers of Government and civil governors routinely handled the electoral process.
Limited Suffrage and Political Exclusion
Furthermore, this system only allowed a small percentage of the population to participate. The percentage of eligible voters ranged from 1% to 25% (the latter figure representing the most representative stage, achieved after the Queen's exile).
In response, the Progressives first, and later the Democrats (a party founded in 1849 as a division of the Progressive Party), called for the reform of the electoral law and the extension of suffrage to all adult males.
Conclusion: The Gap Between Real and Official Spain
The ideology of the liberal parties during the reign of Isabel II effectively excluded the middle and lower classes of Spanish society from the political game. These excluded groups soon began to defend ideas more advanced than those of the Liberal Democrats. The obstacles placed in the way of free political participation widened the gap between the real Spain and the official Spain.