The Crisis of the Spanish Monarchy (1917-1931)

The Crisis of the Canovas System (1917-1923)

In 1917, Spain suffered a crisis that deeply affected three areas:

• Military: The army demanded that wages be increased and that army rank be determined by seniority, not by merit in battle.
• Politics: An assembly of Catalan parliamentarians demanded decentralization.
• Society: Left-wing political parties and trade unions carried out a general strike on August 13th to protest the rise in prices and overthrow the government.

When the crisis was finally over, the period from 1919-1923 saw Spain experience political decline and form unity governments made up of members from all the different parties. These governments didn't last long.

Domestic and International Issues

Domestically, social unrest increased in response to the economic crisis that came after World War I.

Abroad, Spain suffered a brutal defeat in the Rif War against Morocco. Known as the Disaster at Annual, it resulted in thousands of deaths and widespread public commotion, negatively influencing public opinion.

The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930)

The dictatorship of Primo de Rivera went through two stages with two different governments:

Military Directory (1923-1925)

In this stage, Primo de Rivera suspended the constitution, dissolved the Cortes (parliament), prohibited political parties, suppressed the labor movement, and defeated the Morocans after the Alhucemas Landing (1925).

Civil Directory (1925-1930)

The military victory in Morocco and the economic boom of the 1920s helped Primo de Rivera maintain power until 1930. In January of that year, due to the 1929 economic crisis, he was forced to resign.

The Fall of the Monarchy and the Second Republic (1931)

Alfonso XIII tried to return to the parliamentary system, first with the government of General Dámaso Berenguer, and later with Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar. However, citizen disapproval led to significant republican victories in the 1931 municipal elections. The king went into exile on April 14, 1931, and the Second Spanish Republic was declared.

The Popular Front and the Rise of Tensions (1936)

The new government, led by Manuel Azaña and later by Santiago Casares Quiroga, granted amnesty for all political prisoners of the 1934 Revolution and brought back the reforms that had been halted during the conservative biennium. On the left, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) gained momentum. On the right, the Falange Española, led by José Antonio Primo de Rivera (son of the former dictator), rose to prominence. Political violence reached its peak in what was known as the "Tragic Spring" of 1936. By July, the conservative sector of the army decided to end the Republic, leading to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.