Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera: The 1923 Spanish Coup
The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera was the political regime that occurred in Spain from the coup d'état by the Captain General of Catalonia, Miguel Primo de Rivera, on September 13, 1923, until his resignation on January 28, 1930. After the events of 1917, Spain entered a first stage during which the decomposition of the Cánovas political system was completed.
Social Unrest and the Rise of Unions
Between the years 1917 and 1923, intense social unrest was experienced, manifested in strikes and violence during days of vast peasant agitations. The mass of workers joined unions, and the CNT lived through moments of overflowing activity. Some industrial advantages were achieved, such as the 8-hour workday. The effervescence that Spanish workers lived was due not only to internal factors but also to the influence of the triumphant Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
Political Violence and the Disaster of Annual
As a result, a minority group from the Socialist Youth founded the Communist Workers' Party of Spain in 1921. The Bolshevik example intensified violence and gangsterism (pistolerismo), involving both anarchists and employers, with Barcelona as the headquarters of these events. These facts aggravated the political situation; on March 8, 1921, the Prime Minister (Eduardo Dato) was murdered by anarchists, and in July, the Disaster of Annual occurred in the Moroccan War, with the loss of 10,000 Spanish soldiers.
The Coup d'État of September 1923
Both events shocked public opinion, so General Primo de Rivera—born in Jerez de la Frontera with a brilliant military career, having won the Laureate Cross of San Fernando in the Melilla campaign—needed only one telegram for a coup d'état on September 13, 1923. Before the coup, Antonio Maura had advised the King against the possibility of a coup d'état and the setting up of any authoritarian system.
On September 14, the legitimate government asked the King for the immediate dismissal of the rebel generals, José Sanjurjo and Primo de Rivera, and the convening of the Cortes Generales. However, the monarch let the hours pass until he was openly pro-coup. With the support of the army, the Catalan bourgeoisie, and Andalusian landowners, Alfonso XIII did not put major obstacles in the way of appointing Primo de Rivera as Prime Minister in his capacity as a military dictator on September 15.
Phases: Military and Civil Directories
In the evolution of the dictatorship, there are two phases: The Military Directory (1923-1925) and The Civil Directorate (1925-1930). On September 15, a decree was approved that established a Military Board which assumed all the functions of executive power. Primo de Rivera became the Head of Government and the sole Minister. The rest of the board was composed of eight generals and an admiral.