History of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1936)

The Second Spanish Republic

When Primo de Rivera resigned, the military governments appointed by the King failed to calm the economic situation or social unrest. In the elections held in April 1931, the joined anti-monarchy parties obtained a majority in all major cities and in areas previously dominated by local political bosses (caciques). This led to the abdication of King Alfonso XIII, and the public rejoiced at the advent of the Second Spanish Republic.

The new constitution, approved by Parliament, strengthened the democratic framework with:

• An extensive bill of rights and freedoms, including civil rights and education.
• Universal suffrage, granting the vote to both men and women.
• The establishment of a secular state, ensuring the separation of church and state.
• The right of regions to establish their own autonomy statutes.
• Socialist-inspired reforms aimed at defending workers' rights.

The Reform Biennium (1931–1933)

Following the approval of the constitution, a new political period began under a coalition government formed by Manuel Azaña, Republicans, and Socialists. This government implemented an ambitious reform program:

• Army Reform: Focused on ensuring the loyalty of the military to the new Republic and reducing the excessive number of officers.
• Education Reform: Enhanced the educational system to combat illiteracy and promote cultural development.
• Religious Reform: Banned religious orders from teaching in schools.
• State Decentralization: Approved the statute of autonomy for Catalonia. While the Basque and Galician statutes were later admitted under the Popular Front, the Andalusian statute was never submitted to Parliament before the outbreak of the civil war.
• Land Reform: The Basic Law of Agrarian Reform was approved in 1932. It sought to resettle landless peasants on under-exploited estates. In Andalusia, the peasant crisis and land hunger made the redistribution of large estates a critical issue.

The Conservative Biennium (1933–1936)

Anarchist frustration with the slow pace of reforms led to peasant uprisings. One such uprising in the village of Casas Viejas was met with harsh government repression, which severely damaged Manuel Azaña's administration and contributed to their defeat in the 1933 elections. This ushered in a conservative coalition government.

During this period, left-wing opposition culminated in a general strike and an armed uprising in Asturias, which attempted to establish a socialist revolution in Spain inspired by the Russian Revolution. The rebellion was brutally crushed by the Spanish army under the command of General Francisco Franco, resulting in numerous deaths and arrests. Many historians view this event as an attempted left-wing coup. Later, a major financial scandal (the Straperlo black-market affair) erupted, involving Alejandro Lerroux's government, which collapsed in 1936 amidst the lingering political fallout of the Casas Viejas incident.

The Popular Front and the Road to Civil War

New elections were held in 1936. The results reflected a deeply polarized nation, with left and right-wing factions increasingly clashing in the streets through political assassinations and the burning of churches. Manuel Azaña was proclaimed President of the Republic. Meanwhile, the Basque and Galician autonomy statutes were finally approved just as the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936.