Key Concepts of Early 20th Century Spain

Key Concepts of Early 20th Century Spain

Bases de Manresa: A paper presented by the Catalanist Union before the council meeting in Manresa (Catalonia), aiming to establish Catalan cultural and political identity with a tradition of independence.

Cacique: A political system where parliamentary democracy is controlled by powerful local chiefs, who manipulate the government and policy, regardless of written laws.

CNT: Abbreviation for National Confederation of Labour. A Spanish trade union organization founded in Barcelona in 1910. Anarchosyndicalist, it emerged as a response to the moderate reformism of the UGT. Its influence declined starting in the 1950s.

Jurisdiction Act: A Spanish law in force between 1906 and 1931, enacted in response to the satirical newspaper "Cu-Cut." It placed offenses against the unity of the army under military jurisdiction.

Associations Act: A bill proposed by Canalejas, which was not approved due to his assassination. It recognized the Associations (i.e., the administration of several provinces). The first to be established was the Commonwealth Catalana (a government common to all 4 provinces of Catalonia for public works, social affairs, and cultural affairs).

Padlock Law: The colloquial term for a December 1910 law sponsored by Spanish president José Canalejas, which banned the establishment of new religious congregations in Spain for two years.

Regeneracionismo: A Spanish ideological movement that emerged after the disaster of 1898, proposing political, economic, and social reforms for the "regeneration of the country." Key figures included Costa, Picovea, and Almirall.

Tragic Week in Barcelona: The war in Morocco triggered this event. Attacks by inhabitants of the Rif against a Spanish mining company led to the mobilization of reservists. A general strike broke out in Barcelona on July 26, encompassing Maura's reform program, among other demands.

Turnismo: A system developed by Sagasta where the king would call one of the two major parties to govern. If the Liberal Party ruled, the Conservative Party would be called next, and vice versa. The first step was to secure the support of the crown. The new government needed the backing of the courts, so the king would dissolve the courts and call new elections, which were manipulated to ensure the majority party would form the government.