Key Moments in 19th-Century Spanish Political History
Classified in History
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Constitution of 1845
The Constitution of 1845 expressed conservatism and designed a very conservative, oligarchic model. It gave great power to the King, who controlled one chamber, the Senate, appointed directly by the monarch. It denied national sovereignty and established a state church, with the Catholic religion as the state religion.
Constitution of 1869
The Constitution of 1869 was the most democratic constitution of nineteenth-century Spanish liberalism, resulting from the September Revolution of 1868. It established a constitutional monarchy with full recognition of national sovereignty, concretized in a bicameral system (Congress and Senate) and an extensive bill of rights. It introduced universal male suffrage and freedom of religion. In practice, its application presented serious problems, so it was only in force for four years.
Disentailment
Disentailment is a legal concept meaning a set of goods are no longer depreciated property and become free (you can buy and sell) and private. Secularization was one of the processes that formed part of the Liberal Agrarian Reform in the nineteenth century. It allowed property, both rural and urban, of the Church and the municipalities to be privatized through public auction.
Estatuto Real (Royal Statute)
The Estatuto Real was a constitutional document (a granted charter) from 1834, by Martínez de la Rosa. With it, the regent Maria Cristina started out of absolutism to govern with a Parliament that should give satisfaction to the more moderate liberals. In reality, it was simply a call for a Cortes (Parliament) in which two houses were organized simultaneously (the Estate of Peers and the Estate of Procurators) with low political representation and limited capacity. The system established in the statute failed to satisfy the liberals but helped acclimate the parliamentary system in Spain.
Manzanares Manifesto
The 1854 revolution, led by a military group, found itself in a dead end due to the strength of the government. To encourage the participation of the masses, the Manifesto of Manzanares was written. It contained various demands of the progressive party: extending the right to vote, changing the press law, eliminating the consumption tax, restoring the National Militia, ending the corruption of the palace clique, and so on. This manifesto inspired popular uprisings in the cities that were able to overthrow the government and ensure the triumph of the revolution.
Constitutional Monarchy
A Constitutional Monarchy is one in which the King or monarch's power is limited by the existence of a Constitution, which is the expression of National Sovereignty. The King reigns, i.e., it is a symbol representing the state, but does not govern. The government is freely elected by the citizens. The Constitutional Monarchy appeared in the nineteenth century and replaced, not without resistance, absolute monarchy, in which the King held all the powers.