The Legislative Legacy of the Cortes of Cadiz and the 1868 Revolution
Legislative Work of the Cortes of Cadiz
The Cortes promulgated several decrees and laws to reform society and prepare the groundwork for a new regime. The most important measures included:
- Abolition of seigneurial rights
- Proclamation of freedom of the press
- Abolition of torture in interrogations
- Abolition of the Tribunal of the Inquisition
- Proclamation of the freedom of work
- Abolition of entail for estates with less than 3,000 ducats of annual income
- Alienation of property belonging to religious communities reformed or abolished by Joseph Bonaparte
- Fragmentation of individual land ownership, reserving a portion for distribution among combatants
- Suppression of evidence of nobility and purity of blood required for military colleges
Most of these measures had no practical application because the French occupied a large part of Spain.
Causes of the 1868 Revolution
The financial crisis originated from unprofitable railway investments, which coincided with a serious industrial crisis. The U.S. Civil War interrupted raw cotton exports, causing product prices to rise dramatically. Consequently, many small industries in the cotton sector could not afford raw materials, leading to increased unemployment and a decline in workers' living standards.
A subsistence crisis, caused by a series of bad harvests, resulted in a wheat shortage and an immediate spike in prices. Much of the population had reason to rise against the Elizabethan system. O'Donnell's government harshly suppressed a revolt at the San Gil barracks, where soldiers demanded political reform. The subsequent moderate cabinet ignored the country's problems, leading to the establishment of an opposition platform to end conservatism in power.
The Pact of Ostende was signed by progressives and democrats in exile. This agreement was clearly anti-Isabeline and proposed that the form of government would be decided by Constituent Cortes elected by universal suffrage. While the Democrats managed to impose universal suffrage, they conceded on the immediate introduction of a republican regime. The Unionists eventually adhered to this agreement, which was essential to the success of the revolution. The Unionists provided much of the army's support, effectively depriving Isabella II of her military backing.