Political Evolution of the Spanish Second Republic

The Conservative Biennium (1933-1935)

Causes of Political Deadlock

The period was marked by a significant deadlock due to several factors:

• Governments lacked parliamentary or political stability.
• An increase in social and political polarization.
• A strong willingness to revise earlier reforms.

Furthermore, a perceived lack of compromise from both the Left and Right within the regime meant there could be no political alternation.

Electoral Changes and Outcomes

The new electoral law allowed women to vote, which significantly impacted the smaller parties, leading to their losses. Among the winning parties, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) saw its representation halved, while the Radical Republican Party gained strength, aligning with the right-wing victors.

Consequences of Instability

The immediate consequences included highly unstable governments and a decline in the prominence of the courts.

Radicals in Government: Policies and Challenges

The first right-wing governments of this biennium were primarily occupied by the Radical Republican Party. Their political program aimed to change or suspend some previous reforms, alter religious policies, and return land to the nobility. This led to renewed confrontations. Strikes, whether political acts aimed at achieving a socialist revolution or social protests, became frequent. The alliance between conservative forces and the Radicals generated fears of a revolution if the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups) gained power.

In 1934, Alejandro Lerroux, leader of the Radicals, granted key ministries (Justice, Agriculture, Labor) to CEDA, a decision that directly led to the events of October.

End of the Biennium: October 1934 Events

The events of October 1934 significantly strengthened CEDA. The Left, particularly the socialists, chose insurrection as a technique to regain power. This period saw two major parties reach an understanding, which eventually led to the formation of the Popular Front.

The Popular Front (1936)

Electoral Blocs and Objectives

In the elections of the Republic, two main political blocs emerged:

1. The Counter-Revolutionary Front (CEDA): Their primary goal was to win 300 deputies to reform the constitution.
2. The Left Bloc: Comprising Republicans, Socialists, Regionalists, and Communists, their objective was to recover the reformist line and grant amnesty to political prisoners.

Popular Front Victory and Initial Reforms

The results showed a victory for the Popular Front. Manuel Azaña was appointed head of a new Republican government, formed by leftist and centrist parties. Key decisions and reforms included:

• Declaring the Falange (Spanish Phalanx) illegal.
• Restoring the autonomy statute for Catalonia.
• Granting amnesty for detainees arrested after the 1934 events.
• Accelerating the agrarian reform law.

Challenges and Growing Instability

The Popular Front government faced significant difficulties, including widespread unemployment and public disorder. The Republic was increasingly under assault from both the extreme left and right, who sought to destabilize and ultimately destroy it, thereby preventing the further development of reforms in 1936.