Political Power in the Spanish Restoration Era

The Crown thus retains enormous power. The Cortes (Parliament) held the legislative power, which was divided into two chambers: the Congress of Deputies (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). Deputies were elected at a rate of one per 50,000 inhabitants, while Senators served in their own right (nobles and officials of the Church or the Army) or as lifetime appointees by the King.

The Electoral Laws and the Cortes

The adopted Constitution left the approval of relevant electoral laws in the hands of successive Cortes, which were responsible for organizing elections, determining who could vote, and establishing the electoral system:

• The Conservative Party: Preferred a vote based on census suffrage, which was included in the Electoral Law of 1878. Voters were limited to men over 25 who paid the state a minimum tax of 25 pesetas per year (landowners) or 50 pesetas in industrial contributions (big business).
• The Liberal Party: Led by Sagasta, they opted for universal male suffrage in the Electoral Law of 1890. This shift forced politicians toward manipulation, vote-buying, and coercion by caciques in the fields.

The Two-Party System: Conservatives and Liberals

Regarding the parties: the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. The Conservatives, who promoted their political and religious ideas through the newspaper La Época, were led by men such as Antonio Cánovas del Castillo and Francisco Silvela.

Political Limits and Opposition

The monarchical system established the limits of the Canovist framework: on the right, Carlism (absolutism and Catholicism); and on the left, republicanism, socialism, and anarchism (revolutionary movements).

The Leadership of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta

Once the Conservative Party was formed, Cánovas tried to form an opposition party and left it to the former progressive leader, Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, to direct. Sagasta was a young liberal progressive who participated in the Revolution (issuance) of 1868 against Isabella II and served in various ministries during the Sexenio Democrático (Revolutionary Six-Year Period), a stage during which Sagasta moderated his stance.

The Shift to Universal Male Suffrage

By 1880, Sagasta created the Liberal Party, which fought to reform the Canovist system by replacing census suffrage with universal male suffrage. This was finally accepted by the Conservatives in 1890, prompting Cánovas to state: "I am a declared enemy of universal suffrage, but its practical handling does not scare me."

After that date, many Republican party members, such as Emilio Castelar—the most prominent orator of the Restoration parliament—were incorporated into the new Liberal Party. Before and after the adoption of universal male suffrage, both parties acted as "gatherings of notables" who won elections thanks to the joint efforts of politicians, caciques (warlords), and businessmen.