Political Transformations and Educational Reform in the Second Republic

D. The Autonomic Question

With the emergence of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya government, and negotiated with them, arose the regionalist government, the Generalitat, and the Charter itself. A referendum was convened in Catalonia, through which self-government was granted to the Government, proposing co-official languages.

In the Basque Country, nationalism was a minority, conservative, and Catholic movement, directed by José Antonio Aguirre. By 1932, the Carlists were considering whether to draft a Basque statute following clashes between the Chartists and the nationalists themselves.

E. The Educational Reform

Created by Marcelino Domingo, this reform was oriented toward primary education, aiming to make it free and secular. 10,000 schools were created, representing the most serious attempt at educational reform.

The Fall of Azaña

This period produced strong opposition from both the right and the left, as anarchists did not cooperate with the Republic. Consequently, different groups were formed:

• A) The Monarchists: Including the Carlists.
• B) The Right-Wing: Born in Madrid under the name Acción Española, which collaborated with the coup attempt by General Sanjurjo in August 1932.
• C) The Parliamentary Right: Comprising the radicals of Lerroux, conservatives with Maura, and new groups such as CEDA, led by José María Gil-Robles and Alcalá-Zamora. These sought the renewal of Spain through moderate measures.
• D) Anarchists: Who remained in opposition.

All of this resulted in the resignation of Azaña and the appointment of Lerroux as president. In April 1933, municipal elections were held, and in many localities, the victory went to the monarchists. In September 1933, it was decided to renew the Constitutional Court with 13 members, of which 5 were from the left.

The resignation of Lerroux led to the appointment of the independent Martínez Barrio as president and the calling of new general elections, as the right was united in opposition while the left was widely divided. This fact brought the right to power, with 200 seats for the right-wing coalition (100 of which were newly created by CEDA), 160 for Lerroux's radical centrists, and the remaining 100 for the Republicans and Socialists.