Primo de Rivera's Coup and the Crisis of the Canovas System

Classified in History

Written at on English with a size of 3.15 KB.

Primo de Rivera's Coup d'État

On September 13, 1923, **Primo de Rivera** led a military coup, agreed upon and supported by the king, the church, conservative political parties, employer organizations, and Catholic unions. The reasons were diverse and included the social environment of violence, the radicalization of Catalan nationalism, and the discrediting of the parliamentary system.

The Crisis of the Canovas System

Since 1917, it was clear that the Canovas system was unable to accommodate the new political and social forces. This crisis was framed within a context in which Europe was also in crisis due to the weakening of liberal policies, the discontent of the population due to the impossibility of reforming political systems, and an exalted nationalism. All of this resulted in the proliferation of dictatorships and military regimes in the interwar period. After the crisis of 1917, the king, convinced of the inability of parliament to seek a solution to the situation of the country, approached the military class, who considered themselves the true representatives of the popular will.

Three Main Problems

Three main problems emerged that would be the basis for future surveys:

  • The Moroccan Question: The protectorate of Spain in Morocco was complicated. In 1920, a revolt of the Berber tribes of the Rif provoked an offensive, culminating in the Spanish defeat at Annual in 1921 and a huge military cost. The attempt to establish a congressional commission to delimit and carry out tasks required by the disaster intensified the confrontation between civilians and the military.
  • Catalan Nationalist Movement: Since the beginning of the century, Catalan nationalism had an important presence. In 1906, the electoral coalition *Solidaritat Catalana* was created, which presented itself in the 1907 elections, achieving a significant result. In 1914, thanks to a law from 1913 that allowed the federation of county councils, the *Mancomunitat* of Catalonia was created, which represented a path to self-government. Initially, Catalan nationalism was concentrated in the Regionalist League, but in 1922, the birth of *Acció Catalana* and *Estat Català* made a huge difference with the centralist parties.
  • Labor Unrest: The economic crisis after World War I led to agitation by peasants and workers, which was named the Bolshevik Triennium, relating it to the Russian Revolution that had just triumphed. Barcelona became a focus of social violence due to the strategy of the CNT and the resistance offered by Catalan employers. The conflict began in 1919 with a general strike launched by the Canadian company, which paralyzed the capital for several days. An eight-hour workday was agreed upon, but employers created a private militia and hired gunmen to kill union leaders. These leaders unleashed a wave of attacks on politicians and business leaders. The situation was further aggravated in 1921 with the approval of the *Ley de Fugas*, which allowed the killing of prisoners who tried to escape with impunity. This assumed legal murder, and many union leaders were arrested.

Entradas relacionadas: