The Progressive Biennium: Spanish Liberalism and Reform

The 1854 Uprising and the Progressive Government

Authoritarianism led to opposition and the rise of Progressive Democrats and disappointed Moderates. This union culminated in the Vicálvaro pronouncement (1854), led by O'Donnell, who founded the Liberal Union. The rebels drafted the Manifesto of Manzanares, calling for the fulfillment of the 1845 Constitution, electoral law reform, tax reduction, and the restoration of the National Militia.

The presidency was assumed by Espartero, with O'Donnell serving as the Minister of War. Elections were convened with a wider franchise; these elections allowed for a Progressive majority in parliament and the presence of several Democratic deputies. The new government restored the principles of progressivism, the Militia, and the Municipal Act, which permitted the direct election of mayors. They also prepared a new constitution that was eventually promulgated. Their performance was most transcendent in a plan of economic reforms that protected the interests of the bourgeoisie and urban middle classes while driving the national economy and industry.

Economic Legislation and Modernization

The most important actions were the disentailment process and the expansion of the railway network. The new Disentailment Act of 1855, introduced by Madoz, affected properties belonging to the State, the Church, military orders, charitable institutions, and especially municipal councils. The goal was to secure resources for the Treasury and promote the economic modernization of Spain. A portion of the proceeds was invested in the railway network to encourage trade and industrial growth across the country.

Construction began in 1855 under the General Railway Law, which regulated construction and offered incentives to participating companies. This concern for economic development was also reflected in legislation promoting reforestation, the telegraph, road expansion, joint-stock companies, and the development of the banking and mining sectors.

The Crisis of the Progressive Biennium

These measures did not solve the subsistence crisis and generated a climate of serious social unrest. In Catalonia, workers went on strike demanding the reduction of excise taxes, the abolition of conscription, improved wages, and shorter working hours. This unrest also sparked a peasant uprising.

The government introduced the Labor Law, which brought some improvements and allowed for worker associations. The growing social unrest marked the emergence of the labor movement in the political arena, which frightened the conservative classes into withdrawal. Furthermore, internal differences within the coalition government between moderate progressives—who eventually formed the Liberal Union—and the more radical Democrats led to instability. Espartero resigned, and the Queen entrusted the government to O'Donnell.

Historical Source Classification

• Primary Sources: Documents written when the events occur.
• Secondary Sources: Documents written after the facts have happened.