Spain's 1931 Constitution: Pillars of the Second Republic

Sovereignty and Suffrage

Article 1 of the Constitution of the Second Spanish Republic proclaimed that "Spain is a republic of justice." This foundational statement affirmed popular sovereignty, which included the right to vote for all Spaniards aged 18. This was a significant step beyond the universal male suffrage that had been achieved by 19th-century liberalism.

The Constitution also declared "the republic is an integral state," initially designing a decentralized structure. This allowed one or more neighboring provinces with "economic and cultural features and their own historical identity" to form autonomous communities. Catalonia and the Basque Country were the first to initiate this process, in accordance with the Constitution, leading to the approval of their statutes of autonomy.

Church-State Relations and Secularism

No less novel was the subject of religion, which had already aroused heated debates during the constitutional process regarding Church-state relations. Spain thus became a secular state, announcing the end of the clergy's budget and the dissolution of religious orders deemed dangerous, such as the Society of Jesus, as alluded to in Article 26.

Initially, the Church attempted to collaborate with the regime, but the calm was short-lived. Significant anti-clericalism was unleashed in the early months. Manuel Azaña, in his speeches, advocated for strict Church-state separation and the removal of religious orders from education (enseñanza). While some measures, like the dissolution of the Jesuits, were not overly drastic, they nonetheless involved a substantial risk of confrontation between the Church and the nascent republican regime.

Separation of Powers

The division of powers was enshrined in Articles 51, 52, 86, and 94. While the government held the executive power, legislative authority resided in the Cortes (parliament), and judicial power in the courts. This strict separation granted the head of state representative and symbolic functions of arbitration, similar to those of a parliamentary monarch.

The Constitution emphasized the crucial role of the people, represented in the Congress of Deputies, who exercised legislative power without interference.

Democratic Character and Historical Fate

These features, along with a broad statement of rights, endowed this Constitution with a profoundly democratic character. It embodied the Republican dream of building a modern, democratic Spain.

The Constitution remained in force until 1939, but the tumultuous evolution of events prevented its full implementation. The failure of coexistence ultimately led to the devastating Spanish Civil War, and the subsequent Franco dictatorship buried its progressive principles.