Spain's Bourbon Restoration: Politics and Power Shift

The Spanish Restoration: From Republic to Monarchy

The End of the First Republic (January 1874)

The Spanish First Republic collapsed with the dissolution of the Cortes, orchestrated by General Manuel Pavía, accompanied by a group of Civil Guards, in January 1874. However, the republic remained alive in name, transforming into a presidential republic whose head of government was Serrano.

The main activities of this government included suppressing the independence of the Canton of Cartagena, confronting Carlist organizations that had revolted again and played a significant role in the Third Carlist War, and outlawing trade unions.

Cánovas's Vision: The Bourbon Return

While Serrano was in power, Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, who had formed the Alfonsine party (supporting Alfonso XII, son of Queen Isabella II), meticulously planned the return of the Bourbons. He first secured the abdication of Isabella II and later drafted the Sandhurst Manifesto, signed by Prince Alfonso. In this manifesto, the Prince undertook to ensure a constitutional monarchy and promised not to retaliate against past political opponents. Cánovas intended to proclaim the Bourbon monarchical restoration in special Cortes.

The Cánovas System: Foundations of the Restoration

The architect of the Restoration was Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, a Sevillian lawyer and intellectual whose training was rooted in liberalism and whose thought evolved consistently. He believed it was detrimental for a single political party to monopolize the monarchical ideal and advocated for support from both the Conservative Party and a more liberal one.

• The Conservative Party: Founded by Cánovas, it brought together former moderate liberals, members of the Liberal Union, some progressives, and even representatives of Catholic traditionalism. Its social base included the nobility, landed gentry, and upper bourgeoisie.
• The Liberal Party: Created by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, this party united progressives, Democrats, and some Republicans who, though not entirely welcomed, collaborated with him. Its support came from the industrial bourgeoisie and middle classes.

Outside this two-party system were anti-liberal and anti-monarchical parties, as well as the broader masses who were not represented by these two dominant forces. Cánovas's system was therefore based on two parties that would take turns in the exercise of power: the Conservative and Liberal parties. This system, known as turnismo (rotativism), was based on the English parliamentary model.

How Turnismo Worked

The turnismo system operated as follows: Elections were called, and the King entrusted the formation of a government to the head of the majority party. However, if the head of the government lost the confidence of the King or the Cortes, the King would then entrust the formation of a new government to the head of the opposition party. The first action of this new government was to dissolve the Cortes and call new elections to ensure its own victory.

This occurred because the elections were rigged by the turnismo system and depended on the agreement reached between the turnista leaders. The opinion of the voter was largely directed by an oligarchic network of politicians, ministers, officials, and so on, ensuring the desired outcome.