Spain's Liberal Decades: Regents, Reforms, and Political Strife
The Moderate Agenda and Early Liberalism in Spain
The Moderates, a political faction that emerged early in the reign of Isabel II, proposed a conservative agenda focused on stability and royal authority. Their key tenets included:
- Order and Strong Authority: Advocating for the strengthening of the king's power.
- Rejection of Reforms: Opposing reforms that questioned property rights, especially after confiscations by Progressives.
- Restricted Census Suffrage: Limiting voting rights to a select few.
- Central Appointment of Municipal Government: Ensuring central control over local administration.
- Suppression of the National Militia: Disbanding the citizen militia.
- Social Support: Relying on the upper classes, including landlords and large industrialists.
Prominent leaders of the Moderate party included Martínez de la Rosa, General Narváez, and Alejandro Mon.
The Sergeants' Revolt of La Granja and the Rise of Progressives
In the midst of the First Carlist War, a significant event occurred in 1836: the Sergeants' Revolt of La Granja. This uprising, which saw Carlist forces reach Madrid in 1837, challenged the Regent Maria Cristina's authority. Despite her initial reluctance to rely on liberals, the Royal Guard sergeants forced the Regent to proclaim the Constitution of 1812. They even kidnapped and threatened her second husband, Agustín Fernando Muñoz. These dramatic events at La Granja compelled Maria Cristina to appoint Progressives, such as Mendizábal, to office.
The Constitution of 1837: A Compromise
Once in government, the Progressives recognized that the Constitution of 1812 was unacceptable to the Moderates. They initiated a process of reforming the Cádiz Constitution, resulting in the new Constitution of 1837. Its main characteristics were:
- National Sovereignty: Clearly establishing that sovereignty resided in the nation.
- Division of Powers: The State was organized with a clear separation of powers:
- Legislative: A bicameral Cortes, comprising the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. All bills required passage by both chambers, and the King appointed senators.
- Executive: The King appointed ministers and held executive power.
- Individual Rights and Freedoms: Guaranteed various individual rights and freedoms, including freedom of the press, without prohibiting other religions.
- Clergy Subsidies: The State agreed to subsidize the clergy, whose properties had been expropriated during the disentailment process.
In 1837, an electoral law was approved, establishing census suffrage for men. This meant that voting rights were restricted to men over 25 years of age who possessed a certain intellectual level and property qualifications.
Espartero's Regency and Its Downfall
The Regent Maria Cristina's opposition to the Law of Municipalities, which aimed to give Moderates more power over local governments, led to various political problems and ultimately her resignation. In her absence, General Espartero was appointed as the new Regent.
During his short regency, Espartero accelerated the disentailment of church property and curtailed the traditional privileges (fueros) of the Basque-Navarrese provinces.
A controversial free trade agreement signed with England sparked widespread protests in Barcelona. Catalan industrialists, viewing the agreement as a threat to their textile industry, demanded tariffs on British cloth. Espartero refused to accept these demands and was accused of receiving payments from the British. All organized protests were repressed.
Ultimately, a military revolt orchestrated by Moderates, and joined by some Progressives, precipitated the end of Espartero's Regency. To resolve the political impasse, the new authorities accelerated the coronation of Queen Isabel II, despite her being only fourteen years old at the time.