Spain's Restoration Crisis and Primo de Rivera's Rise

The Crisis of the Restoration (1902-1917)

The Failure of the Turno: The Alternation in Power

In 1902, the new king, Alfonso XIII, reached the age of majority. He tried to keep the peace. Polavieja and Silvela's governments and Antonio Maura tried some reforms (agrarian, electoral law, local government) but failed.

Opposition

The opposition forces were growing and radicalized. Catalan nationalist groups were grouped in the so-called Catalan Solidarity and triumphed in elections. Republicanism grew, with Alejandro Lerroux leading the Radical Party and the Republican Union. Pablo Iglesias was the first socialist deputy. The Anarchist currents were divided, but sectors close to labor constituted a trade union, the National Labor Confederation (CNT), in 1910.

The Tragic Week

There was a serious deterioration of political life on the occasion of the popular uprising in Barcelona (Tragic Week). The colonial policy of the government in Morocco led to the revolt. The uprising was harshly repressed, and the freethinker Ferrer Guardia was shot. This caused the rejection of national and international public opinion. The shift in power was no longer peaceful, and the restoration crumbled.

Political Crisis and Social Unrest

The Liberals began a reformist experience. The governments of Moret and Canalejas tried to democratize the political system and strengthened the civil power against the church. In the Commonwealth of Catalonia, decentralization concessions were embodied. After the assassination of Canalejas by anarchists, there was a period of instability, and the conservatives returned to prevail with an authoritarian attitude. This originated a protest movement in 1917. There was a crisis that showed the absolute deterioration of political and social life.

The 1920s: A Time of Social Radicalization. The Governments of Concentration (1917-1923)

Labor Movement

There was a strong labor movement. Bourgeois forces took up defensive positions until the Catalan government collaborated with concentration, but the political system could not be stabilized.

Social Violence

There were many conflicts, and unions grew. Russian influence was noted, and the PSOE led to the splitting of radical groups, forming the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The social atmosphere was revolutionary, but the workers' struggle of Barcelona paralyzed Catalan services and industry with the strike of the Canadian electricity company. Then the government and employers tightened their grip and entered a period of social violence. Employers' organizations created counterrevolutionary armed groups (free trade unions) who resorted to violence or weapons (gangsterism).

The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera

In 1921, Spain was defeated in Annual, Morocco. Some members of the army justified their defeat on the senior officers, and for this reason, the king wanted to seize power. Primo de Rivera, who was captain general of Catalonia, with the consent of the senior officers, starred in a coup that led to a military dictatorship.