Spain's Restoration Crisis & Rise of Primo de Rivera

Key Points of the Spanish Restoration Crisis

• The Crisis of 1898 highlighted the weakness of the Restoration system. In this context, Regenerationism emerged, a school of thought that attempted to reform the system from within.
• Opposition expanded its popular base. The labor movement and Republicans opposed the monarchy, while regionalism evolved into demands for autonomy.
• The dynastic parties entered a process of decline. The system's inability to renew itself led to the Crisis of 1917, paving the way for the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.
• The King's support of the dictatorship ultimately discredited the monarchy.

Keywords of the Era

• Speculation: Buying and selling goods with the sole purpose of profiting from market price fluctuations, without creating wealth.
• Region: Free association councils of the four Catalan provinces, promoted by the Lliga Regionalista, intended as a first step towards self-governance, but limited to economic and administrative matters.
• Africanists: Military professionals who primarily built their careers in the Moroccan Wars.

Important Figures

• Alfonso XIII (1886-1941)

  King of Spain between 1902 and 1931. Concerned by the crisis in Spain, he approved Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, compromising the prestige of the monarchy. He was forced into exile in 1931 following the success of Republicanism.

• Joaquín Costa (1846-1911)

  Aragonese politician, lawyer, and historian. A leading representative of Regenerationism. He co-founded the National Union, a political party critical of the system's failures.

• Miguel Primo de Rivera (1870-1930)

  Military officer from Cádiz who participated in the wars in Cuba and the Philippines. Appointed Captain General of Catalonia in 1922, he used this position to prepare the coup of 1923. He ruled Spain as a dictator until January 1930, when he lost the support of the King and the army amidst widespread protests.

• Francesc Cambó (1876-1947)

  Lawyer, financier, and politician. He was the leader of the Lliga Regionalista and promoted a moderate Catalanism that allowed for intervention in state politics. After the Crisis of 1917, he collaborated with the government of Maura, holding the portfolios of Public Works and Finance. The experience of the failed government in Madrid led Cambó to lose political influence.