Spain's Restoration Crisis: WWI & Political System Collapse

The Final Crisis of the Restoration: The Impact of the First World War and the Exhaustion of the Political System

During the last years of the reign of Alfonso XIII, the political and social bases of the Restoration weakened. The deterioration of the political system became more evident. A crisis erupted in 1917. The military, political, and social crisis was controlled by the government, but in the following years, its decomposition was evident, ultimately leading to the 1923 military coup of Primo de Rivera. Before the crisis of 1914, it's important to recall the Crisis of '98 and the Tragic Week in Barcelona in 1909, which also influenced the 1917 crisis.

The Crisis of 1917

The crisis of 1917 was due to the deterioration of political life and increased social conflict, unleashing a triple crisis:

• Military Crisis: The army's discontent with the state led to the formation of the Board of Defense, which was eventually legalized by the government.
• Political Crisis: Opposition to some government decrees, including the abolishment of the courts and press censorship, led to the convening of an assembly of parliamentarians in Barcelona. The government ordered the Civil Guard to dissolve it.
• Social Crisis: Spain remained neutral during the First World War. Economically, the war had contradictory effects: it enriched farmers, while the living conditions of the working class worsened, causing shortages and unemployment.

This situation created social unrest, leading to the formation of the UGT-CNT. The rail dispute sparked a revolutionary general strike in Madrid, which was suppressed by the army.

The Last Years of the Restoration (1917-1923)

The triple crisis was controlled by the government, but the underlying problems remained unresolved. Within six years, the system was ultimately overthrown.

In politics, there was growing instability, the failure of governments, and the end of *turnismo* (the system of alternating governments) in favor of concentration governments.

In the social and economic order, there was a rise in unemployment and falling wages. There was also violence from unions, such as during the Bolshevik Triennium (1918-1921), a three-year period where workers experienced periods of instability, leading them to join unions. Another example is the pistolerismo in Catalonia, where anarchists carried out violent acts, and it is believed that employers hired gunmen.