Spanish Regenerationism and the Crisis of 1898

Regenerationism: Intellectual Movement and Social Critique

Regenerationism is a school of thought, an intellectual movement, and a social critique of the political system of the Restoration. Inspired by an entire generation of politicians and thinkers from different trends, it was born from the Crisis of '98 and won the support of the middle classes. Regenerationism analyzed the Spain of its time from all points of view, coming to the conclusion that the major ills of the country were the political system of the Restoration.

The Critique of National Backwardness

The movement criticized chieftaincy (caciquismo), electoral fraud, Spain's economic backwardness, and social backwardness, noting an illiteracy rate of 64%. It made proposals to regenerate Spain through reforms such as:

• Cleaning political reforms for elections (though it did not even propose a fully parliamentary and democratic system).
• The division of land without affecting the nobility or the bourgeoisie.
• The construction of proposed hydraulic works.
• The development of an educational program for school construction and literacy training for the population.

Revisionism: Modernizing the Political System

Regenerationist ideas influenced politicians who sought the modernization of the political system through a series of reforms that ultimately failed to democratize the country. The Turno Pacífico (Pacific Turn) was maintained during this period. The principal politicians involved were:

Francisco Silvela

After the defeat in '98, Francisco Silvela was called upon by the Conservatives to lead the government. He implemented a policy of decentralized administration and tried to address the debts of war with tax increases, which were ultimately rejected by taxpayers.

Antonio Maura

The Conservative Antonio Maura tried to regenerate the system through the support of the "neutral mass"—groups who were previously indifferent to participating in politics. His reforms included:

• Compulsory voting.
• Regulating the subject of pensions.
• The Law of Sunday Rest.

José Canalejas

The Liberal José Canalejas intended to modernize political life by trying to attract some popular sectors and implementing limited social reform. Regarding the power of the Church, his reforms included:

• Attempting to separate Church and State.
• Replacing consumption tax with a reformed urban income tax.
• Reforming the Law of Recruitment to make military service obligatory during wartime; consequently, the quintas (conscription system) was abolished gradually.