The Second Spanish Republic: History and Political Reforms

The Second Republic: Interim Government and the 1931 Constitution

The elections in April 1931 resulted in a royalist majority in rural areas, but Republican candidates prevailed in all major cities. On April 14, the Republic was proclaimed in many municipalities amid great popular enthusiasm. The revolutionary committee left prison to become the Provisional Government of the Republic, led by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora.

The interim government's first task was to convene constituent courts to develop a constitution that established a parliamentary and democratic republic. Key features included:

• Broad individual and social rights
• Women's suffrage
• Separation of powers and unicameral courts
• Separation of church and state
• Recognition of regional autonomy

The provisional government also adopted other reforms:

• Labor reform: Set the 8-hour workday and increased wages, driven by Largo Caballero.
• Army reform: The Azaña Law allowed the voluntary retirement of officers with full pay and suppressed the law of jurisdictions.
• Educational reform: Promoted public teaching with the creation of 6,000 schools and 7,000 teaching positions.
• Public order: Addressed through the creation of the Assault Guard.

The Reformist Biennium (1932-1933)

President Alcalá-Zamora appointed Manuel Azaña as head of government. New reforms were introduced:

• Agrarian reform: Intended to solve the problem of landlessness.
• Education and culture: Momentum through the introduction of secular and mixed schools.
• Labor reform: Reinforced workers' rights with the Law of Employment Contracts and the Law of Mixed Juries.
• Public works: Promoted to create jobs.
• Regional autonomy: Put into practice.

Political opposition from right-wing sectors increased, uniting in 1933 under the CEDA, led by Gil Robles, which sought to reform the constitution and paralyze the agrarian reform. The slow pace of reforms radicalized the working classes and peasants.

The CEDA-Radical Biennium

The government shifted to the center-right following the 1933 elections, which were the first to feature women's suffrage. The victory of the CEDA and the Radical Party occurred because the right was united, while the Socialists presented separately and the anarchists defended abstention.

These unstable governments shared a common goal: stopping the reforms of the previous stage. In the context of a global crisis, steps were taken to:

• Halt the agrarian reform.
• Put a brake on the autonomic process; the statutes of autonomy for Galicia and the Basque Country remained paralyzed by the Cortes.
• Grant a general amnesty to those involved in the 1932 coup, under pressure from the CEDA.