The Second Spanish Republic: Origins and 1931 Constitution

1. The 1931 Elections and the Provisional Government

On 12 April 1931, municipal elections were held in Spain with a high turnout, resulting in a victory for the Republican-Socialist coalition. Given the political situation, Alfonso XIII abdicated the crown and left the country for exile. In Madrid, representatives of the signatories of the Pact of San Sebastian formed a provisional government and proclaimed the Second Spanish Republic on 14 April 1931.

The provisional government called for elections to the Constituent Cortes on 28 June 1931 and implemented emergency measures to address the country's primary challenges. In Catalonia, on that same day, Lluis Companys proclaimed the Republic from the balcony of Barcelona City Hall. A few hours later, Francesc Macia, leader of the Republican Left party, proclaimed the Catalan Republic within an integrated Iberian Federation of Republics.

This initiative provoked a conflict with the Provisional Government, as the status of regions was to be determined by the future Constitution. Members of the Spanish provisional government, including Fernando de los Rios and Marcelino Domingo, traveled to Barcelona to negotiate. They requested that Macia submit the decision regarding the State's structure to the Constituent Cortes, in exchange for the immediate granting of an autonomous regime and a commitment to establish a Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia.

1.2. The Constitution of 1931

The elections on 28 June 1931 resulted in a victory for the leftist Republican-Socialist coalition. The Cortes appointed a commission to draft a constitution, which was enacted in December 1931. The Constitution of 1931 was highly democratic and progressive, declaring that all power emanates from the people. It established the following:

• State Structure: The state is defined as integral, while accepting the possibility of establishing autonomous governments in specific regions.
• Legislative Power: Vested in the Cortes.
• Executive Power: Vested in the government, formed by the Council of Ministers, the Head of Government, and the President.
• Judiciary: Entrusted to independent judges.

The Constitution also included an extensive declaration of rights and freedoms, established the secularism of the state—declaring no official religion—and recognized civil marriage and divorce. Consequently, the Church became a primary opponent of the Republic.