The Second Spanish Republic: Origins and Constitution

The Second Spanish Republic (April 14, 1931)

Causes of the Republic

The dictatorship lost the support of various social sectors, forcing Primo de Rivera to resign. The monarchy and King Alfonso XIII lost prestige due to their collaboration with the dictatorship. Furthermore, monarchist supporters were disorganized, the dictatorship failed to resolve workers' claims, and nationalist movements were gaining strength.

The social situation was problematic, characterized by high illiteracy rates and poor working and living conditions. The 1929 stock market crash negatively impacted Spain, leading to stagnant investment, economic stagnation, and rising prices. The Republic was born in difficult circumstances, coinciding with the 1929 economic crisis, the rise of Fascism and Nazism, and the consolidation of the communist system in the USSR.

1. Elections and Provisional Government

On April 12, 1931, municipal elections were held in Spain. The allied parties in the Pact of San Sebastian—a coalition of Republicans in major industrial cities—achieved a significant victory. On April 14, 1931, the Second Republic was proclaimed. Alfonso XIII abdicated and left the country, while representatives of republican parties formed an interim government led by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora.

• Rightist Parties: The Radical Party, led by Alejandro Lerroux, was a liberal Republican group that eventually shifted toward conservative positions. The conservative Catholic right was dominated by the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups), which defended the interests of large landowners and the Church.
• Regionalist Movements: The PNV represented Basque autonomy. In Catalonia, the political landscape was dominated by nationalist parties, primarily the Regionalist League and the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya.

2. The Constitution of 1931

The 1931 elections resulted in a victory for left-center forces, while the Right became a minority. The resulting Cortes drafted the Constitution of 1931, which established:

• Popular Sovereignty: Power resides with the people.
• Legislative Structure: A single-chamber system (Congress of Deputies).
• Secular State: Separation of Church and State, driven by the belief that the Church was responsible for the backwardness of Spanish society.
• Individual Rights: Protection of civil liberties and the possibility of autonomy for regions that requested it.
• Universal Suffrage: The introduction of the vote for women for the first time in Spanish history.