First Spanish Republic: Proclamation, Presidents, and Its Short Reign

Proclamation of the First Spanish Republic

The failure of the democratic monarchy cleared the way for the Republicans, as they were the only ones whose system of government had not yet been tested. On February 11, 1873, after the abdication of Amadeus of Savoy, the Cortes were forced to proclaim the First Republic, which lasted only eleven months. In such a short period, four presidents held office: Figueras, Pi i Maragall, Salmerón, and Castelar.

Key Stages of the First Spanish Republic

1. Estanislao Figueras: Moderate Republicanism (Feb-May 1873)

   Estanislao Figueras's stage was undoubtedly the most moderate of the Republic. This was evident from the fact that four ministers from Amadeo's government, despite being anti-monarchist, now joined the new administration. It should not be forgotten, therefore, that within Spanish republicanism of the period, there were a large number of pro-monarchists who supported the Republic solely for personal interests rather than for the ideals it espoused. As expected, divisions arose within the party and the Cortes; the government was no longer obeyed, federalist revolts arose, and so forth. Estanislao Figueras was finally forced to leave the government and the country, giving way to the federalist stage of the Republic.

2. Francisco Pi i Maragall: Federalist Aspirations (May-Jul 1873)

   After the May elections, the Federalists succeeded, thus ending the previous coalition government. Drafting began on a federal constitution that was never approved, which proposed dividing Spain into 17 federal states, each with its own government and legislature. The central government would control the Republic's foreign policy, military, public services, and so on. However, this decentralization led to cantonalism, whereby many cities, towns, municipalities, or regions declared independence from Madrid of their own volition. For example, Utrera declared independence from Seville, Granada and Jaén went to war, and there was even the unlikely event of the Republic of Cartagena (which possessed much of the fleet and a strong garrison) declaring war on Madrid.

3. Nicolás Salmerón: Repression of Cantonalism (Jul-Sep 1873)

   Upon his rise to power, cantonalism was met with a harsher and more widespread response (except in the north, where the Carlist War was ongoing). In this situation, Nicolás Salmerón used the army to harshly repress the cantonalists, despite the president's conciliatory policy.

4. Emilio Castelar: Centralist Efforts & Republic's End (Sep 1873-Jan 1874)

   Upon the arrival of the new president, the Republic was already in dire straits, facing three simultaneous conflicts: the war in Cuba, the Third Carlist War, and the cantonal uprisings. Emilio Castelar realized that the only way to save the Republic was to abandon federalism, return to centralism, call upon the army, apply the death penalty, and reinforce the power of the state. However, his colleagues did not support him, accusing him of dictatorial and militaristic tendencies. On January 2, 1874, Parliament met, but they withdrew their confidence, marking the end of the First Republic.