The Second Spanish Republic: A Time of Change

The Second Spanish Republic: Reforms and Challenges 1931-1933

On December 10, 1931, Alcalá Zamora was elected as the first President of the Republic, and Manuel Azaña (Acción Republicana) became Prime Minister in October 1931. The Republican-Socialist coalition remained in power until the late summer of 1933 and was responsible for major reforms during the regime. Apart from the issues of religion and military reform, they focused on land reform and the implementation of regional autonomy.

Land Reform

The Republicans' land reform addressed the problem of unequal land ownership distribution. The Law on Land Reform was approved in 1932, under the control of the Agrarian Reform Institute (ARI).

Religious Reforms

The religious issue was aggravated by successive government measures, including:

• Extinction of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
• Divorce law
• Subjecting religious orders to a special law

Military Reform

Regarding the military, in April 1931, the Azaña Law was adopted. This involved a profound reform of the army, which was opposed by some military members.

Regional Autonomy

The Republic's solution to the demand for autonomy was reflected in the 1931 Constitution. The most significant event was the approval of the Statute of Catalonia in September 1932, which became a self-governing autonomous region, with Companys as President of the Generalitat.

Opposition and the End of the Coalition

Since late 1932, the Azaña coalition began to suffer opposition from Lerroux's Radical Party, the CNT, and the army. This led to a first and unsuccessful coup attempt in the summer of 1932, led by General Sanjurjo. However, the most effective political opposition came from agricultural and Catholic organizations, led by Gil Robles. These organizations came together in 1933 to form a new political party, the Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Rights (CEDA), of Catholic inspiration.

Social opposition staged the episode of Casas Viejas (January 1933), where there was a massacre of peasants by the Guardia Civil. This unleashed a ferocious campaign to discredit the government.

In September 1933, following the resignation of Manuel Azaña, Alcalá Zamora dissolved the Cortes and called for general elections. Afterward, Lerroux was responsible for forming a new government.