The Tragic Week of 1909 in Barcelona: Causes & Impact

The Tragic Week of 1909 in Barcelona

Spain's "Tragic Week" in 1909 began after King Alfonso XIII and Antonio Maura, of the Conservative Party, took power following the elections of April 21, 1907. A protest sparked by the mobilization of Catalan reservists for the war in Morocco led to a social uprising in Barcelona.

Political Context

Politically, Spain had not recovered from the loss of Cuba and the Philippines in 1898, its last overseas colonies. The country was operating under a two-party system: the Conservatives and the Liberal Party. These parties secured government control through elections influenced by *caciquismo* (warlordism). The electoral system was predictable, with the winning party always being the one that had previously been in opposition.

In Catalonia, the main contending parties in the elections were Catalan Solidarity and the Republican Union, led by Alexander Lerroux.

The 1907 elections were won by the bourgeois nationalist Catalan Solidarity, which secured 41 out of 44 possible seats.

Social Context

Socially, Spanish workers' unions began to gain awareness, and the labor movement started to emerge in industrial areas. This was particularly evident in Barcelona, where Labor Solidarity was born. Labor Solidarity was a trade union confederation of socialists, anarchists, and Republicans who rejected the approach of Maura's Conservative Party and Catalan Solidarity.

The Aftermath

Barcelona experienced several days of indescribable terror. The repression that followed was severe, culminating in the execution of Francesc Ferrer Guardia, an anarchist leader and teacher. This event triggered a wave of protests and demonstrations both abroad and within Spain. King Alfonso XIII dismissed Maura, even before he had resigned, and replaced him with the Liberal Sigismund Moret.

A split emerged within the Liberal Party between the reformism of José Canalejas and Antonio Maura. Canalejas, in his second attempt to regenerate the country and save the monarchy, took the following actions:

• He confronted the clerical issue by enacting the "Padlock Law," which prohibited the establishment of new religious orders.
• He acted decisively on the issue of Morocco, occupying Arcila, Larache, and Alcazarquivir.
• He differentiated between social rights of protest and revolutionary strikes.