The Turbulent Era of the Six Democratic Republics (1868-1874)
The Six Democratic Republics (1868-1874) - In September 1868, Elizabeth II leaves the U.S. due to the outbreak of the Revolution of September, known as the Glorious Revolution. "It is an interim government, headed by General Serrano, a strong man alongside Prim. The government convened constituent elections, earning the support of the monarchists. The triumphs of the monarchists promote the creation of a constitution that recognizes rights and punishes illegal legislation while maintaining the triple division of power, but the monarchy retains executive power. In addition, the government made major economic decisions (entry of foreign capital, tariff policies) and instructs Prim to choose a new king. After great difficulty, Amadeus of Savoy agrees to become king, but he is murdered, and upon reaching the U.S., he is unsupported and unable to control the serious political crisis. In 1873, he decides to abdicate.
The Cortes proclaimed the Republic, which lasts eleven months and sees four presidents. With threats from Carlists and collaboration from monarchists, republicans face a strong confrontation between unionists and federalists. The latter seem to prevail (as seen in the Constituent Assembly election of 1873) and propose a federal structure for the U.S. following the German model (Germany had just become a federal state in 1871).
The general Pavia, via a spectacular coup (which includes admission to Congress on horseback) and without significant resistance, appoints Serrano as the new president. In fact, the Republic is over.
Parallel to this, between 1872 and 1876, the Third Carlist War takes place. Carlino's new suitor, Charles VII, arrives to offer a return of the institutions of Catalonia. Despite the efforts of General Carlo Francesco Savall, military defeat in the face of failure in the Basque-Navarre region fosters an absolutist response.
The labor movement is revitalized with the introduction of the AIT in 1868. A number of trade unions joined them, but the division between anarchists and Marxist communists negatively affected the movement.
In Cuba, some criollos began an independence movement in 1868. A fierce war of ten years, known as the Long War, ended with the defeat of the insurgents. The conflict remained dormant until 1898, when the decisive intervention of the United States precipitated the independence of the island.