Spain during World War I, 1914-1918 Civil War, 1936-1939



Spain between 1918 and 1936



In the early post-war years, Spain's economy saw more difficult times as international competition reappeared. The turbulent events that took place in Russia, Hungary, Germany made the wealthy fear, and the increasing activities of the trade unions (UGT, CNT) only increased that. Strikes were answered with lockouts. The situation became tense. In 1921, Prime Minister EDUARDO DATO was assassinated.
In addition, Spanish attempts to establish control over the RIF (nominally Spanish since 1911) resulted in a disastrous defeat at the hands of ABD EL KRIM in 1921. The post-war years were another episode in Spain's long history of political instability.

In 1923, elections (with another low voter turnout) led to the formation of a new government under GARCIA PRIETO, willing to grant political autonomy to the RIF, thus recognizing Abd-el-Krim's rule. In September 1923, the Captain General of Catalonia, MIGUEL PRIMO DE RIVERA proclaimed his intention to form a government without politicians. The cabinet resigned; de Rivera was asked to form a government and even given quasi-dictatorial powers, after the Italian precedent.
De Revira was a military man and, at dealt with what he regarded military problems - unruly Catalonia, where the autonomy was cancelled, and with the Rif. In cooperation with the French, Abd-el-Krim was defeated; he surrendered in 1926.
In Spain, state-planned infrastructure projects such as the construction of highways, hydroelectric power stations etc. were undertaken, again following the Italian model. Spain was not a Fascist dictatorship, though.
In the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash, Spain like many other European economies was affected by the Great Depression. In 1930 Prime Minister Primo de Rivera resigned. King Alfonso XIII appointed General BERENGUER his successor. However, the king's popularity was at a low, and many of the country's political organizations tended toward a republican constitution. On April 12th 1931 elections were held, and in both Madrid and Barcelona the republic was proclaimed, King Alfonso went into exile. ALCALA ZAMORA formed a new government. A new constitution was passed, with a unicameral parliament, the CORTES, and with presidential system. In the new Cortes, the socialists (PSOE) formed the largest faction. In 1941 UNIVERSAL WOMANHOOD SUFFRAGE was introduced.
It is characteristic for Spanish history in these years that the events often were uncoordinated. Primo de Rivera's rise to power had been unconstitutional. The proclamation of the republic also had been an event which had happened with the Cortes, Spain's parliament, uninvolved. While Zamora attempted to reestablish order, CATALONIAN INDEPENDENCE was proclaimed (but not realized). The new republic discontinued religious education in Spanish schools and thus alienated the Catholic church. In 1932 Catalonia was granted full political autonomy.
While Spanish politics was dominated by republican parties, many of them leftist (socialists, anarcho-syndicalists, communists), both the Catholics and the conservatives felt deprived of their traditional dominating role. In 1933, JOSE ANTONIO PRIMO DE RIVERA, son of the late prime minister, founded the FALANGE party which was to play an important role in Spain's future. In 1936, prime minister AZANA's liberal republicans, together with the socialists and communists formed the POPULAR FRONT which was to dominate Spanish politics. It would also lead to the SPANISH CIVIL WAR.


List of Kings of Spain, 1918-1931
Links lead to Biographies from Encyclopaedia Britannica
1886-1931 Alfonso XIII. born 1886


List of Presidents of Spain, 1931-1936
1931-1936
1936-1939 		Niceta Alcala Zamora
Manuel Azana y Diaz 		cons. republican
popular front


Spain, Prime Ministers, 1918-1936
1918
1918-1920
1920-1921
1921-1923
1923
1923-1930
1930-1931
1931
1931
1931-1933
1933-1935
1936 		Antonio Maura
Alvaro de Figueroa, Count of Romanones
Eduardo Dato Iradier
Jose Sanchez Guerra
Garcia Prieto
Miguel Primo de Rivera, Captain General
Damaso Berenguer, General
Juan Bautista Aznar, Admiral
Niceta Alcala Zamora
Manuel Azana y Diaz
Alejandro Leroux
Manuel Azana y Diaz 		conservative
liberal
conservative

liberal
no party affiliation
no party affiliation
no party affiliation
republican
lib. republican
radical
popular front




EXTERNAL
FILES 		Armed Conflict Events Data : Spain 1800-1999, from OnWar.com
DOCUMENTS Images from Chronik 2000 Bilddatenbank : King Alfonso XIII.; Span. President Manuel Azana y Diaz, 1936
REFERENCE Peter Pierson, A Troubled New Century, 1898-1931, in : P. Pierson, The History of Spain, London : Greenwood 1999



This page is part of World History at KMLA
Last revised on January 7th 2002