The document summarizes the history of Spain from the late 19th century to the establishment of democracy in the late 1970s. It discusses the establishment of the First Republic in 1873 and its overthrow in 1874. It then covers the Bourbon Restoration monarchy, the loss of colonies, the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship. Finally, it discusses the transition to democracy after Franco's death, led by Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez.

1. SPAIN
LATE 19th CENTURY
20th CENTURY

2. THE FIRST REPUBLIC (1873-74)
• It started with the abdication as king on 10 February
1873 of Amadeo I. The next day the republic was
declared by a parliamentary majority made up of
radicals, republicans and democrats.
• It faced many problems, as the division among
Republicans.
• In December 1874 there was another military
uprising. This brought about the restoration of the
monarchy, the return of the Bourbon dynasty to
power and the end of the First Republic.

3. THE BOURBON RESTORATION
• Alfonso XII, Isabel II’s son is proclamed king.
• Spain became a parliamentary monarchy.
• The constitution of 1876 established limited
male suffrage.
• Two political parties (Liberals and
Conservatives) alternated in power by
manipulating election results.
• The king shared legislative power with the
Cortes.
• Republicans opposed the government because
they felt excluded from the political system.

4. PERIOD OF REGENCY
• Alfonso XII died in 1885, his wife María Cristina
became regent for their son Alfonso XIII, who
was born shortly after his father’s death.
• During this regency period, Spain lost its last
remaining colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico and the
Philippines) after the Spanish-American war.
• Because of the Disaster of ‘98, Spain was
relegated to second-class status in international
politics.
• The loss of colonial markets was detrimental to
Spanish industry and trade.

5. ALFONSO XIII
• Alfonso XIII became king in 1902, he was
confronted with a series of political, social and
colonial problems that would eventually bring
about the fall of the monarchy.
POLITICAL OPPOSITION
• The system of alternating Liberal and
Conservative governments began to collapse due
to internal divisions in both parties.
• Other parties as PSOE, PRR, PCE and PNV
gained support.
• Due to growing regionalism, the government
allowed the creation of regional associations.

6. SOCIAL CONFLICTS
• The enormous differences in wealth between the
upper and lower classes led to the establishment
of political parties that defended workers’ rights
and trade unions.
• Workers continued to demand better working
conditions through demonstrations and strikes.
COLONIAL PROBLEMS
• After the disaster of ‘98, Spain tried to acquire
new colonies in North Africa to rebuild its
empire and regain international prestige. But it
created new problems:

7. ▫ Tragic week: When Spanish reservists were sent to fight in
Morocco in 1909, there were protests in Barcelona led by
workers and the families of soldiers which were brutally
suppressed by the army.
▫ War in Morocco: in 1912, Spain established a protectorate
over its newly acquired territories in Morocco. Other areas
were controlled by France. The native population opposed
to the foreign presence and this led to the outbreak of the
Spanish-Moroccan Rif War (1920-26).
• Spain didn’t participate in the First World War due to
the economic and social problems although regions such
as Cataluña and País Vasco increased their industrial
capacity as a result of demand from the countries
fighting the war. After the war Spain suffered an
economic crisis because the demand collapsed.

8. PRIMO DE RIVERA
• Public opinion became very critical of the military
and the defeats it was suffering in Morocco. Also,
military officers played a prominent role in Spanish
politics, especially in the suppression of protests and
strikes.
• Compulsary military service was also a source of
discontent because the wealthy people could avoid
paying a special fee.
• Those factors created a climate of political
instability. Finally, in 1923 the government was
overthrown by a military coup led by General Miguel
Primo de Rivera with the approval of the king. After
the coup, Primo de Rivera established a
dictatorship.

9. THE DICTATORSHIP OF
PRIMO DE RIVERA
• With the aproval of the king, Primo de Rivera
became head of the government.
• At first, many sectors of society supported the
dictatorship.
• His Patriotic Union ruled the country as the only
official political party.
▫ To re-establish order, the government supressed
protests, regionalist movements and Anarchists
orfanisations.
▫ More troops were sent to Morocco and in 1926
Spain declared victory in the Rif war.

10. • From 1928 the dictatorship faced opposition
parties who wanted to restore the Cortes, the
universities which opposed the government’s
censorship policy and the armed forces who
were dissatisfied with the system of promotion.
• In 1929, due to the Great Depression, Spain
suffered an economic crisis which caused rising
unemployment and social conflict.
• Alfonso XIII withdrew the support to the
dictatorship and in 1930 Primo de Rivera finally
resigned.

11. THE SECOND REPUBLIC
• In April 1931, municipal elections took place. When
a Republican-Socialist coalition won in most cities,
Alfonso XIII went into exile. On 14 April, the Second
Republic was declared and a new constitution was
written.
• Changes:
▫ Provinces with common historical or economic
features could establish communities with their own
statues of autonomy.
▫ The state was secular.
▫ A new flag was introduced.
▫ The royal crown was removed from Spain’s coat and
replaced by a fortified castle in the shape of a crown.

12. PERIODS OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC
• Left-wing governments 1931-1933
▫ They were formed by Republicans from various political
parties, led by Manuel Azaña. The President was Alcalá
Zamora.
▫ Some reforms were:
 Statute of autonomy for Cataluña.
 Large agricultural estates were expropriated.
 Public education became free and compulsory. Religious
education was banned.
 New laws for businesses to negotiate working conditions and
wages with the trade unions.
 Number of officers was reduced.
▫ These reforms led to protests by groups at both extremes.
There were serious incidents in rural areas with the result
of peasants killed by the police. When the situation
continued to deteriorate, Azaña finally resigned.

13. • Right-wing governments 1934-1936
▫ After Azaña’s resignation, elections were held. As
a result, a more conservative government came to
power. It suspended the previous government’s
reforms and took measures to stop protests and
social conflict.
▫ In October 1934,a general strike led to two
important events:
 A social revolution broke out in Asturias.
 Cataluña proclaimed itself to be a state.
▫ The army intervened to suppress both these
uprisings, but increasing tension eventually
brought about new elections in 1936.

14. • The popular Front government
▫ A coalition called the Popular Front, made up of
various left-wing parties, won the election in
February 1936.
▫ They tried to continue implementing the reforms
that the previous government had suspended.
▫ There were increasing numbers of protests and
violent clashes between Falangists, Socialists,
Anarchists and Communists.
▫ In July 1936, part of the military rose up against
the government. This triggered the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War.

15. THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
• The military rebellion that started on 17 July 1936
was led by Generals Mola, Sanjurjo and Franco. The
rebellions’s aims were:
▫ To end the social disturbances such as protests, strikes
and politically motivated acts of violence.
▫ To put a stop to the reforms introduced by left-wing
governments and reverse many of these changes.
▫ To prevent a potential revolution that might lead to
the establishment of a Communist state in Spain.
• The uprising’s supporters planned to remove the
government from power and establish an
authoritarian regime. They couldn’t achieve a quick
victory because of the strength of Republican forces.

16. • As a result, Spain was divided into two opposing
sides and civil war broke out.
▫ The Nationalists who were in favour of the military
uprising. They had the support of Germany, Italy and
Portugal.
▫ The Republicans who were in favour of the Republican
government. They had the support of the USSR and
the International Brigades.
• After three years of fighting, the National army took
Madrid in March 1939. On 1 April, the war ended
with a Nationalist victory. General Franco, who was
their leader, established an authoritarian
dictatorship inspired by the regimes of Nazi
Germany and Fascist Italy.

17. SPAIN DURING THE WORLD WAR TWO
• Spain remained neutral so that Franco could concentrate
on his domestic problems such as:
▫ An economic crisis: The civil war had destroyed agricultural
lands, factories and infrastructure.
▫ A demographic crisis: many people had died during the war
and many Republicans had emigrated to other countries.
Spain’s birth-rate had also fallen dramatically.
▫ Political opposition: Spain was divided into two groups
(who supported Franco’s regime and who was against)
• Franco supported Nazi Germany by sending volunteer
troops, called the Blue Division, to fight against the
Soviet Union. In 1943, the Blue Division withdrew from
the conflict and Spain remained neutral for the rest of
the war.

18. FRANCOIST SPAIN
• Domestic Policy
▫ The dictatorship strenghtened its position through a
series of measures introduced between 1939 and 1959.
 Franco concentrated all power in his own hands, with the
support of the only official political party: the Falange
Española de la JONS.
 The constitution of 1931 was replaced by a new set of
constitutional laws dictated by Franco.
 Power was centralised and regionalism was suppressed.
The only permitted language was Spanish.
▫ After 1959, the main aim was to modernise the
country, appointing specialists as ministers in areas
such as economics, health and education.
▫ In 1969, Franco designated Juan Carlos de Borbón as
his successor and passed a series of laws to modify the
regime’s authoritarian image.

19. • Foreign policy
▫ During the early years of the Franco regime, Spain
experienced a period of international isolation because
of the United Nations’ embargo on the country for
being a dictatorship.
▫ In 1953, Spain signed a military agreement with the
USA (allowing the establishment of America military
bases in Spain) and a concordat with the Vatican .This
marked a more open period. It also became a member
of the United Nations in 1955.
▫ The regime gave the Catholic Church privileges such as
tax exemptions, economic support and control over
education and in return got benefits such as the right
to nominate candidates to become bishops.

20. THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
UNDER FRANCO
• Economy
▫ The UN embargo led to economic stagnation and prevented
industrial development.
▫ When the regime became more technocratic in the 1960s
economy grew and new industrial zones were created and foreign
currency began to arrive, mainly through tourism and Spanish
people living abroad and sending money to their families in
Spain.
• Society
▫ During the 1940s and 1950s, the Franco regime implemented a
programme of indoctrination to promote traditional ideas such as
patriotism and family values.
▫ The regime suppressed organisations which demanded greater
freedom, such as trade unions ad students organisations.
▫ The economic development of the 1960s caused considerable
rural to urban migration. Many Spaniards also emigrated to other
European countries that needed more workers.

21. THE TRANSITION AND DEMOCRACY
• After Franco’s death in 1975 and the proclamation of
Juan Carlos I as king, a period of political transition
began.
• Adolfo Suárez, who became Prime Minister in 1976,
introduced a number of important measures such as
an amnesty for political prisoners, legalisation of
political parties and a call for a general election.
• In 1977 the first democratic general election was
held and won by UCD which followed a policy of
consensus with other parties. Some agreements
were: The Moncloa Pacts to enable Spain to join the
EEC and the Constitution of 1978.