After the military coup of 1868, Spain was governed for six years by a group of
soldiers. They wanted universal male suffrage and a monarch controlled by a
constitution. This period is known as the Six-Year Democratic Period. In 1870,
the governing assembly under its president General Prim, chose an Italian,
Amadeo de Saboya, to be king.
Amadeo I abdicated in 1873 and declared the First Republic.
Juan Prim
Amadeo I de Saboya
Asesinato de Prim (unos hombres se abalanzan sobre el vehículo, abren la puerta y descerrajan cinco disparos sobre Prim, quien muere el hospital)
Amadeo ante el cuerpo de Prim
Dimisión de Amadeo
¿Quién mató a Prim?
A new draft for
a constitution was written but it was never passed. It promoted the idea of a
federal state with each region governing itself. Although there was enthusiasm
for the Republic among the middle classes in some regions, there was also
resistance from many groups.
Alegorías de la I República
Presidentes de la I República. En un año ¡4 gobiernos!
The Cantonal Revolution broke out in southern and central Spain. It was in
favour of almost complete independence for some cities and towns. A third
Carlist War started in the north of Spain in favour of a monarchy. Further instability
was caused by a War of Independence in Cuba. The First Republic ended in
1874 with another military coup*, this time to restore the monarchy.
Dibujo satírico de la revista La Flaca: caricatura de la lucha por el poder. En la escena, un grupo de observadores de las principales monarquías europeas, muestra su satisfacción ante las disputas entre los mismos republicanos.
de la insurrección cantonal (se estableció una serie de ciudades independientes que acabaron declarándose la guerra unas a otras).
What happened at the start of Alfonso XII’s reign?
El general Martínez Campos pinta a Alfonso XII
The restoration of the monarchy led to the reign of
Alfonso XII, Isabel II’s son, from 1875 to 1885. The
Constitution of 1876 established a centralised state
governed by the monarch. Laws were passed by
parliament, but the king could veto them. A later law
only allowed rich men to vote.
What political system was there under Alfonso XII?
Pacto Cánovas y Sagasta: turnismo
During Alfonso XII’s reign, a system of political alternation was established
to stabilise the political situation. Two political parties, the Conservatives led
by Cánovas del Castillo and the Liberals led by Sagasta, took turns to control
parliament.
Powerful local caciques manipulated the elections to make sure the party they
supported was in power. These men were mainly rural landowners and politicians.
They obliged farm workers to vote for the caciques’ interests.
Several groups opposed this system. They included Carlists, Republicans and a
growing labour movement of socialists and anarchists.
Lazarismo (voto de los muertos para ganas elecciones)
Caciquismo y lazarismo
Caricatura de Sagasta en la revista "La Flaca". Alude a la práctica de la manipulación de los votos en las elecciones conocida con el término de "pucherazo".
Caricaturas satíricas de Cánovas y Sagasta (El Motín).
Alfonso XII died in 1885, before the birth of his son, Alfonso XIII. His wife, Maria
Cristina of Hapsburg became regent. Political alternation continued, although
the electoral laws were reformed and universal male suffrage was reintroduced
in 1890.
In the 1890s, the United States started to help Cuba’s independence movement.
Spain went to war with the US and lost. By the end of 1898, the Spanish colonies
of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines were independent. The loss of the
Spanish Empire’s last territories is called the Crisis of 98.
