Sp - Sessions 5 Restoration Monarchy

Sessions 5: Restoration Monarchy ► Politics

in Spain: Processes and Institutions

► IES

Barcelona ► FALL 2007 PROGRAM

► Instructor:

Andrew Davis ► e-mail: [email protected]

1

Why was nation-building in Spain so difficult? 1) The acute political crisis suffered by Spain throughout the 19th century 2) From an international perspective, Spain was a third-rate power. (Why? Since 1814, did not participate in any major European conflict) 3) No ‘nationalization of the masses’ (Why? Weak education, army)

2

4) The state was chronically indebted. Limited to the ‘extraction-coercion’ cycle, typical of the earlymodern period in Europe. ►

Governments based on the extraction - coercion cycle have long histories. This is the typical way that governments establish themselves. The strong dominate the weak, extract wealth from them and coerce them to provide the resources necessary to extend their spheres of dominance. Empires often begin this way. Government claims sole authority over the individual and have the coercive power to maintain that control.

3

SESSION 8 & 9 The turn of the 19th Century and Nation-Building

5) Authorities were apathetic in relation to the intellectual elites’ effort to create a national identity (Why? Spanish rulers chose to rely on a traditional dynastic-religious legitimatization of power) 6) State service did not occupy an important place in the scale of values of upper or upper-middle-class Spanish families, contrary to the strong military tradition in Prussia-Germany or the civil service in France (why? For the elite, it was a burden not an honor. Disdain of work in general since the discovery of America) 4 7) Lack of national symbols (why? No national flag until 1843; no national anthem

The Emergence of the ‘Two Spains’: ►A

contest between the Spain of progress and free thought which looked to Europe –more urban- and the inward-looking Spain of traditionalist Catholic values –more rural.

► There

are now 2 competing mythologies of what Spain ‘is’….. ► Remember, though, these are elite mythologies (i.e. politicians)

5

Liberal-Progressive Spanish Nationalism ► Celebrates

the middle ages, fueros, democratic town councils, religious tolerance ► Church and clergy disease; education and science the cure ► Redemptive ideal: freedom, democracy 6

National-Catholic Spanish Nationalism ► Nation

that the Visigoths started and Catholic Kings consolidated. Celebrated Counter-reformation and anti-Islamic wars. ► Decries the ‘feebleness’ of Habsburgs ► ‘Anti-Spanish’ (read anti-Catholic) Bourbon reforms ► Redemptive ideal: Unity on all fronts (political, religious, linguistic, racial)

7

Revolution from below ► There

were mythologies which questioned both narratives ► Moved by a ‘higher’ calling. Inspired not by nationalism but by:  Socialism  Anarchism ► Peripheral

Nationalism

 Catalonia  Basque Country 8

Social Change, Institutional Continuity ► Even

as pressures build, restoration monarch roles on... ► ....institutionally it ignores demands from those outside of the corrupt turno pacifico.

9

The Restoration System ► Monarch

accumulates strong powers within the restoration system.

► The

Monarch not only appointed ministries, but he also dismissed them. The cabinet had the capacity of enacting the decree of dissolution through which it could ‘make’ an election and count on a comfortable majority in the Cortes (Spanish

10

Aspects of Restoration System II ► The

universal male suffrage was introduced in 1890, but the overall government control over the electoral results from above did not disappear.

► The

electoral manipulation was done through caciques or local political bosses, employed by each of the two parties in order to secure for itself a comfortable majority in the Cortes while giving a decent proportion of seats to the opposition in order to keep them in the game.

11

Aspects of Restoration System ►

It worked as follows: once granted the royal decree of dissolution, the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior would work out a list of their followers who needed seats. Then they had to come to terms with the demands of their party and with the claims of the outgoing party leader for a ‘decent’ show of members.

►

In other words, the actual electoral contest took place in the negotiations before the elections. Once the list was drawn up, the chosen candidates had to be imposed on the constituencies 12

► At

the next stage, the Civil Governor of the province – as the representative of the party in office- started the negotiations with the local bosses.

► There

was a hierarchy of caciques, which developed a clientele by delivering jobs in the public sector. He handed out all type of jobs within a given territory: from night watchman to 13

► To

do this the cacique had a total control over municipalities and judgeships and it was essential that every electoral contest was preceded by a massive change of mayors and local judges.

► This

system was especially effective in rural areas, which were numerically overwhelming. Thus, mostly thanks to rural caciques, the party favoured by the Crown remained in power.

► The

electoral manipulation was so high that the electoral results were often published in the press before polling day.

14

The Restoration system started to show some weaknesses towards the end of the century. ►

Urban voters were shifting their voting preferences. The city votes often represented opposition to the two establishment’s parties.

►

For example, liberals and conservatives were defeated by Republican parties in several cities like Madrid (in 1893 and 1903), Barcelona (in 1900), or Valencia and Granada (in 1919).

15

Socialism in Spain ► Socialism-

Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy. ► Socialist party (PSOE) formed in 1879, and its trade union the UGT in 1880. 16

Socialism in Spain II ► The

importance of the PSOE lay less in its power in representing organized labor, than in its standing as the heir of the Republicans as critics of a ‘feudal monarchy’. ► Moral alternative to a corrupt system. ► Most of support found in the north industrial areas, and mines of Asturias. ► Their meeting places (las Casas del Pueblo) would educate the working classes, and will promote abstinence from alcohol… 17

Anarchism ► The

political philosophy advocating a libertarian society without hierarchy, based on mutual aid and voluntary cooperation. ► Anarchism historically gained the most support and influence in Spain, especially in the seventy or so years before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. 18

Anarchism II ►

►

► ►

During the late 19th century, the success of the anarchist movement was sporadic. They would organize a strike, and ranks would swell. Usually, repression by police reduced the numbers again, but at the same time, further radicalized many members. This action/repression/action cycle helped lead to an era of mutual violence in the late 19th century, where anarchist "pistoleros" and police gunmen were both responsible for political assassinations. Anarchists vs. State Strong (an at times violent) anticlericalism. Anarchists vs. Church Result - more divided society.

19

Anarchism III ► In

the 20th century, the movement gained speed with the rise of anarchosyndicalism and the creation of the huge libertarian union, the CNT. ► By 1919 it had 700,000 members, 3x bigger than UGT (Socialist union). ► General strikes became common, and large portions of the Spanish working class adopted anarchist ideas. 20

► About

the anarchists: ► Anarchist goals: social justice, land reform and the destruction of the capitalist system. ► Supported mostly by industrial workers in Catalonia and landless peasants in Andalusia. 21

Political Catalanism I ► The

loss of the Cuban and Philippine colonial markets finally pushed the Catalan industrial middle class into political action. ► The economic effects consolidate affection among workers for various combinations of socialism, anarchism, republicanism and federalism. 22

Two Basic Principles of Catalanisme ► Rejection

of a centralized Spanish state, and the pushing for a decentralized one. Convert other regions and nationalities to their decentralized caused. ► The hecho diferencial (fet diferencial). The acceptance that Catalonia has specific characteristics, different from those of Spain - language, private law, culture, common history, and general cultural characteristics.

23

But they are different ‘nationalisms’ ► The

peasant nationalism – consequence of modernization and failure of Spanish state to adapt unable to establish universal education, offer national symbols or rituals. ► Textile magnate – reacting to loss of empire, assisting Catalan business. This Catalan nationalism still about how to ‘fix’ Spain.

24

Lliga Regionalista ► The

Centre Nacional Català, with Prat de la Riba, & Unió Regionalista joined to present a Catalanist ticket for the 1st time in the parliamentary election of 1901, winning 4 of 47 Cat seats in the Cortes. ► The 2 groups then formed a political party, the Lliga Regionalista, one of the only “modern”, well-organized political parties in Spain at the time and the dominant force in Cat through 1923. ► During the 1901 campaign promised that if elected they would ‘by all legal means to achieved the autonomy of the Catalan people within the Spanish state’.

25

Lliga Regionalista II ► Lliga

Regionalista – Catalan political party. It was anti-restoration corruption, and not independentist but regionalist and regenerationist. ► They pressed for a constitutional reform, to include decentralization, democratic Senate elections, & nearelimination of royal power over parliament. 26

► In

1912, the liberal central gov’t worked to establish the Mancommunitat, the unification of provincial administration under regional federations. The Mancomunitat, dominated by the Lliga & with Prat de la Riba as president, took office in 1914. 27

► The

Lliga cooperate with the central gov for the final years of parliamentarism (18-23). ► They rejected radical nationalism (in practice and in its rhetoric). As regionalists they fought for Catalan interests in the form of an autonomous government INSIDE Spain. 28

► At

the same time, one of the features of Catalanism was the diversity of its components: from priests, to bohemians. ► But for the Catalan left, la Lliga, when cooperating with the politicians in Madrid was transformed to an ‘apendix of monarchic conservatism’. ► Political Catalan nationalism begins to slowly evolve to the left as the Catalan working class begins to see less difference between the Lliga and the rest of the Restoration elites. 29

The Basque Country

30

‘Traditional’ Basque Country ► The

pink section is now the region called ‘the Basque Country’ ► The green section is another Spanish region called Navarre (which some Navarrese consider Basque, while others do not) ► The three yellow territories are French Basque country. 31

Basque country Basque fueros abolished in 1876 at the end of the final Carlist war (1873-1876) ► This directly contributed to the massive growth of Basque industry, which until then had industrialized more slowly compared with Catalonia (opened up Basque Country to rest of Spain economically, no customs barriers). ► BUT, in Basque countryside, the removal of foral customs destroyed inefficient agricultural industry. It was the sudden, drastic shock to traditional life which created unease amongst the middle-class bourgeoisie Basques who felt squeezed from above by the centralista oligarchies ►

32

► The

concept of Basque nation was a creation of the 1890’s. the essence was to defend Basque traditions & ethnicity (particularly language) vs contamination by the Spanish, with whom the Basques had fought 2 wars (Carlists) & in the face of industrialization, urbanization, & the immigration into the region these processes encouraged.

33

Basque nationalism ► Thus,

this was a defensive nationalism based on fears created by radical change.

► Rather

than the inclusive Catalan nationalism, this was exclusive; it was a racial defense of the purity of the Basque people and their culture and extreme in its ties to the Vatican. 34

Basque Nationalist Party ► ►

Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea (EAJ) (in Basque) Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV) (in Spanish)

►

One of the first Christian Democratic parties in Europe

►

The party was created in 1895 by Sabino de Arana y Goiri as a Catholic conservative. He pledged to restore self-government for the Basques.

►

When it was formed, minimal bloodlines were established for members - they had to prove Basque ancestry by having a minimum number of Basque surnames. Over time, Arana becomes less independent

►

35