How the First Spanish Republic ended

The First Spanish Republic He had from the beginning a series of problems that were quite difficult to solve. In the first place, the illiteracy of the population meant that the common people did not care if they had a monarchy or a republic, because what they wanted was to be able to eat. Secondly, we will find that the strong base of the republican government was the middle bourgeoisie, which was generally scarce in Spain and that which existed was confined to the cities.

Thirdly, we can find the opposition of a bourgeoisie and a nobility that longed for life with the monarchy, because they knew how to get their interests out of it. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will focus on how the First Spanish Republic ended, focusing on the major issues that led to the end of this short period.

Before knowing how the First Spanish Republic ended, it is important that we do a brief review of the main problems attached to this historical period. One of the most important problems of the First Republic in Spain was cantonalism

, an insurrection of different communities to become autonomous from the central government, that is, to create a federal republic in which the control of the central government was very minimal.

This problem started after the appointment Francisco Pi and Margal as president in June 1873. In this way, on July 12, the city council was taken over in the city of Cartagena (Murcia) by the federalists, the which accused the president of wanting to delay his political propaganda and thus created a junta revolutionary.

From this uprising, others would be born that led Valencia, Seville, Castellón, Cádiz, Salamanca and Granada to create their own revolutionary boards and to oppose the central government. Thus the government of the country became impossible, causing that on July 18 of the same year 1873, the president resigned. On the other hand, on July 26 and August 8, Generals Manuel Pavía, Arsenio Martínez Campos and Rodríguez de Alburquerque were taking all the cantons.

One of the things that they came to realize was the suppression of monopolies, the right to work and the eight-hour shift, in addition to abolishing taxes on consumption or what is the same, the right to doors.

Another problem that the First Spanish Republic would have was the Third Carlist War (1872-1876), we will find it located in the Basque Country, Navarra and Catalonia. This war ranges from the reign of Amadeo I of Savoy to the reign of Alfonso XII, therefore it is perfectly connected to one of the problems that the new Spanish government had to face.

As a result of all these union problems that we will find in the Republic, we will see the succession in just nine months of four presidents, which gives us a reflection of how Spain was in said moments. In that way the last president of the government would be Emilio Castelar, which would be in power between September 7, 1873 to January 3, 1874. During his short period he would dedicate himself to calming down the old cantons, continuing the fight in the north against the Carlist and trying to quell an insurrection that had occurred in Cuba. For this reason, he will be branded by the rest of the politicians as a right-wing conservative, thus losing his sympathizers.

On the other hand we have to say that, one of the elements by which the Republic in Spain never came to fruition, was none other than the lack of understanding between the different political parties. Which always got in the way and were always reproaching positions.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we discover a brief summary of the First Spanish Republic so that you know everything that happened in this short period of time.

To know how the First Spanish Republic ended We have to know that on January 3, 1874, General Manuel Pavía y Rodríguez de Alburquerque entered Madrid and dismissed the government of the First Spanish Republic with the support of the conservative group, the civil guard and the army.

Although it is the end of the democratic government, it will not be until something later when it ends in a certain way the Spanish government because between January 3, 1874 and December 29, 1874 we will find in Spain a “dictatorship ”headed by General Serrano. During this period he would serve as President of the Republic, although in most cases it can be defined as a conservative government, he carried out some liberal ideas. He was the one who put an end to the centers of cantonalism in Spain and raised the siege that Bilbao suffered, leaving the Carlists almost defeated.

We can say that the end of the republican government in Spain ended on December 29, 1874, when the general Martinez Campos made a military pronouncement in Sagunto, in which he proclaimed Prince Alfonso as King of Spain, without the central government doing anything to prevent it.

In this way Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was paving the way while the future king of Spain arrived in his kingdom. Within these measures taken, we will find the so-called Canovista system of rotation of political parties between liberals and conservatives that was interwoven through caciquismo.