CONSOLIDATION OF LIBERALISM IN SPAIN Here I present a topic that can be found at the following link I
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II. and two in which you can find a selection of texts and a table displayed the main political
the period in question.
The consolidation of liberalism (1833-1868)
1. The regency, Carlist War liberalism and
1.1. The Liberals in power
the death of King Ferdinand VII (1833), his widow, Maria Cristina, took over the regency until Elizabeth II, born in 1830, reached most age. But supporters of Carlos María Isidro, from areas most uncompromising absolutist, did not accept the will of Fernando VII and took up arms against the regent, who was forced to seek Liberals support the first three years of regency served to moderate liberals, some of them returning from exile, were taking root in politics (de la Rosa). At first, the policy instrument was a letter preconstitucional, Royal Charter, which established a bicameral Cortes (Estate of Heroes, real appointment, and Estate of attorneys, elected indirectly with a very low voter: 0.15%), lack of legislative initiative and can only discuss the issues raised royal decrees in the Crown or request a bill.
civil war and the disastrous economic situation caused, and in 1835, uprisings, urban militias which required an expansion of political freedom and suffrage, and demanded the handover of power to progressive politicians like Joseph M. Calatrava and Mendizabal. In 1836, a revolt against the ruler, organized by NCOs from the army (the Mutiny Palacio de la Granja), forced to Maria Cristina ofrecer de nuevo el poder a los progresistas y a aceptar la puesta en vigor de la Constitución de 1812. Aunque, inmediatamente, los progresistas redactaron una nueva carta magna (Constitución de 1837) con algunos cambios respecto de la de 1812 que la hacían bastante más moderada.
En la Constitución de 1837 los progresistas renuncian a alguno de sus principios básicos en favor del programa de los moderados y de la propia corona. Progresistas son: la declaración de la Soberanía nacional, que aparece en el preámbulo; el reconocimiento of individual rights, among which freedom of expression (art. 2), the non-denominational State (art.11), the popular election of local councils (art. 70 ) and the National Military (art.77). concessions to moderates are the extension of powers of the monarch legislative initiative of convening authority to suspend and dissolve the Parliament, appoint and remove ministers, the enactment and promulgation of laws (Articles 36, 26, 47, 46), the bicameral structure of the Courts with a Senate Joint regional election and appointment, and a Congress of Deputies are elected directly and census tracts (arts. 13, 15, 23).
With this constitutional framework could enact some laws revolutionary as the abolition of the obligation to pay tithes to the Church, the elimination of internal customs, the confiscation (auction) of the assets of the Church, untying entails, and the suppression of unions to support the growth of the industry. Completed Carlist war, a moderate government led by Perez de Castro tried again to limit the reforms and the participation of urban middle classes of municipalities by enacting a law abolishing the right of citizens to choose ; to their mayors, which were becoming gubernatorial nomination. There were new popular uprisings and Maria Cristina was forced to resign the regency. Courts generally chosen as regent Espartero, recent winner of the supporters of Carlos María Isidro, the Carlist. Espartero General, which had the support of the Liberals progressive, ruled until 1843 in a dictatorship, suppressing the moderates and never without submitting to Parliament. Espartero won the rejection of all: its free trade policy radically threatened the fledgling industry Catalan as textile manufacturers in Catalonia, although most liberals, rejected the Government's policy. Catalan movement joined the opposition of the Basques, who had seen how, for their support of the Carlist Paccione Act of 1841 rearranged the Navarrese charters. In addition, politicians moderate liberals, who had been displaced from power in 1840, began to organize its attack on the Government. Some liberal-progressive sectors (the Democrats), who had initially supported Espartero, confronted him because they did not accept the forms of authoritarian and repressive ruler, although hiciesen in the name of liberalism. In 1843 he started a military revolt led by Narváez that brought down the government. Espartero fled and went into exile in London. He did not return to Spain until 1849.
1.2. Carlist War (1833-1840)
The First Carlist War was actually a civil war. The Carlist supporters uncompromising and absolutist hereditary rights of the brother of Fernando VII, Carlos María Isidro, faced the Regent Maria Cristina. On the other side stood a group of liberal and more moderate absolutist, the Elizabethans, who agreed to Elizabeth II as heir to his father. While the Elizabethan defended liberalism as amended (the paying back process, a new unifying political regime abolition recognition), the Carlist agglutinated to supporters of the old regime or those who felt hurt by the reform process: the clergy, the small farming, crafts and territories of Navarre regime. Carlism caught only in rural areas of the Basque-Navarrese region, the interior and Maestrazgo Catalonia, the major urban centers were out of control. Carlism other hand, showed great ideological poverty: his motto God, Country, King and Judge, summarized in the binomial Throne and Altar, defined all political official theory. These elements are joined provincial defense.
Carlists became strong in the north of the peninsula. The Carlist General Ramón Cabrera, accompanied by the pretender to the crown, came in a dispatch from Maestrazgo area to the gates of Madrid (Real Issue, 1837). Colonel Thomas Zumalacárregui succeeded in organizing the rebel army and consolidated power in the Basque Country Carlist. The death of this celebrated military leader, which occurred in June 1835 during the siege of Bilbao, ended the upward trend in the region of Basque-Navarrese Carlist, where he garnered high-profile victories against the Elizabethan forces. Since 1835, the Elizabethan military victory Carlos María Isidro forced to flee to France. In 1839, General Baldomero Fernandez Espartero Elizabethan and the Carlist general Rafael Maroto held talks that culminated in the Convention of Vergara, that was the end of the First Carlist War. The agreement guaranteed the preservation of some provincial rights and jobs and degrees recognized the Carlist army. The pretender Don Carlos did not accept the agreement and went into exile in France.
2. The decade
moderate
General Ramón María Narváez ended by a military coup, the regency of Espartero. Proclaimed an adult at age 13, Elizabeth II took the throne of Spain (1843) and form a government ordered the moderate party, led by the very Narváez (1844). With the support of the sectors more conservative bourgeoisie, the moderate party ruled for ten years with hard labor. Abrogated the 1837 Constitution and drafted a new one in 1845. Most of the articles of the Constitution of 1845 is the verbatim transcript of the 1837 Constitution, however, the changes are of great importance: the preamble does not make explicit reference to national sovereignty, but it raises the character ; shared sovereignty (Cortes with the King), it reaffirmed the faith of the State (Art. 11), the Senate, appointed real life, becomes more important that Congress (Arts.14 and 17) increase the powers of the king with the appointment of senators and greater freedom in matrimonial matters not referred to the Judiciary, only the Administration of Justice, limiting their independence (Art. 67) National Military is deleted. Moreover, a series of complementary legislation abolished or restricted basic elements of the progressive: the electoral roll is restricted to less than 100,000 persons are trained on the government to directly appoint mayors municipalities more than 2,000 inhabitants, high deposits required to edit a newspaper
and juries are deleted for press offenses. The English administration building was built and perfected over the heyday moderate.
The current ministerial organization dates from this period (Council of Ministers, Presidency). The regional administration was based on the new provincial division (49) conducted in 1833 (Javier de Burgos). In 1834 the provinces were divided into parties court. Was established and a uniform administration, with the same authorities that have the same power and exert the same functions: the Civil Governor, representative government and representative of the king, the provincial delegates of each ministry , and the county council (created by Mendizabal), with an advisory role. The municipal administration was headed by the mayor, appointed by government, and the City, consisting of the elected councilors. The judicial organization, based on a hierarchy of judges, be accommodated to the administrative division: Justices of the Peace (municipalities), trial judges (judicial districts), territorial and Supreme Court hearings. Other important reforms are reflected in new laws: Law Attorney, Civil Code and Penal Code
, Corporations Act. The moderate politicians sought a rapprochement with the Church, estranged from the liberal regime from the confiscation of 1836. In this regard, in 1851 he signed a collaboration agreement with the Vatican on the Church regained many its privileges and was permitted to intervene in education. In 1844 created the Civil Guard, a military police force for maintaining order in rural areas and, in practice, secured the property rights of landowners in the countryside.
governments favored the Decade Moderate financial businesses (public works, supply of military equipment, property development, etc..) Participating in the political and power-related characters and sometimes, members real family. Corruption and authoritarianism of the moderate governments made in 1854, the working class give their support to a liberal uprising posed progressiveness renewing this political environment.
3 . The progressive biennium
Two Progressive
The call began with a military coup, known as "the Vicalvaro" because it took place in Madrid Vicálvaro headquarters. Its instigator was another general, Leopoldo O'Donnell, leader Liberal Union party. In this uprising, the revolutionary character, also took large sections of liberal and popular cities such as Zaragoza, Barcelona and Madrid. The move was not intended to dethrone the Queen Elizabeth II, declared enemy of constitutionalism, but forcing it to accept democratic reforms interrupted in 1844. After "the Vicalvaro" Elizabeth II asked the general progressive Espartero to form a government, which again taken radical measures that characterized the period of the regency of Espartero. Efforts to develop a new charter was not finally put into practice, what is known as "nonnata." The Jesuits were expelled from Spain, accused of conspiring with anti-liberal, and banned the processions and the external manifestations of Catholic worship.
another important measure of government was Espartero Adding a second confiscation (1855), which involved the seizure of communal property of the municipalities. The consequences of this measure were, in part, beneficial because were placed in culture that were previously unproductive land. But this confiscation also caused a worsening of living conditions of laborers and farmers with little land, for whom this land (of which got fruit, firewood, grass, etc..) Served as complement to its economy. The year 1855 is also the Railways Act, from which we planned the railway network that was so important in the development of English capitalism, and regulation of the English banking system. ;
4. The Liberal Union and the crisis
The Progressive Biennium ended by the reaction of the moderate liberals and the pressures of the Crown and church sectors. Narvaez was put back as head of government, and began a long period characterized by the predominance of three sectors of society in politics: the landowners, the conservative military and the Church. During these years, succeeded by the governments of General Narvaez and O'Donnell, the latter with a more moderate positions in 1854. Since then the Liberals were marginalized exalted by the Government. During this period include the cessation of the seizure of 1855, the Church recognizes many of its traditional prerogatives and privileges, the harsh repression of peasant revolts conducted by the Civil Guard, a body that was strengthened human and material resources, and finally, the establishment of electoral practices that resulted in corruption of the political system, as the institutionalization of buying votes, rigging - add or remove Feedback from the polls, and the creation of a system of local chiefs in exchange for fees or other benefits, controlled the elections, often fraudulent.
The period of greatest prosperity during this period coincided with the conservative government of General O'Donnell (1858-1863), known as "long-Government" as it was the longest of the nineteenth century: five years. This government has benefited from a time of good harvests and trade expansion through the colonial bases in Cuba and the Philippines. Furthermore, in those years there was a civil war in America, the Civil War (1861-1865), who favored the export of English products.
This period also began a foreign policy in imitation of the great ; operations colonial European powers at the time, but did not have the same size. In this sense, it sent troops to Cochin, which is now part of Vietnam, to defend the English missionaries, some aimed at military expeditions North Africa, who left the streets of Ceuta and Melilla English, ended in open war against the Sultan, which won the English army in the famous battle of Los Castillejos and Wad-Ras; Santo Domingo is a military occupation, but was lost soon after, was sent an army to Mexico led by General Prim, who achieved fame as a soldier when he took the port city of San Juan de Ulloa and, as a diplomat, to decide to withdraw English in Mexico (1862). In 1864 Narváez returned to rule, provides Ministry Interior Gonzalez Bravo. Faced with the conservative political moderates grew in Spain aspirations to greater freedom and civil rights. The moderate policy enforcement responded to the demands of freedom. Following the dismissal of university professors and Republican Castelar Sanz del Rio, and the student protests that followed, the military acted with great violence (Night of Saint Daniel). There were further encouraged by the progressive pronouncements Prim general that led to harsh repression, with the shooting of the sergeants San Gil barracks. The death of O'Donnell and Narvaez increased isolation of the throne.
The political crisis was accompanied by an economic crisis with several events: cessation of railroad construction, bank failures, shortages of raw cotton, crop failures and rising prices wheat, etc. In this situation, the court of Elizabeth II and the Queen herself was discredited every day and social unrest led to an alliance of liberals and Democrats, embodied in the Covenant Ostende (1866) that included an agreement to dethrone Elizabeth II.
