The document summarizes the political events in Spain between 1868 and 1874, known as the Democratic Sexennio. Key events include:
- The 1868 Glorious Revolution overthrew Queen Isabella II and established a provisional government.
- A new constitution in 1869 created a constitutional monarchy but the chosen King Amadeo I had little support.
- A republic was proclaimed in 1873 but struggled due to military conspiracies, the ongoing Cuban war, and a Carlist uprising.
- The republic fragmented during 1873-74 as many cities declared independence, until a coup restored the monarchy under King Alfonso XII in 1874.
3. THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION (1868)
CAUSES
- Economic crisis: financial, industrial and
subsistence crisis.
- Political crisis: increasing loss of prestige
of the monarchy. Only the moderates
supported Isabella II
- Pact of Ostend (1866): progressives
and democrats decided to overthrow
Isabella II´s monarchy. After O´Donnell´s
death, the Liberal Union joined the
conspiracy.
Allegory of the Glorious Revolution
4. Cádiz, 19th September 1868:
Topete and Prim issued a manifesto
called “España con honra” and the
port squadron rose up against Isabella
II´s monarchy.
At the same time revolutionary boards
were formed in different Spanish cities
6. 28th September 1868: Battle of 29th September
Puente de Alcolea (Córdoba) Isabella II left Spain and
exiled in France.
The revolted troops commanded by
General Serrano defeated the
government troops commanded by
Pavía
7. PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT (1868-1870)
The Provisional Government was only formed by progressives and the
Liberal Union. It dissolved the boards and the National Militia, called
elections for Constituent Cortes by universal male suffrage and made
some economic decisions.
8. ECONOMIC DECISIONS
Made by Laureano Figuerola, minister of Finance:
- Peseta, official currency
- Privatization of mines, in order to reduce the State
debts.
-Free trade tariff, rejected by the Catalan industrialists
and the Castilian producers of cereals
LAUREANO FIGUEROLA - Failed attempt of tax reform
CONSTITUENT CORTES
Most of the deputies were progressives
or members of the Liberal Union.
There were also democrats (monarchists),
republicans (unitarians and federals) and
some carlists.
9. CONSTITUTION OF 1869
- National sovereignty
- Wide declaration of rights
- Type of State: Constitutional Monarchy
- Division of powers: executive (for the monarch,
but exerted by the government), legislative (two
chambers and elective Senate) and judicial (courts
of justice. Judges selected through public exams.
Some crimes judged by jury).
- Universal male suffrage
- Democratic election in municipalities and
Diputaciones Provinciales.
- Religious freedom, but the State continued to
give money for the Catholic Church
10. General Juan Prim, president of the
government, in charge of looking for a
General Francisco Serrano, monarch for Spain, and minister of
Temporary regent War, to control the army
11. Giuseppe Fanelli,
anarchist
Paul Lafargue,
Marx´s son-in-law
Founding members of
the IWA in Madrid, 1868
The recognition of freedoms of assembly and association allowed the arrival of
propagandists of the IWA and the creation of the first workers´ organized
associations. Most of the Spanish workers became anarchists.
12. PROBLEMS
- Workers and peasants became quickly deceived with the government decisions,
because they mainly favourished the bourgeois.
-Ten Years´War in Cuba, also known as Great War or War of ´68 (1868-1878):
The creole Céspedes proclaimed Cuba´s independence from Spain (Grito de Yara)
Volunteer soldiers embarking to Cuba´s war
Céspedes at Barcelona (1870)
14. ISABELLA II, WITH HIS SON ALPHONSE, HIS BROTHER IN LAW (THE
DUKE OF MONTPENSIER) AND A CARLIST, OBSERVING IN PARIS
THE ADVERSTISEMENT OF THE SEARCH OF A MONARCH FOR SPAIN
15. CANDIDATES TO THE SPANISH THRONE
Duke of Montpensier
Leopold of Hohenzollern- Baldomero Espartero
Sigmaringen
The election of a new monarch for Spain was a very controversial
matter in Europe and it indirectly provoked the beginning of the
Franco-Prussian War.
Ferdinand of Coburg
Finally, the Cortes chose Amadeus of Savoy, an Italian prince who
didn´t bother any European power
16. Amadeus I before Prim´s coffin
AMADEUS I OF SAVOY
The day before Amadeus I´s arrival, General Prim was killed. Amadeus I lost
his main support.
17. AMADEUS I´S MONARCHY
- Very little support to the king: the moderates,
the republicans and the carlists were against
him. The Church and the high nobility were
also hostile.
-Division in the Progressive Party:
Constitutionals (Sagasta) and radicals
(Ruiz Zorrilla): this led to unstable governments
- Carlism became a threat again: Third Carlist
War (1872-1876)
Carlists with Charles VII,
the pretender to the throne
Ruiz Zorrilla Sagasta
19. “!Ahí queda eso!”, cartoon about Amadeus I´s
resignation to the throne, 10th February 1873
20. I REPUBLIC ( February 1873- January 1874)
After Amadeus I´s resignation, the Cortes
voted the proclamation of the 1st Republic
on the 11th February 1873
Flag of the 1st Republic
Allegory of the 1st Republic
21. PRESIDENTS OF THE 1st REPUBLIC
-Estanislao Figueras (federalist):
February- June 1873
- Francisco Pi y Margall (federalist):
June- July 1873
- Nicolás Salmerón (unitarian): July
September 1873
- Emilio Castelar (unitarian): September
1873- January 1874.
22. DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TYPE OF STATE
- Elections to Constituent Cortes (May
1873): majority of federalist republicans. The
non republicans didn´t participate in the
elections.
- Project for a new Constitution (1873):
federal State.
States included on the project
23. PROBLEMS OF THE 1st REPUBLIC
- Weakness: voted by deputies who were not
republicans. Bad international context: only the
USA and Switzerland recognized the Republic.
-Continuous conspiracies to overthow the
goverment. Part of the army was involved.
-Disputes between federalist and unitarian
republicans
- Continuation of the war in Cuba: although the Internationalist revolt in Alcoy
government abolished slavery, the Spanish civil
servants in Cuba didn´t obey.
- Extension of the Carlist problem: the
government had troubles to stop the war
- Workers´mobilizations and peasants´
occupation of lands
- Cantonalist insurrection: many cities
declared their independence (cantons)
Hernani during the 3rd Carlist War
24. EXTENSION OF THE CANTONALIST INSURRECTION AND THE 3rd CARLIST WAR
25. Frigate Méndez Núñez in front of Cartagena´s
Cartagena´s cantonalist insurrection
port
Cartagena´s canton resisted until January 1874
26. Public order problems led to a drift to the right:
- First with Salmerón
- Later with Castelar. His motto was“Order,
authority and government”: he got extraordinary
power from the Cortes, closed the Parliament,
ruled in an authoritarian way and gave big
power to the military.
In January 1874 a majority of Republican
deputies proposed a motion of confidence
and demanded the reopening of the Cortes
EMILIO CASTELAR
27. On the 3rd January 1874 Castelar´s government
lost the vote of confidence (120 votes against
100)
In order to avoid a more progressive
government, General Pavía, Madrid´s
Captain General, burst into the Congress with
the Guardia Civil and dissolved the Cortes by
force.
Entrada de Pavía en las Cortes
28. A new government was formed, but there
were not republicans in it (only
constitutionals and members of the Liberal
Union). The new government was presided
by General Serrano, who established a
conservative republican regime.
- Repression of workers and federalist
republicans
- End of Cartagena´s canton
Serrano, president of the
- End of the Bilbao´s carlist siege Executive Power during the
last months of the Republic
29. Cánovas del Castillo (former moderate and
member of the Liberal Union) started working
for the restauration of the monarchy with
Alphonse of Bourbon, Isabella II¨s son: he wrote
the Sandhurst Manifesto, a document signed by
Alphonse, in which he promised to establish a
conservative and Catholic monarchy and to
preserve a liberal regime.
Antonio Cánovas del Castillo
Alphonse of Bourbon
30. Cánovas wanted a legal restauration of the
monarchy, through the vote of the Cortes,
but on the 29th December 1874 General
Martínez Campos headed a
pronunciamiento in Sagunto and he
proclaimed Alphonso XII king of Spain
General Martínez Campos
No one defended the Republic.
On the 31th December 1874
Cánovas formed a provisional
government to prepare Alphonse
XII´s comeback
Martínez Campos restoring monarchy