To what extent was the 2nd republic a destabilized regime between 1931 and 1933?

To what extent was the 2nd republic a destabilized regime between 1931 and 1933?

The Second Republic was formed on April 14, 1931 after local elections returned anti-monarchist representatives in most cities and large towns. The republic took over a military dictatorship and was first ministered by Zamora, of the conservatives. Azana rose to power in October 1931 in charge of the radical Republican Party, a party to the centre of the spectrum, regardless of its name. The “years of reform” are the years in which this essay shall be based upon. Although there were many reforms, many believe that it was a “destabilized regime”, a ruling which was weak and was always doomed to fail. However, some believe that the second republic made positive reforms and were successful to an extent. Thus, this essay shall be looking at these ideas.

The 2nd republic was seen as a destabilized regime as it had no support from the right wing groups, especially the church. The church saw the 1931 constitution, especially article 26 and 27 as anti-clerical measure and a measure to disestablish the church. Due to the church holding a third of all wealth in the country, this establishment had lots of power and influence. This opposition was a large concern and ultimately made the republic weak. An example of this is when cardinal Segura told all Catholics to vote right wing parties to stop any anti-clerical measures. This shows that the church had a major influence over the country and this therefore made the second republic weak and be seen as a destabilized regime.

Another factor to consider is the failure of nationalization. The 1932 agrarian reform act stated that: any land exceeding 23 hectares are to be nationalized. Although it was seen as a way to give fairer conditions to the peasant farmers, the republic was unable to fulfil its nationalization due to their financial weakness. This show how fragile the government was and how little power it actually held.

 However, there are reasons for support of this republic and to show that the republic did bring about some grater change. One main reform was to make Spain secular- non religious. They removed church education as they had only around 50% literacy level which rose within the second republic. The republic managed to create 7000 new schools and educate an extra 50,000 children within 2 years of power. This shows that the reforms allowed for better education and a better chance of university and jobs as they were educated more. This shows that the republic was not completely destabilized and made a greater impact especially upon the youth at secondary level.

The republic, although created in the blight of the Wall Street crash, was able to help the agricultural problems within Spain. One main successful way was by introducing the law of municipal boundaries 1931, which helped increase the amount of local farmers used rather than cheap international migrants. This allowed local peasants to start earning their own money and a bid to reduce unemployment. This is an example of the government being established and improving conditions. Although it was a good intention, the outcome was not positive. Unemployment rose steadily for 6 years between 1930 and 1936, and agricultural produce and output went down 33%.

Another key dispute was the north eastern region of Catalonia and Basque, 2 separate counties wishing to be independent due to different religious and political ideology. The poorer regions were also blaming the 2nd republic for its impoverishment and lack of resources. The republic did consider this idea however the more conservative believed it would be dangerous. This led to the republic making it devolved, but it was a key problem until 1932 where it then gained support for allowing it to have regional powers. Although it seems the second republic was built upon a destabilized foundation, in this example they were able to “flip the tables”, and created more loyalty from these cities.

The 2nd republic came after a military dictatorship and was a very new and unheard type of government with extreme problems. There was opposition from far left as they believed this new government had not changed enough and was failing its duties whereas the far right was opposed due to there being too much change and the harshness imposed upon the right half of the political spectrum. The second republic sought to deliver workers rights for both industrial and agricultural workers, while there was enhanced employment conditions and trade union powers. However many radical far left groups grew impatient with need for reforms and limited improvements. This resulted in an sharp increase in strike activities and agitation among anarchists and communists in particular.