1 Military Dictatorship to Republic

Question 1

Where were monarchs supposed to get their powers from?

Answer 1

God
‘divine right’

Question 2

What was wrong with Alfonso XIII’s rule?

Answer 2

corruption
military weakness
social unrest

Question 3

When was the military coup and what was it like?

Answer 3

September 1923
bloodless

Question 4

Who took over Spain after the military coup?

Answer 4

General Primo de Rivera

Question 5

What was Spain like under Primo de Rivera?

Answer 5

social unrest
Great Depression
weak/unclear leadership
lacked legitimacy

Question 6

How long did Primo de Rivera initially pledge to hold power for?

Answer 6

90 days

Question 7

When did Primo de Rivera resign and why?

Answer 7

January 1930
pressure from Republican opponents

Question 8

What political view was prominent among Republicans?

Answer 8

socialism

Question 9

What political view was prominent amongst the CNT?

Answer 9

anarchism and syndicalism

Question 10

When and by who was the CNT established?

Answer 10

1910
anarchist supporters

Question 11

When was the UGT founded?

Answer 11

1888

Question 12

What political view was prominent amongst the UGT?

Answer 12

more moderate socialism

Question 13

Why did the April 1931 general elections happen?

Answer 13

growing Republicans forced deteriorating government to

Question 14

How long had it been since the last democratic elections?

Answer 14

almost 60 years

Question 15

What was the outcome of the April 1931 elections?

Answer 15

landslide republican victory
especially in urban areas and with working classes

Question 16

When was the Second Spanish Republic proclaimed?

Answer 16

4 April 1931

Question 17

What was the new regime hailed as?

Answer 17

La Nina Bonita
- the beautiful girl

Question 18

What happened to the monarchy?

Answer 18

abolished and exiled

Question 19

How did the military react to the elections and why?

Answer 19

respect the verdict
disillusioned with monarchical rule
unwilling to defend previous regime

Question 20

Who was the first prime minister?

Answer 20

Alcala-Zamora

Question 21

How many different political parties were there initially?

Answer 21

26

Question 22

Who was the PSOE?

Answer 22

led by Caballero
radical change to benefit workers

Question 23

Who was the Republican Action Party?

Answer 23

led by Azana
moderate left, anti-clerical

Question 24

Who was the Radical Republican Party?

Answer 24

led by Lerroux
central, opposed to monarchy

Question 25

Who were the Conservatives?

Answer 25

key figure Alcala-Zamora
limited group 1931-33
supported monarchy and military rule opposed Republic

Question 26

When was the constitution introduced?

Answer 26

December 1931

Question 27

What did the constitution prioritise?

Answer 27

secular education
free speech
disestablishment of Catholic Church
freedom of religion
preserving regional powers and autonomy
legalising divorce

Question 28

When did women get the right to vote?

Answer 28

1933

Question 29

By the end of 1931, what had happened to the government?

Answer 29

conservatives and radical Republicans had left

Question 30

What groups opposed the Second Republic?

Answer 30

aristocracy, landowners, industrialists
Roman Catholic Church
senior military officers

Question 31

Why did the aristocracy, landowners, industrialists oppose the Second Republic?

Answer 31

prospect of punitive taxation, land seizure, nationalisation
attack on privilege and affluence
not enough done for rural hardships (longstanding poverty)

Question 32

Why did the Catholic Church oppose the Second Republic?

Answer 32

controlled 1/3 of country’s wealth
May 1931 - head of Spanish Catholic Church expelled from Spain
alarmed by anticlericalism - constitution, burning religious building
Jan 1932 - over 100,000 ultra-Catholic Jesuits expelled

Question 33

Why did the senior military officers oppose the Second Republic?

Answer 33

15,000 officers
usually aristocratic and powerful