European states (Spain): Discuss the role of political and economic conditions in causing tension and division in Spain up to 1923. Flashcards
Intro/thesis
-Already by 1923, divisions and tensions in Spain were providing clear evidence of long-term problems that would contribute to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
-While economic factors directly fed into political instability, the latter made a more significant contribution to instability in Spain by 1923. In particular, the weakness of the central government and the destabilizing influence of the country’s discontented army was the key factor.
Paragraphs
-Weak central government and an army that undermined politics
-Strong regional differences
-Economic tensions
Weak central government and an army that undermined politics - examples
-In the 19th century, there had been periods of absolute monarchy, military, and foreign political intervention, and the establishment of the First Republican regime. Spain had alternated between periods of conservatism and liberalism, leading to much political instability.
-Most governments were coalitions, and elections were rigged or decided by corruption.
-The army had a powerful political position in Spain due to its role in Spain’s imperial past. It had intervened several times, including in 1923, when the military had led coups.
Weak central government and an army that undermined politics - explanation & historiography
-Although after 1900, socialist and republican organizations began to form in larger towns, most Spaniards did not believe that their interests were represented by the main political parties.
-This political instability and people’s lack of faith in a central government set the stage of tension and resistance to the system. This view is supported by Paul Preston, who argues that beneath political instability on a ‘superficial level’, there was ‘trememndous social instability’ and ‘the population was forced into apathy or violent opposition to the system’.
-The army’s leadership believed that it was the protector of the nation, and this meant it had the right and duty to intervene in politics if a crisis occurred.
Strong regional differences- examples
-Catalan and Basque regions wanted independence (divided due to separate languages, cultures, even churches and economies)
-Most of Spain’s industries were concentrated in the Catalan and Basque regions which meant the populations were mainly workers who would support left-wing movements
-Protests and strikes by workers led to brutal responses from the authorities (1,000 people killed between 1918 and 1921)
Strong regional differences- explanation
-Government response to the strikes and protests only further polarised the regions from the government, and after these, a radical Catalan party was established. This political polarisation deepened the divisions between the regions and increased tension across Spain as these regions continued to demand independence
-The support for left-wing parties in the Catalan and Basque regions as a result of their urban population resulted in political polarisation. The left-wing groups in these regions wanted more autonomy that right-wing groups opposed.
Strong regional differences- counterargument
-Although the Catalan and Basque regions were becoming increasingly separatist, many other regions of Spain were not – the differences between these were not great, and did not create the same amount of tension seen in Catalonia.
-Many regions had similar cultures and languages and had not developed as separately as these two.
Strong regional differences- evaluation
-Strong claim – other factors such as industry and agriculture all feed back into the regional divisions, which in turn led to the political polarisation between left and right wing.
-Not as strong as claim about weak central government and an army that undermined politics as these factors greatly contributed to the instability which created the tense and fragmented conditions for the Spanish Civil War
Economic tensions- examples
Unequal industrial development:
-Workers in towns faced low wages, long hours, and unregulated working conditions, leading to the growth of trade unionism.
-In Barcelona, the industrialists attempted to overcome the post-war recession by reducing wages and laying workers off, which the anarchists responded to with violence. According to Paul Preston, ‘the streets of Barcelona witnessed a terrorist spiral of provocations and reprisals’.
Agricultural problems:
-Agriculture did not provide sufficient food, and work was only seasonal. Workers needed to migrate in search of work and most lived in abject poverty. There was a vast gap between the rich and the poor. In the center and south of Spain, the land was organized in huge estates, the latifundia, while in the north, peasants owned small plots of land that were too small to allow them to make an adequate living.
Economic tensions- explanation
-The workers’ political parties lacked real political power, so they could not improve the conditions legally. Therefore, violent uprisings appealed to them as the means to effect change.
-Although the economic boom during the war did bring some benefits, the increase of exports also led to shortages of resources and inflation. With the decreased standard of living, industrial workers revolted, blaming their employers for their hardships. The economic hardships fuelled industrial workers’ willingness to employ violent means of opposition as they felt that they didn’t have much to lose.
-This also led to divisions between social classes as employees and wealthier groups faced opposition from the industrial workers, with employees even hiring gunmen and locking out workers on strike. Therefore, the divisions in Spain up to 1923 were not merely between the left and right wings, but also existed within the social hierarchy.
-With no support from the Church, some looked to groups such as the Anarchists, who argued for the redistribution of land. Yet many of the Catholic small landholders were very conservative and resistant to socialist or anarchist ideas.
Economic tensions- counterargument
-Although there was a short period of economic boom during WW1 due to a lack of economic competition, this ended along with WW1, and by the early 1920s, there were major economic problems, leading to violent conflict between employers and employees. The economic benefits brought on by WW1 not only decreased the quality of living standards and outputs of consumer goods, but it also brought people’s hopes up that the economy would improve, meaning that when the economic recession came, people’s frustrations were very strong.
Economic tensions- evaluation
While industrial development was significant in increasing tensions between workers and employees, it had a limited impact on political polarization and did not heavily influence regional divides, although the workers’ violence was most pronounced in Barcelona.
