20th Century Spain

Reign of Alfonso XIII

• He maintained the political system of the Restoration• The Rif War in Morocco occurred• General Primo de Rivera came to power through a

military coup

Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera (1923-1930)• He suspended the Constitution and prohibited political parties and unions• He started censorship of the press• Students and intellectuals opposed his government

The Second Republic (1931-1939)• President of the Republic: Alcalá Zamora• President of the Government: Manuel Azaña• Constitution of 1931:

--established civil rights--voting rights for both genders (men and women)--separation of the state and church --autonomy of regions

The Civil War (1936-1939)• Franco and other generals rebelled against the Republic• Germany and Italy helped the rebels with weapons and soldiers• It ended with a rebel victory in 1939• Franco ended the Republican democracy and began a dictatorship

Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975)• General Franco centralised all state powers.• He prohibited political parties and favoured the church.• Catholicism became the official religion.• This period can be divided into two phases:

--The self-government phase--The development phase

The self-government phase• A period of international isolation• It lasted until the 1950s• Spain had to produce all its own goods, and that led to scarcity and

rationing.• Cruelty against political opponents was very intense (jail sentences

and executions)

The development phase• During the 1960s and 1970s• Ended the isolationism• Good for economic development• Foreign tourism helped modernise social customs• After the 1970s, there were many worker strikes and student protests,

which were severely punished.

The Transition• The Transition was a process of political change that occurred in Spain after the death of General Franco. • It created a democratic state.• Franco named King Juan Carlos as his successor.• The King named Adolfo Suárez the President of the government.• In 1978 the Constitution was approved through a referendum.

The Constitution of 1978 • Organises Spain as a democratic state• Guarantees the rights and liberties of its citizens

• It establishes:--The power of the State residing with the people--The autonomy of nationalities and regions--The recognition of Spanish as the official language

Rights and obligations•Can you name three rights in the current

Constitution?

Timeline

DEMOCRACY IN SPAIN

1978Today