Post by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora (Conrica) on Feb 24, 2012 13:36:32 GMT
2. Birth of a Second Republic
Disappointed by the acceptance on the part of the King, Alfonso XIII, of the coup d'état by General Miguel Primo de Rivera on September 13, 1923, important rightists and leftists like Alcalá-Zamora did not collaborate with the new regime. This led to a sharp polarisation between 'republican' rightists, with the mainstream right. In short, this helped the leftists, who in the Pact of San Sebastian united with them. After the departure of the dictator in 1930, men like Zamora declared himself a republican in a meeting that took place on April 13 in the Apolo theatre of Valencia. This led to the Pact of San Sebastian, which began a spiral that overthrew the corrupt monarchy which had supported the disastrous Ravera dictatorship regime.
Pact of San Sebastián
The Pact of San Sebastián was a meeting led by Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Miguel Maura, which took place in San Sebastián, Spain on August 17, 1930. Representatives from practically all republican political movements in Spain at the time attended the meeting. Presided over by Fernando Sasiaín (representative of the Unión Republicana), the attendees included:
- for the Partido Radical Republicano: Alejandro Lerroux;
- for Acción Republicana: Manuel Azaña;
- for the Partido Radical Socialista: Marcelino Domingo, Álvaro de Albornoz and Ángel Galarza;
- for the Derecha Liberal Republicana: Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Miguel Maura;
- for Acció Catalana: Manuel Carrasco Formiguera;
- for Acció Republicana de Catalunya: Matías Mallol Bosch;
- for the Estat Català: Jaime Ayguadé;
- for the Organización Republicana Gallega Autónoma: Santiago Casares Quiroga;
- in their own right: Indalecio Prieto, Felipe Sánchez Román, Fernando de los Ríos, and Eduardo Ortega y Gasset, brother of philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. Gregorio Marañón was not able to attend, but sent a letter associating himself with the group.
At the meeting, a "revolutionary committee" was formed, headed by Alcalá-Zamora; this committee eventually became the first provisional government of the Second Spanish Republic.
The committee was in close contact with a group of soldiers, with the intent of bringing about a military coup in favor of a republic. The coup was set for December 15, 1930. Nonetheless, Captain Fermín Galán attempted to start the uprising on December 12, which resulted in the failure of the coup. Galán and Captain Ángel García Hernández were executed by a firing squad.
Despite the failure of the coup, also known as revolt of Jaca, it emboldened the leftists to push harder.
And in the municipal elections of 12 April 1931 many of the imprisoned members of the revolutionary committee were released (election meant immunity).
In these elections, although the monarchist candidates won more overall votes than the republicans did, the republicans did so well in the provincial cities that Alfonso soon abandoned power. Without waiting for a fresh election, Alcalá-Zamora put himself at the head of a revolutionary provisional government, becoming the 122nd Prime Minister, which occupied the ministries in Madrid on 14 April and which proclaimed the Second Spanish Republic.
In the truest spirit of working class solidarity, their voices in the long-ignored inner cities led to the collapse of the discredited monarchy.
The new republic offered fresh hope for social justice, equality and fraternity. All of these principles went on to be written into the constitution of the republic.
Pact of San Sebastián
The Pact of San Sebastián was a meeting led by Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Miguel Maura, which took place in San Sebastián, Spain on August 17, 1930. Representatives from practically all republican political movements in Spain at the time attended the meeting. Presided over by Fernando Sasiaín (representative of the Unión Republicana), the attendees included:
- for the Partido Radical Republicano: Alejandro Lerroux;
- for Acción Republicana: Manuel Azaña;
- for the Partido Radical Socialista: Marcelino Domingo, Álvaro de Albornoz and Ángel Galarza;
- for the Derecha Liberal Republicana: Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Miguel Maura;
- for Acció Catalana: Manuel Carrasco Formiguera;
- for Acció Republicana de Catalunya: Matías Mallol Bosch;
- for the Estat Català: Jaime Ayguadé;
- for the Organización Republicana Gallega Autónoma: Santiago Casares Quiroga;
- in their own right: Indalecio Prieto, Felipe Sánchez Román, Fernando de los Ríos, and Eduardo Ortega y Gasset, brother of philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. Gregorio Marañón was not able to attend, but sent a letter associating himself with the group.
At the meeting, a "revolutionary committee" was formed, headed by Alcalá-Zamora; this committee eventually became the first provisional government of the Second Spanish Republic.
The committee was in close contact with a group of soldiers, with the intent of bringing about a military coup in favor of a republic. The coup was set for December 15, 1930. Nonetheless, Captain Fermín Galán attempted to start the uprising on December 12, which resulted in the failure of the coup. Galán and Captain Ángel García Hernández were executed by a firing squad.
Despite the failure of the coup, also known as revolt of Jaca, it emboldened the leftists to push harder.
And in the municipal elections of 12 April 1931 many of the imprisoned members of the revolutionary committee were released (election meant immunity).
In these elections, although the monarchist candidates won more overall votes than the republicans did, the republicans did so well in the provincial cities that Alfonso soon abandoned power. Without waiting for a fresh election, Alcalá-Zamora put himself at the head of a revolutionary provisional government, becoming the 122nd Prime Minister, which occupied the ministries in Madrid on 14 April and which proclaimed the Second Spanish Republic.
In the truest spirit of working class solidarity, their voices in the long-ignored inner cities led to the collapse of the discredited monarchy.
The new republic offered fresh hope for social justice, equality and fraternity. All of these principles went on to be written into the constitution of the republic.