WWI and Political Insurgence: Spain Early 1900’s

The Spanish-American war marked the end of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.  In 1895 revolts were indicative of Cuba’s intense dissatisfaction with Spain’s failure to carry out their promises on reform as a condition to end the Ten Years’ War with their country. In 1898 the United States sided with Cuba in declaring war on Spain when the battleship USS Maine mysteriously sank off the Havana Harbor in Cuba.   Spain was badly defeated in the Spanish-American War.  As a consequence, they let go of Cuba.  Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands went to the United States. Between 1917 and 1921 Spain lost its Spanish sector in Morocco. 

After the end of the war in 1898 internal strife within Spanish society grew. Political groups gradually resorted to violence. A fight for a Republic democracy reemerged.  Cries for constitutional reforms revived.  Socialist movement appeared in some provinces.  Support for anarchy was seeded in others.  Still others demanded for autonomy.  Thus, an upheaval of domestic political governance resulted.  The monarchy of King Alfonso XIII lost stability and prestige. 

Within major political parties conflicts were rampant.  Conservative Prime Minister, Antonio Maura, reformed the judiciary system, regulated rents and made elections less corrupt.  He attempted to revive and enforce military expedition.  Riots and uprising were only deepened as a result and racial antagonisms evolved. Jose Canalejas y Mendez, a liberal, replaced Maura, but he was soon assassinated by an anarchist in 1912. The anarchists felt mistreated and repressed from Maura’s reform.  For the next ten years Spain’s ruling leadership remained in upheaval.  This was further agitated by WWI from 1914 to 1918.

Despite Spain’s neutrality during the war, significant economic benefits came to the Spanish.  Nations at war bought large amounts of goods from the Spanish factories, mines, and farms.  This economic growth provided for improvement in Spain’s infrastructure and industrialization which further enhanced profits on wartime trade. 

Although railroads, hydroelectricity, and heavy industries greatly increased industrial production, Spain had difficulty importing goods because of the war itself. Inflation soon came about which was compounded by labor unrest.  Radical labor movement developed. Workers demanded for better pay and working conditions.  Industrial workers in Barcelona and farm laborers in Andalusia began to call for anarchism. The Catalonia province, a regionalist sentimentalist, screamed for home rule. They felt excluded from political power. In the Asturias, not excluding the Basque province, shouts from the socialist movement were heard. Throughout Spain, there were cries for change. Strikes, labor unrests and uprising dominated Spanish life.

A Conservative, Eduardo Dato, led the government into a new crisis when he retreated from the military junta’s demands.  He had reduced the officer corps work force as one of his governmental reform.  In retaliation they organized military juntas.  These military groups scattered throughout small towns were relentless on their government demands and refused to obey any government orders placed on them.  The government eventually retreated. This military crisis encouraged major cities like Barcelona to incite more labor unrests.  Other cities resorted to urban terrorism, creating anarcho-syndicalists groups.  The anarcho-syndicalists opposed all forms of government and advocated for trade unions to control all social and economic institutions.  The antagonism between the military and conservatives grew.  By the end of WWI, wages fell, unemployment spread, wartime customers were lost, violent strike became common, and the government declared martial law.