Primo de Rivera dates

Beginning of the restoration political system

de Rivera staged a coup in Barcelona

Peninsular War

National Assembly in Cadiz for equal rights and sovereignty

Constitution establishing the ‘Spanish Nation’ as a national, constitutional parliamentarian and Catholic body

National education system created

Literacy rate was 59%

National flag created

Creation of Civil Governors

Creation of a Civil Guard and Penal Code

Creation of a Civil Code

Creation of a national anthem

Provinces established and local governments unified

Spanish-American War

Professional military officers advocated for modernisation through an authoritarian state

The Maurist newspaper ‘La Accion’ called for a military dictatorship and welcomed Mussolini’s takeover of Italy

The nation became socially and politically dominant opposed to the regions

Party elites used symbols to generate a united identity and gain mass support

de Rivera brought his coup forward after demands for home rule and violent clashes broke out in Barcelona at celebrations for Catalonia’s national day

Primo declared a state of war in Catalonia, a group of general formed a provisional Junta in Madrid

King Alfonso XIII declared support for Primo and dismissed the constitutional government

Primo met with King Alfonso in Madrid and was declared head of the Military Directory, given executive and legislative powers

The Military Directory

‘La Nación’ newspaper newspaper launched in the provinces

Political Party Journal ‘Union Patriotica’ claimed to have a circulation of 55,000

Censorship of publications began, followed by censorship of telephone and telegraph

Royal decrees reorganised central administration along military lines

Youth sections were created to shape the ‘soul of the Spanish Youth’

Victory in Morocco after a French invasion occurred

A royal decree awarded Primo the highest military distinction

de Rivera and King Alfonso visited the Pope

de Rivera proclaimed his vision of central, authoritarian state

de Rivera planned a new way to administrate the regions, wanting them to be strong but patriotic, plan then abandoned

A royal decree dissolved town councils, put towns under military control

Municipal Statute formed by Jose Calvo Sotelo whereby 1/3 of town councils had to be elected by corporations to ensure ‘corporate representation’

Provincial Statute Sotelo which linked the municipalities and the state, using diputaciones controlled by Civil Governors to control municipalities

The right wing sought regional decentralisation, as they believed the region was the essence of the nation so key to regeneration

Carlists denounced the Military Directory’s centralist policies, were widely arrested

Lliga (Catalan regionalist movement) removed support when Rivera refused to increase Catalan home rule

Lila regarded an enemy within

Royal decree against separatism announced

Procession to the shrine of Catalanism was forbidden

Rivera responded to a letter from the president of the Sociedad Economica Barcelonesa demanding the abolition of the decree against separatism by declaring it was the state’s duty to protect the ‘common language’

Madrid intellectuals published a letter expressing support for the Catalan language

Royal orders sanctioned against teachers who did not teach in Castilian

Most of the elite supported River’s regime as it was based on removing the old oligarchy and attacking dangers to the nation

The Civilian Directory

Plebiscite for confidence in Rivera’s dictatorship and desire of a National Assembly

King Alfonso XIII signed the decree which formed the National Assembly

First section of the National Assembly drafted a constitution but it was widely rejected

Semi-state banks established including the Banco Exterior de Espania

Sotelo announced plans for tax reform but Rivera was forced to abandon the plans

Rivera declared intentions for land reform so lost support from the rural elite

the peseta plummeted and employers demanded an end to arbitrary committees but Primo refused to do so

Sotelo resigned

UP created in Barcelona to legitimise the regime, included a broad range of political groups

Every district of Madrid had a propaganda and political action commission, each with sub-committees

Regime claimed 1.3 million people were affiliated to Rivera’s party

On the anniversary of Primo taking over, 100,000 peopled marched in Madrid, having been given free train tickets

Rivera formed a branch of the press and censorship cabinet charged with centralising propaganda, led by Maiximo Cuervo

Ibero-American exhibitions held to attract positive international attention but failed as political opposition deterred international visitors

Loss of Social Catholic support

Official records showed that 46% of potential recruits never joined the army

Course held in Toledo to teach army officers how to educate civilians in patriotic ideas

a royal decree established a military academy at Zaragoza to unify military doctrine with General France as the leader

Military Academy at Zaragova closed under the Second Republic

royal decree extended conscription (less exemptions) and formed a strong reserved corp

only 220 officers and 200 sergeants graduated as instructors of physical education in the military = low economic output

‘Patriotic lectures’ and public celebrations held for the anniversary of the dictatorship

a royal decree authorised a campaign to plant ‘moral and patriotic’ ideas into the rural lower class

Only 50% of municipalities held lectures to spread patriotism

Inspectors used as subordinates to delegates to examine textbooks and students, checking for teaching against patriotism

Anido set up an intelligence network to spy on education inspectors

Rivera began the creation of a national textbook for primary education

Royal academy of historians instructed to produce books for the regime; however the first book was not in schools until 1930 after the regime ended

royal decree creating the fiesta del Libro (day of the Spanish book)

Government agency set up to coordinate state funds for school construction, put schools under the state’s direct control

General Director of Primary Education Ignacio Suarez Somonte calculated that 2000 new schools needed to be built

Spanish population boom

Money spent on education increased from 1.5 million to 14.5 million per year

General Bureau of secondary and university education created to censor liberal who dominated such institutes, bring education fully under state control

royal decree to direct teaching toward modernisation and increasing economic output, emphasised Spanish Imperial History

Books on Spanish Civilisation finally distributed, many teaches continued using other resources

Demonstrations held in response to university reforms at all universities bar Saragossa leading to government repression and the resignation of prominent intellectual Fernando de los Rios

Nation Physical Culture Committee formed, directed by General Villalba, citizenry education for adults and gymnastics for youth

Course created to prepare officers for educating the masses

Only 267 officers for educating the masses, 50% of judicial districts without an officer assigned

Royal decree extending the Somaten (civil guard to protect property and repress unions) from Catalonia to all of Spain

Rivera met Mussolini, claimed the Somaten and Fascist militia were both ‘secular institutions of civilised order’ and that he would follow the Fascist example

General Barrera proclaimed the Somaten was the protector of Spain

Trade unions used a car bomb during a Somaten celebration parade

Hostility against the regime increased as amnesty was given to somatens convicted of crimes

Somaten was ineffective during rebellions leading Rivera to reform it

Somaten National Council created to expand the militia and increase its effectiveness

Jose Guerra led a violent uprising against the directory but the Somaten hardly responded, changed their role to espionage

Rivera abolished the Mancomunitat in Catalonia which had made it a commonwealth of four provinces

Rivera closed down the University of Barcelona during riots

Catalan Saint ‘The Virgin of Monteserrat’ declared a patron saint of the Somatens to deprive Catalonia of a unique identity, unsuccessful

Publications in Catalan had increased and 10% of all books published in Spain were in Catalan