Auge y Caída de la II REPÚBLICA en ESPAÑA: Toda la Historia

Summary

The video examines how Spain moved from the peaceful proclamation of the Second Republic on April 14, 1931, to the military uprising of July 1936. Rather than naming one definitive turning point, it presents six dates often cited as moments when the Republic’s prospects deteriorated, noting that different political camps assign blame differently.

The Republic’s Beginnings

The Republic emerged after municipal elections in which monarchists did well in rural areas, while Republicans and Socialists won in many cities. King Alfonso XIII, having lost the support of the army and Civil Guard, left the country.

The new coalition united former monarchists, liberal Republicans, and Socialists. However, agreement on removing the king did not translate into agreement on the country’s future.

Dates of Dispute

December 9, 1931: The Constitution

The Constitution introduced measures including universal suffrage, divorce rights, and regional autonomy. Its provisions restricting the Church’s role—and the government’s power to suspend newspapers and meetings under the Defense of the Republic law—were fiercely criticized.

Supporters saw the Constitution as necessary modernization and an end to entrenched Church privileges. Critics argued that the Republic had been established without seeking a lasting settlement with its opponents. The debate over women’s suffrage also exposed divisions among Republicans, although the vote to grant women the right to vote passed.

August 10, 1932: Sanjurjo’s Failed Coup

General Sanjurjo’s failed coup demonstrated that some military and right-wing opponents would not accept the Republic.

January 1933: The Casas Viejas Killings

The government’s agrarian reform fell short of many landless workers’ expectations. At Casas Viejas, members of the Assault Guard killed civilians while suppressing an anarchist uprising.

The government’s responsibility for the killings—especially whether Azaña gave an order—remains disputed in the account. No proof that he issued such an order is presented. The episode seriously damaged the government’s standing and contributed to Azaña’s fall.

After the right won the 1933 election, the CEDA supported a government led by the Radical Party. The video highlights competing explanations for the result, including women’s first participation in a general election, left-wing division, and anarchist abstention. The following period is called either the “Black Biennium” or the “Rectifying Biennium,” depending on political perspective.

October 4, 1934: The CEDA Enters Government

The PSOE and UGT had threatened a revolutionary response. The resulting uprising failed in most places, while in Asturias miners held territory for a time. The government used troops, including the Legion and Moroccan regulars, to suppress the revolt.

The video notes deaths and abuses on both sides, followed by mass arrests and allegations of torture and extrajudicial executions. October 1934 is presented as a central point of historical dispute. Some, including author Pío Moa, regard the uprising as the beginning of the Civil War and argue that it discredited the left’s democratic credentials. Other historians argue that the Republic’s institutions continued functioning and reject treating the defeated revolt as the start of the war.

The video also stresses that the right subsequently rolled back reforms, while acknowledging that parts of the left rejected parliamentary democracy.

February 17, 1936: The Popular Front’s Election Victory

The vote was close in the tallies discussed, while the electoral system gave the Popular Front a substantial parliamentary majority. Allegations of irregularities and coercion in some districts remain contested. The video describes research claiming that disputed seats benefited the Popular Front, alongside historians who accept local irregularities but reject the claim of widespread fraud.

Before the new government took office, Gil Robles, Calvo Sotelo, and General Franco sought measures to stop or overturn the result. The caretaker prime minister refused and resigned. The video presents this episode as evidence, for some, that powerful opponents would not accept an electoral loss.

The following months brought political violence, strikes, church burnings, and killings by groups on different sides, as well as by law enforcement. The video says Azaña wanted the more moderate Socialist Indalecio Prieto to lead the government, but Prieto was blocked by his own party.

The video contrasts the Francoist claim that the military acted pre-emptively against a planned revolution with the view of most historians cited in the narration: revolutionary rhetoric and real unrest existed, but no concrete left-wing plan for a communist takeover has been found, while the military conspiracy had been developing for months.

July 13, 1936: The Killing of Calvo Sotelo

Socialist police officers and associates killed monarchist leader José Calvo Sotelo, following the earlier killing of Assault Guard lieutenant José del Castillo. The video says the military coup was already being organized, so Calvo Sotelo’s murder did not initiate it. However, the killing strengthened the case for an uprising and reportedly pushed wavering figures, including Franco, toward it.

The revolt began in Melilla on July 17 and spread on July 18. By then, the Republic’s government could no longer command its own army.

Conclusion

The video concludes that no single date explains the Republic’s collapse. Different sides emphasize the Constitution, Sanjurjo’s coup, Casas Viejas, October 1934, the February 1936 crisis, or the July killings according to their interpretation.

Its broader conclusion is that the breakdown resulted from a chain of events, with democratic institutions under pressure and no side entirely free of responsibility.

Presenters and Contributors

• Presenter/narrator: Unnamed in the subtitles.
• No other video contributors are identified. Pío Moa is discussed as an author, not as a participant in the video.