Beginning of the restoration political system
1874
de Rivera staged a coup in Barcelona
13 September 1923
Peninsular War
1807-1814
National Assembly in Cadiz for equal rights and sovereignty
1810
Constitution establishing the ‘Spanish Nation’ as a national, constitutional parliamentarian and Catholic body
1812
National education system created
1857
Literacy rate was 59%
1900
National flag of Spain created
1843
Creation of Civil Governors
1844
Creation of a Civil Guard and Penal Code
1848
Creation of a Civil Code
1889
Creation of a national anthem
1908
Provinces established and local governments unified
1833-1849
Spanish-American War
1898
Professional military officers advocated for modernisation through an authoritarian state
1898
The Maurist newspaper ‘La Accion’ called for a military dictatorship and welcomed Mussolini’s takeover of Italy
1922
The nation became socially and politically dominant opposed to the regions
1900-1920
Party elites used symbols to generate a united identity and gain mass support
by 1923
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
11 September 1923
Primo declared a state of war in Catalonia, a group of general formed a provisional Junta in Madrid
12-13 September 1923
King Alfonso XIII declared support for Primo and dismissed the constitutional government
14 September 1923
Primo met with King Alfonso in Madrid and was declared head of the Military Directory, given executive and legislative powers
15 September 1923
The Military Directory
1923-1925
‘La Nación’ newspaper newspaper launched in the provinces
19 October 1925
Political Party Journal ‘Union Patriotica’ claimed to have a circulation of 55,000
By 1926
Censorship of publications began, followed by censorship of telephone and telegraph
1924
Royal decrees reorganised central administration along military lines
12 September and 10 October 1923
Youth sections were created to shape the ‘soul of the Spanish Youth’
1925
Victory in Morocco after a French invasion occurred
1925
A royal decree awarded Primo the highest military distinction
6 October 1925
de Rivera and King Alfonso visited the Pope
1923
de Rivera proclaimed his vision of central, authoritarian state
1926
de Rivera planned a new way to administrate the regions, wanting them to be strong but patriotic, plan then abandoned
14 September 1923
A royal decree dissolved town councils, put towns under military control
30 September 1923
Municipal Statute formed by Jose Calvo Sotelo whereby 1/3 of town councils had to be elected by corporations to ensure ‘corporate representation’
8 March 1924
Provincial Statute Sotelo which linked the municipalities and the state, using diputaciones controlled by Civil Governors to control municipalities
21 March 1925
The right wing sought regional decentralisation, as they believed the region was the essence of the nation so key to regeneration
Prior to 1923
Carlists denounced the Military Directory’s centralist policies, were widely arrested
1 April 1925
Lliga (Catalan regionalist movement) removed support when Rivera refused to increase Catalan home rule
January 1924
Lila regarded an enemy within
By 1925
Royal decree against separatism announced
18 September 1923
Procession to the shrine of Catalanism was forbidden
July 1924
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’
30 November 1923
Madrid intellectuals published a letter expressing support for the Catalan language
1924
Royal orders sanctioned against teachers who did not teach in Castilian
October 1925 and June 1926
Most of the elite supported River’s regime as it was based on removing the old oligarchy and attacking dangers to the nation
By 1925
The Civilian Directory
1926-1930
Plebiscite for confidence in Rivera’s dictatorship and desire of a National Assembly
11-13 September 1926
King Alfonso XIII signed the decree which formed the National Assembly
September 1927
First section of the National Assembly drafted a constitution but it was widely rejected
July 1929
Semi-state banks established including the Banco Exterior de Espania
1928
Sotelo announced plans for tax reform but Rivera was forced to abandon the plans
1926
Rivera declared intentions for land reform so lost support from the rural elite
1928
the peseta plummeted and employers demanded an end to arbitrary committees but Primo refused to do so
1929
Sotelo resigned
4 January 1930
UP created in Barcelona to legitimise the regime, included a broad range of political groups
1924
Every district of Madrid had a propaganda and political action commission, each with sub-committees
By 1927
Regime claimed 1.3 million people were affiliated to Rivera’s party
1927
On the anniversary of Primo taking over, 100,000 peopled marched in Madrid, having been given free train tickets
13 September 1928
Rivera formed a branch of the press and censorship cabinet charged with centralising propaganda, led by Maiximo Cuervo
1928
Ibero-American exhibitions held to attract positive international attention but failed as political opposition deterred international visitors
1928
Loss of Social Catholic support
1928
Official records showed that 46% of potential recruits never joined the army
Records from 1914-1923
Course held in Toledo to teach army officers how to educate civilians in patriotic ideas
March 1929
a royal decree established a military academy at Zaragoza to unify military doctrine with General France as the leader
20 February 1927
Military Academy at Zaragova closed under the Second Republic
1931
royal decree extended conscription (less exemptions) and formed a strong reserved corp
29 March 1924
only 220 officers and 200 sergeants graduated as instructors of physical education in the military = low economic output
1919-1927
‘Patriotic lectures’ and public celebrations held for the anniversary of the dictatorship
13 September 1924
a royal decree authorised a campaign to plant ‘moral and patriotic’ ideas into the rural lower class
29 January 1926
Only 50% of municipalities held lectures to spread patriotism
By 1926
Inspectors used as subordinates to delegates to examine textbooks and students, checking for teaching against patriotism
1925
Anido set up an intelligence network to spy on education inspectors
1926
Rivera began the creation of a national textbook for primary education
From 1923
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
1926
royal decree creating the fiesta del Libro (day of the Spanish book)
1926
Government agency set up to coordinate state funds for school construction, put schools under the state’s direct control
1924
General Director of Primary Education Ignacio Suarez Somonte calculated that 2000 new schools needed to be built
By 1926
Spanish population boom
1910s
Money spent on education increased from 1.5 million to 14.5 million per year
Between 1920 and 1929
General Bureau of secondary and university education created to censor liberal who dominated such institutes, bring education fully under state control
1925
royal decree to direct teaching toward modernisation and increasing economic output, emphasised Spanish Imperial History
August 1925
Books on Spanish Civilisation finally distributed, many teaches continued using other resources
1929
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
1928
Nation Physical Culture Committee formed, directed by General Villalba, citizenry education for adults and gymnastics for youth
1928
Course created to prepare officers for educating the masses
1929
Only 267 officers for educating the masses, 50% of judicial districts without an officer assigned
By January 1930
Royal decree extending the Somaten (civil guard to protect property and repress unions) from Catalonia to all of Spain
17 September 1923
Rivera met Mussolini, claimed the Somaten and Fascist militia were both ‘secular institutions of civilised order’ and that he would follow the Fascist example
November 1923
General Barrera proclaimed the Somaten was the protector of Spain
December 1923
Trade unions used a car bomb during a Somaten celebration parade
April 1923
Hostility against the regime increased as amnesty was given to somatens convicted of crimes
1927
Somaten was ineffective during rebellions leading Rivera to reform it
1926
Somaten National Council created to expand the militia and increase its effectiveness
1927
Jose Guerra led a violent uprising against the directory but the Somaten hardly responded, changed their role to espionage
1929
Rivera abolished the Mancomunitat in Catalonia which had made it a commonwealth of four provinces
1925
Rivera closed down the University of Barcelona during riots
April 1929
Catalan Saint ‘The Virgin of Monteserrat’ declared a patron saint of the Somatens to deprive Catalonia of a unique identity, unsuccessful
1923
Publications in Catalan had increased and 10% of all books published in Spain were in Catalan
By 1930