The Spanish Civil War- the main reforms of 1931-33 & their impacts.

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  • Created by: DunnillE
  • Created on: 04-11-18 08:40

The Army reforms of April-June 1931

The main parts of this reform were:

  • The 'retiring' of officers- the officers were told they could be transfered to the reserve list with full pay, 8,000 officers took the offer.
  • The reform reduced military service to 1 year.
  • The reform reduced the numbers of officers in the army.
  • The reform closed the military school @ Saragossa- this was the school where Francis Franco was the commanding officer. 

Impact of this reform: 

  • The Nationalists weren't happy since it meant the country was stepping further away from the 'old times'. 
  • The army hated this reform as they were seen as less important to society as they had previously been the crown jewel of Spain. 
  • In 1936, most of the army joined the nationalist cause. 
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The Law of Municipal Boundaries of 1931

What was it?

It forced landowners to offer jobs to those living within their municipality before importing migrant workers

Impact:

It angered landowners since it gave the peasants and workers in the countryside more power as the landowners had to hire them. 

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The Church Reforms

What the reform did:

  • Articles 26 and 27 separated the church and state, provided for the closure of all religious  schools, and threatened to phase out the state subsides to the clergy over the next two years.
  • Being petty towards the church was allowed and encouraged. 

Impact of the reform:

  • This reform was opposed by Zamora (the first prime minister of the second republic) and Maura (the minister of interior) so the conservatives pulled out of the government in protest of the reform. 
  • Right-winged parties opposed.
  • Attacks on churches increased and became very violent.
  • Azana said that the burning of "all the convents in Spain was not worth the life of a single Republican".
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The Agrarian Reforms of September 1932 - organised

What did the reform do?

  • Established an 8 hour working day, and began overtime in the countryside.
  • The rights of  small tenant farmers were protected.
  • Wages disputes were settled by mixed committes of labourers.
  • Redistributed land to meet the needs of peasants. Landowners received a small amout of money for their land. 

Impact on Society:

  • The landowners and nationalists weren't happy with this reform as it wanted to bring massive change to the country. This change would tip the scale to the favour of the peasants. Landowners wanted right-winged parties back in the government. 
  • However peasants and workers were also angry as they felt the reforms were taking to long to happen. 
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The Catalan Statute of 1932

What was it:

  • Madrid had agreed to Catalan's demands for increased autonomy. 
  • This statute devolved considerable power in domestic affairs to a Catalan parliament in Barcelona. 
  • This meant that Catalan had increased independence from Spain.

Impact:

  • This angered nationalists as it meant that Spain was shrinking in size as parts of the country wanted nothing to do with the rest. Also the more regions that gained independence the further away Spain was from the olden days that the nationalists and conservative supporters wanted to achieve. 
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