This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Spain. It is limited to liberal and radical parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having been represented in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it is not necessary that parties label themselves as a liberal or radical party.
Background
In the nineteenth century, liberalism was a major political force in Spain, but as in many other continental European countries care must be taken over the use of labels as this term was used with different meanings.
As in much of Europe, the nineteenth-century history of Spain would largely revolve around the conflicts between the three major liberal currents – radicalism; progressive classical liberalism, or conservative classical liberalism. While all three rejected the Catholic, traditionalist, and absolutist Old Regime, each had a different perspective on the urgency and degree to which state and society needed reforming to modernize the values and institutions.
The term 'liberal' itself was usually used to signify classical liberalism. It had a progressive-liberal wing as represented by the Fusionist Liberal Party (more inclined towards gradual reform, and making compromises with the radical current); and a conservative-liberal wing as represented by the Liberal Conservative Party (more inclined towards traditionalism, and compromising with the absolute-monarchist faction). Its various currents were broadly united by a set of shared beliefs: In political affairs, parliamentarianism, though of a socially-conservative kind (e.g., suffrage limited to property-owners); In economic affairs, free-market capitalism; In social affairs, conservatism (e.g.: rejecting full universal suffrage; or a strictly laic separation of church and state) In constitutional affairs, flexible towards the type of constitutional regime (monarchy or republic). For the left-liberal and social-liberal currents, 'liberal' was rarely used as the single defining label. Instead such currents rather used labels such as radical, democratic or republican (see republicanism). The shared beliefs that generally unified its various factions included: Universal manhood suffrage; Sovereignty to be vested in the people of the nation rather than in the royal parliament; A root-and-branch reform to remove the political influence of monarchical, religious and aristocratic patronage; A certain degree of social democracy, as the nineteenth century progressed; An active role for an administratively-centralized state in carrying out these tasks.
History Each of the following sections describes an element of Spanish liberalism and radicalism, mostly beginning with the 19th century.
From Liberals to Liberal Fusionist Party
1808–12: Until 1839 the Spanish liberals were not organized in a well-established party, but formed their own factions. During the War of Independence and the Constitution of Cádiz the term Liberals (Liberales, 1812–1820) was used to describe the diverse range of currents influenced by the Enlightenment and French Revolution and united in rejecting the absolutism of the Bourbon monarchy. 1820–39: Between 1820 and 1839 the Liberals split into two factions. The 'Radicals' (Exaltados), known as Veinteanistas (Supporters of 1820) were inspired by French Jacobinism and Radicalism and wished to draft a new more progressive constitution based on universal suffrage; the 'Moderates' (Moderados), closer to classical liberalism, were known as Doceanistas (Supporters of 1812) as they wished simply to restore the more limited constitution of 1812. 1839–1879: Finally in 1839 most of the Radicals and Moderates organized themselves into a loose parliamentary group known as the Progressives (Progresistas, 1839–1880), led by people like Baldomero Espartero, Salustiano Olózoga, Juan Prim, Práxedes Sagasta and Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, Duke de la Torre. Out of this current various factions splintered off to form successor parties: the in 1843, the ⇒Democratic Party in 1854 the ⇒Liberal Union; in 1869 the Democratic Radical Party; in 1879 the ⇒ Democratic Progressive Party. 1880: The majority of Liberal currents united in the Fusionist (i.e. merged) Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Fusionista), led by Sagasta, though some more Radical factions remain outside the party 1882: A left-wing faction of the party established the ⇒ Dynastic Left, most of its members returned between 1884 and 1886 to the Liberal Fusionist Party 1890: The ⇒ Possibilist Democratic Party joined the party 1907: A left-wing faction of the party seceded as the ⇒ Monarchist Democratic Party 1918: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Left 1923: The party disappeared due to the Miguel Primo de Rivera coup
Democratic Party 1843: The left wing of the ⇒ Progressives established the Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata) as a rally of left-wing liberals and moderate socialists 1868: The republican wing formed the ⇒ Federal Republican Party 1871: The party disappeared and remnants of the party continue as a monarchist party
Liberal Union 1854: Moderate ⇒ progressives established the Liberal Union (Unión Liberal), led by Leopoldo O'Donnell 1868: The party merged with the conservative Moderates into the Liberal Conservative Party
Federal Republican Party 1868: The republican wing of the ⇒ Democratic Party established the Federal Democratic Republican Party (Partido Republicano Democrático Federal), also known as the Republican-Democratic Party 1878: A faction joined the ⇒ Reformist Republican Party 1879: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Possibilist Democratic Party 1891: The party absorbs a faction of the ⇒ Democratic Radical Party 1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
From Democratic Radical Party to Centralist Party 1869: A left-wing faction of the Progressives seceded as the Democratic Radical Party (Partido Radical Demócrata), led by Ruiz Zorilla 1876: The party is reorganised into the Reformist Republican Party, led by Nicolás Salmerón 1878: A faction of the ⇒ Federal Republican Party joined the party 1879: A faction joined the ⇒ Democratic Progressive Party 1890: The party is renamed Centralist Party (Partido Centralista) 1891: The party is absorbed by the ⇒ Federal Republican Party
Possibilist Democratic Party 1879: A faction of the ⇒ Federal Republican Party formed the Possibilist Democratic Party ('Partido Posibilista'), led by Emilio Castelar 1890: The party joins the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party
Democratic Progressive Party 1879: A left wing faction of the ⇒ Progressives with dissidents of the Reformist Republican Party formed the Democratic Progressive Party (Partido Progresista Democrático) 1882: The party merges into the ⇒ Dynastic Left
Dynastic Left 1882: A faction of the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party together with the Democratic Progressive Party established the Dynastic Left (Izquierda Dinástica), led by Francisco Serrano and Adolfo Posada 1886: Between 1884 and 1886 most of the members returned to the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party
Liberal Democratic Party 1913: A faction of the ⇒ Fusionist Liberal Party seceded and formed the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Manuel García Prieto 1923: The party disappeared
Republican Union (1906) 1906: A faction of the ⇒ Federal Republican Union seceded as the Republican Union (Unión Republicana), led by Nicolás Salmerón 1908: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Radical Republican Party 1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
Monarchist Democratic Party 1907: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party seceded as the Monarchist Democratic Party (Partido Democrático Monnárquico) of José Canalejas 1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
Radical Republican Party 1908: A faction of the ⇒ Republican Union established the Radical Republican Party (Partido Republicano Radical), led by Alejandro Lerroux 1929: A left-wing faction established the ⇒ Radical Socialist Republican Party 1933: Due to the development into a conservative party, the liberal wing seceded as the ⇒ Radical Democratic Party. The original party disappeared in 1939
Liberal Left 1918: A faction of the ⇒ Fusionist Liberal Party seceded to form the Liberal Left (Izquierda Liberal) 1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
From Republican Action to Republican Left 1926: Manuel Azaña established the Republican Action (Acción Republicana), as a cross-party thinktank which initially worked closely alongside the Radical Republican party. 1931: Republican Action was converted into a political party. 1934: The party merged with a politically similar Galician regional party and the left-wing faction of the ⇒ Radical Socialist Republican Party into the Republican Left (Izquierda Republicana) 1939: The party is banned, though there were later attempts to revive the party after 1976
Radical Socialist Republican Party 1929: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Radical Republican Party established the Radical Socialist Republican Party (Partido Republicano Radical Socialista) 1934: The party is dissolved, members joined the ⇒ Republican Left or the ⇒ Republican Union
From Democratic Radical Party to Republican Union 1933: Due to the development of the ⇒ Radical Republican Party, the liberal wing seceded as the Democratic Radical Party (Partido Radical Demócrata) 1934: The party merged with a faction of the ⇒ Radical Socialist Republican Party into the Republican Union (Unión Republicana) 1939: The party is banned
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia 1974: Democrats in Catalonia established the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, a democratic nationalist party with liberal values, led by Jordi Pujol.
Democratic and Social Centre 1982: Former prime minister Adolfo Suárez left the Union of the Democratic Centre and established the liberal Democratic and Social Centre (Centro Democrático y Social). The party lost parliamentary representation in 1993, but continued to exist until 2006.
Citizens 2005: Citizens (Ciudadanos) was founded.
Union, Progress and Democracy 2007: The leader of Union, Progress and Democracy (Unión, Progreso y Democracia) became the former member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Rosa Díez. She created it with the philosophers Fernando Savater and Carlos Martínez Gorriarán.
Liberal leaders Liberals before 1912: Emilio Castelar y Ripoll – José Canalejas y Mendez Izquierda Republicana: Manuel Azaña Centro Democrático y Social: Adolfo Suárez Ciudadanos: Albert Rivera
Liberal thinkers In the Contributions to liberal theory the following Spanish thinkers are included: José Ortega y Gasset (Spain, 1883–1955) Salvador de Madariaga (Spain, 1886–1978)
See also Liberalism by country List of political parties in Spain Spanish nationalism History of Spain Politics of Spain Trienio Liberal Spanish Constitution of 1812
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