The second government of José Canalejas was formed on 2 January 1911, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by King Alfonso XIII and his swearing-in that same day, as a result of his own resignation from the post on 1 January in order to trigger a cabinet reshuffle. It succeeded the first Canalejas government and was the government of Spain from 2 January to 3 April 1911, a total of days, or .
The cabinet comprised members of the Liberal Party and one military officer. Canalejas's triggering of a cabinet crisis was criticized because the government enjoyed political and parliamentary stability at the time and no minister being perceived as having suffered any major misstep. It resigned on 1 April 1911 as a consequence of Canalejas's decision to raise a new matter of confidence to King Alfonso XIII, as a result of the political fallout from the Ferrer case review in parliament and growing disagreements among cabinet members regarding how to proceed, serving until the next government was sworn in.
Formation Overview The Spanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as a semi-constitutional monarchy during the Restoration period, awarding the monarch—under the royal prerogative—the power to appoint government members (including the prime minister); the ability to grant or deny the decree of dissolution of the , or the adjournment of legislative sessions, to the incumbent or aspiring government that requested it; and the capacity to inform, inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of royal decrees; among others..
The monarch would play a key role in the system by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organize elections to provide themselves with a parliamentary majority. As a result, governments during this period were dependent on royal confidence, which was frequently secured or lost based on the leaders' ability to guarantee the internal unity and parliamentary cohesion of their parties.: "... according to the political practice of the Restoration, since voters did not determine majorities due to electoral manipulation, the requirement demanded of any leader to retain power was to guarantee the unity of the Party. []" In practice, the royal prerogative was not exercised freely by the monarch, but was carried out through the opening of a round of consultations—with the presidents of the chambers, the leaders of the main parties, the potential candidates and other notable figures—prior to government formation, or when prime ministers raised a matter of confidence to the monarch.
Cabinet crisis Raising a matter of confidence to King Alfonso XIII under the royal prerogative, José Canalejas submitted his resignation and that of his cabinet on 1 January 1911, following the approval of that year's budget and of Canalejas's flagship bill—the "Padlock Law" () restricting the establishment of new religious orders during the next two years—seeking a renewal of the monarch's confidence and a cabinet reshuffle for the new political period.
ConsultationsKing of Spain Date Consultee Office/position Party 1 January 1911 José Canalejas Prime MinisterLeader of the Liberal Party Liberal Nominations Outcome → Sources
Alfonso XIII's reaffirmed his confidence in Canalejas without holding any further consultation, and the new cabinet was sworn in on 2 January, comprising members of the Liberal Party and one military officer and seeing changes in the Governance, Public Instruction and Development ministries. Canalejas's triggering of a cabinet crisis was widely seen as unjustified and unnecessary across the entire spectrum, both because the government enjoyed political and parliamentary stability, and because no minister was perceived as having suffered any resounding failure.
Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.
← Canalejas II Government →(2 January 1911 – 3 April 1911) Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Prime Minister José Canalejas Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of State Marquis of Alhucemas Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of Grace and Justice Trinitario Ruiz Valarino Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of War Ángel Aznar y Butigieg Military 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of the Navy Diego Arias de Miranda Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of Finance Eduardo Cobián Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of Governance Demetrio Alonso Castrillo Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Amós Salvador y Rodrigáñez Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911 Minister of Development Rafael Gasset Liberal 2 January 1911 3 April 1911
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Bibliography
External links The governments of the third period of the Liberal Party (1909–1913) (under Alfonso XIII). Lluís Belenes i Rodríguez History Page (in Spanish).