Bienio progresista

In thehistory of Spain,thebienio progresista(Spanish pronunciation:[ˈbjenjopɾoɣɾeˈsista],"Progressive Biennium" or "Progressivist Biennium" ) was the two-year period from July 1854 to July 1856, during which theProgressive Partyattempted to reform the political system of the reign ofIsabella II,which had been dominated by theModerate Partysince 1843 in the so-calleddécada moderada.The Progressives wereexaltadosorveinteañistas,advocates ofradical liberalism,in contrast to theconservative liberalismof thedoceañistasor Moderates.

Background

After a decade of rule by the Moderates, the Spanish were aware of massive government corruption in the entrenched Moderate regime. Furthermore, all but the wealthiest weredisenfranchisedby a system ofcensus suffragethat left less than one percent of the population eligible to participate in the country's electoral politics.

The perceived injustice of this situation provoked protests and subversive movements. These movements were led by those liberal leaders who were not in accord with the Moderate government. For the most part, this meant the Progressives, but there were also moderates such as GeneralLeopoldo O'Donnellwho were simply opposed to what an increasingly corrupt and ineffective regime.

The dismissal ofprime minister Juan Bravo Murillotoward the end of 1852 marked the acceleration of the decline of the Moderate regime. The government attempted to rule bydecree,ignoring its own constitution. Even many of the most prominent Moderates were unhappy with thecabinetthat had been hand-picked by thequeen mother Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies.Francisco Martínez de la Rosa,Alejandro Mon y Menéndezand Leopoldo O'Donnell wished to form a government that would restore the country's confidence without handing power over to the Progressives, but they were excluded from any role in the government.

La Vicalvarada

Street protests began inZaragozain February 1854, and had extended throughout the country by July. On 28 June 1854, O'Donnell, who had been hiding inMadridduring a wave of persecutions of prominent figures not aligned with the current regime, managed to unite diverse forces and to confront troops loyal to the government atVicálvarosoutheast of Madrid, where he demanded a new government that would put an end to the corruption. He made it clear that he respected Queen Isabella, but not her government. This coup attempt became known asLa Vicalvarada;it did not result in the immediate fall of the government, but neither was it quickly crushed. Through the ensuing weeks, troops inBarcelonaalso pronounced in favor ofLa Vicalvarada.

General O'Donnell and his troops retired to the south, where they connected with the Progressive general Serrano. Together they issued theManifesto of Manzanareson 7 July 1854:

We wish to preserve the Throne, but without thecamarillathat dishonors it; we wish the rigorous practice of the fundamental laws, above all those of elections and the press (...); we wish seniority and merit to be respected in civil and military employment (...); we wish to lift from the populations the centralization that is devouring them, giving them the local independence necessary to conserve and augment their own interests; and as a guarantee of all that we wish and to place ourselves on a solid basis, theNational Militia.These are our intentions, which we express frankly without imposing these on the Nation. The organs of government that ought to be constituted in free provinces, theCortes generalesthat will later bring them together, the Nation itself, finally, will set the definitive bases for the liberal regeneration to which we aspire. We have consecrated our swords to the national will, and will not sheathe them until that will is satisfied.^[1]

This manifesto was distributed among the populace, inviting the people to rise up in support. The popular reaction was immediate, with agitations and popular revolts throughout the country in support of the Manifesto. On 17 July, civilians and soldiers took to the streets of Madrid, (as well asAlzira,Cuenca,Logroño,Valenciaand Zaragoza) in a violent uprising that threatened the life of queen mother Maria Christina, who had to seek refuge. The result was a revolution, to which theCatalanworkers also allied themselves.

Isabella II had no choice but to accede to the demands of the Manifesto. Thebienio progresistabegan.

Development

Thebienio progresistawas a period full of illusion and hope among great sectors of the populace. The new government led byBaldomero Esparteroattempted to put the Manifesto of Manzanares into practice, but ultimately it failed.

Political aspect

The Progressives, desiring a progressive constitution, annulled the ModerateConstitution of 1845and attempted to write a new constitution based on the ProgressiveConstitution of 1837.However, they proved not to have enough unity to agree on a text. Nonetheless, they supported the rights of citizens, such asfreedom of expression,freedom of the press,andfreedom of political association.Other political parties arose, includingsocialistandfederalistparties. The political panorama became much more complicated. Taking advantage of the new liberties, theworkers' movementsprang into action, above all by means of thegeneral strike.The peasants also began to protest and demand improvements in their situation.

Municipal government was decentralized, with the restoration of local elections. The resulting municipal governments were yet another source of pressure on the Progressive government. On the other hand, the Moderates in the Cortes hounded the Progressives, taking advantage of a free press to attack them from theright.

Legislative and economic aspects

In the midst of all this political instability, the government brought about a major economic reform. First, there was the civil confiscation under Finance MinisterPascual Madoz:properties owned bymunicipalities,military orders,hospitals,hospicesandcasas de misericordia(charity homes) were confiscated and sold to raise funds for the State. The negative consequences were suffered not only by the agents of these institutions but by the poorer villagers, who used the municipalcommonsfor their subsistence. When these lands were placed in private hands, they could no longer use them. Second, another law gave major benefits and privileges to whoever would invest in the construction ofrailways,given that transport was essential to the process of industrialization that was beginning to develop in Spain. Under this law, foreign investors, especially fromFranceand theUnited Kingdomemployed their capital in constructing railways; the law also proved very beneficial to the banks. Third and finally, a liberalization of banking and corporate law attempted to expand the financial system to underwrite industrial development.

Whatever the intentions, the result was chaos. In the face of instability and conflict, O'Donnell led another coup in July 1856. Thebienio progresistahad ended in failure.

Notes

^Nosotros queremos la conservación del Trono, pero sin la camarilla que lo deshonra, queremos la práctica rigurosa de las leyes fundamentales mejorándolas, sobre todo, la electoral y la de imprenta (...), queremos que se respeten en los empleos militares y civiles la antigüedad y el merecimiento (...), queremos arrancar a los pueblos de la centralización que les devora, dándoles la independencia local necesaria para que se conserven y aumenten sus intereses propios, y como garantía de todo esto queremos y plantearemos bajo sólidas bases la Milicia Nacional. Tales son nuestros intentos, que expresamos francamente sin imponerlos por eso a la Nación. Las Juntas de gobierno que deben irse constituyendo en las Provincias libres, las Cortes generales que luego se reúnan, la misma Nación, en fin, fijará las bases definitivas de la regeneración liberal a que aspiramos. Nosotros tenemos consagradas a la voluntad nacional nuestras espadas y no las envainaremos hasta que ella esté cumplida.

References

Articles

Isabel Casanova Aguilar, "El bienio progresista (1854-56): Historia de un intento de modernización institucional",Anales de Derecho,ISSN 0210-539X, Nº 6, 1984, pp. 131-132.
Oscar Ignacio Mateos y de Cabo and José Fernando Merino Merchán, "La 'Vicalvarada' 140 años después: Aproximación al significado jurídico-constitucional del bienio progresista (1854-1856)",Revista de las Cortes Generales,ISSN 0214-0519, Nº 32, 1994, pp. 121-176.
José Ramón de Urquijo and Goitia Hispania. "Las contradicciones políticas del bienio progresista",Revista Española de Historia,ISSN 0018-2141, Vol. 57, Nº 195, 1997, pp. 267-302.
Braulio Díaz Sampedro, "Derecho e ideología en el bienio progresista",Anuario de la Facultad de Derecho,ISSN 0213-988X, Nº 24, 2006, pp. 159-175.

Books

María Fe Núñez Muñoz and Franco Díaz de Cerio,El bienio progresista (1854-1856) y la ruptura de relaciones de Roma con España según los documentos vaticanos,Universidad de La Laguna, 1993.ISBN 84-7756-381-0.
José Luis Ollero Vallés, "El Bienio Progresista, 1854-1856", chapter inSagasta y el liberalismo español,2000, pp. 246-255,ISBN 84-8140-071-8.
Alberto Ramos Santana,La desamortización civil en Cádiz en el bienio progresista,Cádiz: Excma. Diputación Provincial, D.L. 1982.ISBN 84-500-5279-3.

[1] Nosotros queremos la conservación del Trono, pero sin la camarilla que lo deshonra, queremos la práctica rigurosa de las leyes fundamentales mejorándolas, sobre todo, la electoral y la de imprenta (...), queremos que se respeten en los empleos militares y civiles la antigüedad y el merecimiento (...), queremos arrancar a los pueblos de la centralización que les devora, dándoles la independencia local necesaria para que se conserven y aumenten sus intereses propios, y como garantía de todo esto queremos y plantearemos bajo sólidas bases la Milicia Nacional. Tales son nuestros intentos, que expresamos francamente sin imponerlos por eso a la Nación. Las Juntas de gobierno que deben irse constituyendo en las Provincias libres, las Cortes generales que luego se reúnan, la misma Nación, en fin, fijará las bases definitivas de la regeneración liberal a que aspiramos. Nosotros tenemos consagradas a la voluntad nacional nuestras espadas y no las envainaremos hasta que ella esté cumplida.

[1]