Editing Amadeo I of Spain (section)

==== Sagasta's Government: The Constitutional Conservatives in Power ====
[[File:Praxedes sagasta.jpg|thumb|[[Práxedes Mateo Sagasta]].]]

On December 21, 1871, [[Práxedes Mateo Sagasta]] formed a government, initially offering [[Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla]]’s Radicals four of eight cabinet posts—half the government—to unify Progressives. The Radicals declined, unwilling to abandon their alliance with Democrats ({{Interlanguage link|Cimbrios|es|Cimbrios (política)}}) or their “benevolent pact” with Republicans. At a meeting, Ruiz Zorrilla told Sagasta, “I am more than a progressive, I am a radical.” Sagasta then allied with General [[Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre|Serrano]]’s [[Liberal Union (Spain)|Unionists]], who joined with one portfolio—[[Juan Bautista Topete|Admiral Topete]] as Minister of Overseas Territories. Most posts went to “historical” Progressives: [[José Malcampo, 3rd Marquess of San Rafael|José Malcampo]] (War and Navy), [[Bonifacio de Blas y Muñoz|Bonifacio de Blas]] (Interior), and others like Santiago de Angulo, Francisco de Paula Angulo, and Alonso Colmenares.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=222-223; 226}}

[[File:Preparándose para el día 22, de Pellicer.jpg|left|thumb|Cartoon by [[Josep Lluís Pellicer]], Preparing for the 22nd, {{Interlanguage link|Gil Blas (Madrid)|es|Gil Blas}}, January 14, 1872, showing [[Francesc Pi i Margall]] and Sagasta.]]

On January 22, 1872, Sagasta presented his government to the Cortes, labeling it “progressive-conservative.” He aimed to balance the [[Spanish Constitution of 1869|1869 Constitution]]’s rights with order, defending the monarchy as “the essential foundation of public liberties.” He proposed a two-party system of “loyal and benevolent” parties—one more progressive, one less so, both liberal-conservative. The Cortes rejected it, but with more dynastic votes in favor, Amadeo granted Sagasta a dissolution decree for new elections to secure a majority. Radicals rallied with “Radicals defend yourselves!” and “God save the country! God save the dynasty! God save freedom!” while Republicans declared, “The King has broken with Parliament, today the Savoy dynasty ends.”{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=232-235}}

Radicals blamed a palace camarilla—Italian advisers like Dragonetti and {{Interlanguage link|Nicolás Ronchi|es|Nicolás Ronchi}}, conservatives, and Queen Maria Vittoria's neo-Catholic allies—for blocking their power. On January 23, Ruiz Zorrilla criticized the king in the Cortes, invoking a “right to revolt” against threatened freedoms. Radical newspapers turned on Amadeo, and leaders boycotted palace lunches (except [[Segismundo Moret|Moret]]). At a February 2 rally, [[José Echegaray]] demanded the [[Royal Palace of Madrid|Palacio de Oriente]] “open its windows” to freedom, while [[El Imparcial (1867–1933)|El Imparcial]] (February 22) likened Amadeo's rule to [[Isabella II]]’s, branding Sagasta's ministry “reactionary.”{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=285-287}} Radical [[Francisco Salmerón]] wrote to his father in January 1872:

“The palace is not hostile, for the king delights in courtesans; and the queen in neo-politics. The infamous Sagasta is waging an implacable war against the Radicals... We go into the electoral struggle with the proof of defeat; then, in retreat, we shall witness the catastrophe.”

===== Birth of the Constitutional Party and the “National Coalition” =====
[[File:A las urnas, de Pellicer.jpg|thumb|Caricature by [[Josep Lluís Pellicer]], La coalición nacional, {{Interlanguage link|Gil Blas (Madrid)|es|Gil Blas}}, March 10, 1872.]]

Sagasta's Progressives and Unionists formed an electoral committee on January 22, issuing a manifesto summarizing the government's program. Unionists pushed for a single party, but Sagasta envisioned a “third party” blending both sides to reunite Progressives. Amadeo intervened, tasking Unionist [[José Luis Albareda y Sezde|José Luis Albareda]] with drafting a plan for a Conservative Party to alternate with Radicals. Facing royal pressure—and after briefly resigning—Sagasta relented. On February 21, 1872, the [[Constitutional Party (Spain)|Constitutional Party]] emerged, aiming to defend “Liberty, the Constitution of 1869, the dynasty of Amadeo I, and territorial integrity.” The reshuffled cabinet balanced four Progressives and three Unionists under Sagasta.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=237-244}}

The Radicals, seeking to topple the government, expanded their December 1871 “National Coalition” with Republicans to include Carlists and later [[Moderate Party (Spain)|Alfonsist Moderates]]. United by the goal of “defeating the government, the fruit of immorality and lies,” they used patriotic slogans like “Spain for the Spaniards,” championed by Republican [[Emilio Castelar]]. The coalition agreed to field one candidate per district—favoring the strongest prior performer—to maximize votes.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=287-291}}

===== Elections of April 1872 =====
[[File:Laflaca caciquismo.jpg|thumb|Cartoon from La Carcajada, April 18, 1872, mocking Sagasta's electoral fraud.]]

The [[April 1872 Spanish general election|April 2 elections]] delivered the Constitutionalists over 200 seats, with Unionists outnumbering Progressives, bolstering Serrano's influence. Victory came via “moral influence”—electoral manipulation—despite Amadeo's plea for fairness, to which Sagasta replied, “as pure as they can be in Spain.” A circular to governors outlined tactics: buying votes, crowding polling stations with loyalists, and using police to suppress dissent.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=244-245}}{{Sfn|Nieto|2021|p=14}} The National Coalition secured nearly 150 seats—Radicals 42, Republicans, Carlists, and Alfonsists combined—amid high abstention and unrest in Carlist (Basque, Navarre) and Federalist (Mediterranean) regions. The Radicals’ poor showing questioned Ruiz Zorrilla's leadership, pushing some toward abandoning legal means.{{Sfn|Vilches|2001|pp=245-246}}{{Sfn|Fontana|2007|p=369}}

The elections finalized the [[Progressive Party (Spain)|Progressive Party]]’s split: Sagasta's faction merged with Unionists into the Constitutional Party, while Ruiz Zorrilla led the [[Radical Democratic Party (Spain)|Radical Party]] with Democrats (cimbrios), including [[Cristino Martos y Balbí|Cristino Martos]] and [[Nicolás María Rivero]].{{Sfn|Bahamonde|1996|pp=75-76}}