Editing History of Spain (section)

==Second Spanish Republic (1931–36)==
{{Main|Second Spanish Republic|Provisional Government of the Second Spanish Republic}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-11543, Madrid, Ausrufung der Zweiten Spanischen Republik.jpg|thumb|Celebrations of the proclamation of the 2nd Republic in Barcelona.]]
A provisional government presided by [[Niceto Alcalá Zamora]] was installed as the Republic, popularly nicknamed as "''la niña bonita''" ('the pretty girl'),{{Sfn|Romero Salvadó|1999|p=70}} was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, a democratic experiment at a time when democracies were beginning to descend into dictatorships elsewhere in the continent.{{Sfn|Romero Salvadó|1999|p=70}}<ref>{{Cite book|first=Wayne H.|last=Bowen|title=Spain During World War II|year=2006|publisher=[[University of Missouri Press]]|location=Columbia|isbn=0-8262-1658-7|url={{google books|plainurl=y|id=Yp8PflGFt0wC|page=11}}|page=11}}</ref> A [[1931 Spanish general election|Constituent election was called for June 1931]]. The dominant bloc emerging from the election, an alliance of liberals and socialists, brought [[Manuel Azaña]] (who had undertaken a decisive reform as War minister in the provisional government by trying to democratize the Armed Forces){{Sfn|Jackson|1959|p=290}} to premiership, heading from the on a number of coalition cabinets.{{Sfn|Jackson|1959|pp=282–300}} While the Republican government was able to easily quell the [[Sanjurjada|first 1932 coup d'etat]] led by [[José Sanjurjo]], the generals, who felt humiliated because of the [[Military reform of Manuel Azaña|military reform]] privately developed a strong contempt towards Azaña.{{Sfn|Jackson|1959|p=290}} The new parliament drafted a [[Spanish Constitution of 1931|new constitution]] which was approved on 9 December 1931.

Political ideologies were intensely polarized. Regarding the crux of the role of the Church, within the Left people saw the former as the major enemy of modernity and the Spanish people, and the right saw it as the invaluable protector of Spanish values.{{sfn|Herr|1974|pp=162–163}}

Under the Second Spanish Republic, [[Women's suffrage|women were allowed to vote]] in general elections for the first time. The Republic devolved substantial self-government to [[Catalonia]] and, for a brief period in wartime, also to the Basque Provinces.

The first cabinets of the Republic were center-left, headed by [[Niceto Alcalá-Zamora]] and [[Manuel Azaña]]. Economic turmoil, substantial debt, and fractious, rapidly changing governing coalitions led to escalating political violence and attempted coups by right and left.

Following the 1933 election, the right-wing [[Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right]] (CEDA), based on the Catholic vote, was set to enter the radical government. An armed rising of workers in October 1934, which reached its greatest intensity in [[Asturias]], was forcefully put down. This in turn energized political movements across the spectrum, including a revived anarchist movement and new reactionary and fascist groups, such as the [[Falange Española|Falange]] and a revived [[Carlism|Carlist]] movement.{{sfn|Herr|1974|pp=154–187}}

A devastating 1936–39 civil war was won in 1939 by the rebel forces under [[Francisco Franco]]. It was supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The rebels (backed among other by traditionalist [[Carlist]]s, Fascist [[falangism|falangists]] and Far-right [[alfonsism|alfonsists]]) defeated the Republican loyalists (with variable support of Socialists, Liberals, Communists, Anarchists and Catalan and Basque nationalists), who were backed by the Soviet Union.