Spain, First Republic, 2 Pesetas – 1870

Description

The First Spanish Republic was a brief period of republican government in Spain that took place between 1873 and 1874. It was the first attempt to establish a republican regime in the country, after the fall of the monarchy of the Bourbons. The First Republic was established after the 1868 revolution, which overthrew Queen Elizabeth II and established a provisional government. A new Constitution was drafted in 1869, which established a democratic system and a constitutional monarchy, but the inability to find an adequate monarch led to the proclamation of the Republic in 1873. During this period, the Republic faced numerous challenges and internal tensions. There were deep political and social divisions in Spanish society, with different republican factions competing for power. In addition, the country faced a serious economic crisis and a war in Cuba, which led to generalized political and social instability. The Republican government adopted a series of progressive reforms, such as press freedom, the separation of the Church and the State, the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico and the implementation of labor reforms. However, these reforms found resistance from the conservative and religious sectors of society. The First Spanish Republic was a period of short duration and turbulent. In 1874, General Arsenio Martínez Campos led a military coup that restored the monarchy and ended the Republican regime. The restoration of the monarchy under King Alfonso XII marked the end of the First Republic and the beginning of a new stage in the history of Spain. Although brief, the First Republic laid the foundations for future attempts to establish a republican government in the country.