From Monarchy to Republic: Spanish Catholics and the Transition to Democracy of 1931

Often overshadowed by the post-Franco transition to democracy of the 1970s and 1980s, the Spanish transition to democracy of the 1930s provides an opportunity to study the reaction of Spanish Catholics to democracy. While some scholars have termed the Catholic response to the new Republic as “reactionary,” it represented in many ways a period of modernization for Spanish Catholics. Faced with a secularizing Republic and devoid of government representation, the Church abjured its followers to mobilize in defense of Catholic values. Rather than fight to maintain the now-discredited monarchy, Catholics should work within the Republic to effect political change. In response, Catholics created new political organizations to pursue their goals within the framework of democracy, forming explicitly Catholic political parties for the first time. The reformers in the new Republic's Provisional Government declared very early on their intention to reduce the prominent role that the Church played in Spanish life by secularizing education and ending the regular subsidies paid to the Church by the State, among other changes. After a short period of disorganization and confusion, Catholics put aside their differences over whether or not to accept the Republic and created a political association, Acción Nacional, which formed the basis of Catholic politics for the rest of the Republic. This group focused initially on minimizing the changes made within Spain until Catholics could mobilize more effectively, embracing Pope Leo XIII's theory that the form of government was “accidental” and therefore not fundamental. Acción Nacional became the first “confessional” Catholic party in Spain, seeking mainly to re-establish the traditional importance of Catholicism in Spanish life. This paper will analyze the doctrinal foundation, political mobilization, and organization of Acción Nacional, paying special attention to the group's transition from a temporary electoral alliance to a permanent political organization.