User:MusaMinh/Barcelona

The Second Republic and civil war
Barcelona experienced rapid economic development in the 1920s as a result of profits gained from Spain's neutral market position in world war one and numerous public works projects undertaken in preparation for the 1929 international exposition, drawing many workers to settle in the area. As a result of a global economic downturn following the stock market crashes and inadequately diverse or modernized industries, Barcelona struggled with increasing urban poverty and unemployment.

Stagnating wages and increasing costs of living combined with insufficient welfare and social support programs contributed to the growing influence of trade and labor unions. One such union was the CNT (National Confederation of Labour), an anarcho-syndicalist union based in Barcelona, which saw its membership rise by hundreds of thousands in the 1930s. Dissatisfaction with the dictatorship also led to a rise in popularity of political groups advocating for a shift to Republicanism, such as the ERC (Republican Left of Catalonia), which was increasingly attempting to appeal to Barcelona's working class prior to the municipal elections of 1931. Fearing an electoral victory by the monarchy-supporting right, the CNT chose to break from its tradition of advocating a boycott of participation in elections and instead adopted a neutral stance.

The result was a surge in working class participation and an overwhelming victory for the left, with pro-republican parties winning 38 of 50 council seats in Barcelona and similar results throughout the country. Recognizing defeat when the military refused to support him, King Alfonso XIII fled the country, and shortly after, the Second Republic was established. Following the establishment of the Republic, the CNT gained even more influence in Barcelona and with greater political freedoms, reorganized or established social services such as food co-operatives and educational programs for working class children. The success of such programs led to an increasingly radical political climate in Barcelona and growing dissatisfaction with the central government due to its failure to enact promised reforms.

After putting down a Barcelona miners' strike on January 18th 1932 and then violently suppressing sympathy strikes organized by the CNT throughout the city, the Republican government outlawed the CNT. The CNT responded with a series of riots and further strikes and called on its members to once again abstain from voting, contributing to an electoral victory by the right in 1933. In 1934 the CEDA (The Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right) was elected on the promise to defend “Christian civilization” and undo the reforms passed by the previous government. Fearing that the CEDA was going to undo the progress that had been made, the CNT and other leftist groups undertook a series of coordinated armed uprisings and general strikes in October 1934. In an attempt to gain the political power needed to release CNT members that had been jailed by this time, the CNT encouraged their members to vote in the 1936 elections, leading to a leftist victory in the general election. However, after years of polarized politics and shifting power, violence, and tension, peaceful transition became more difficult.