Shadows of the Cádiz Constitution. The Legacy of Doceañismo in the Political Press during the Restauración (1876-1902)

Spanish constitutionalism finds undeniable expression in the Constitution of 1812, and in the study of its evolution the last quarter of the 19th century represents a moment of particular interest in understanding the mechanisms associated with institution-building in contemporary Spain. While at the time there may have been contradictory elements that were able to slow down the gradual process of democratization in the liberal state, it was nonetheless a period that saw Spain successfully consolidate a stable and long-lasting political system, thanks to a close collaboration between the crown and the Cortes after the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy and the implementation of a fully-parliamentary state model. But during this initial, prolonged experience of parliamentary monarchy, which had been introduced to the country after almost a century of continual political changes and military coups, what role was reserved for the memory, spirit and letter of the Gaditan Charter? Through the analysis of debates, parliamentary speeches and articles that appeared between the years 1876 and 1901 in some of the most important political newspapers in Spain, the ways in which the Gaditan Constitution was evoked will be brought to light, as will the legacy left by this fundamental document in Spanish political and institutional culture. The rich and varied collection offers at times radically different interpretations of the Charter, together with several cases of the event having seemingly fallen into the realm of oblivion and indifference, as though it were definitively buried in the past. In any case, the development of two prevalent and contrasting evaluations will be highlighted. On the one hand, there were those who offered an entirely positive representation of the Charter of 1812, bestowing upon it the role and meaning of first, true constitutional document. It was credited with ushering in the construction of the modern state system in Spain, distinguishing itself as both authentically Spanish and advanced. On the other hand, there were those who attributed largely negative effects in the present to the legacy of doceañismo, if not blaming it outright for setting in motion the national decline that hovered over the destiny of fin de siécle Spain like a pall of gloom. In particular, it was possible to highlight the different representations and often exploitative uses of the Gaditan Constitution on the part of the main exponents of the oligarchies in power during Alfonso XII’s reign and the queen’s regency. One could examine the stances taken by both the liberal moderates and the liberal progressives, as well as those taken by the republicans and the more conservative groups, and shed light on the differences among the various approaches. Indeed, sometimes these attitudes were extremely revealing and even capable of influencing political choices around specific issues within the political debate of the time. Lastly, the documentation that was examined provided a basis for retrieving the characteristics that accompanied the Constitution of 1812 as it slowly became a national rhetorical icon. This process had indeed commenced, albeit reluctantly, precisely in the years considered in this study. In institutional and political terms, the Gaditan Charter represented a source of values which was able to strengthen the principles of parliamentary liberalism as expressed by the Restauración regime. At the same time, it also defined the features of that symbol which would go on to become part of the collective patriotic imagination