Miguel Maura
Encyclopedia
Miguel Maura Gamazo was a Spanish politician of the first third of the twentieth century.
He was a son of the leading Conservative politician of the Restoration monarchy, Antonio Maura. In 1916 he was elected to the Cortes by the district of Alicante
.
At first a supporter of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
he moved from a monarchist position towards a moderate republicanism. He jointly founded, with Niceto Alcalá Zamora, the Derecha Liberal Republicana, on 14 July 1930. The DLR looked to capture the centre ground of Spanish politics and mobilize mass support for a non-revolutuionary republican regime. "Despite their sincere and undisputed Catholicism
the party's two most prominent figures had abandoned monarchist constitutionalism for republicanism in 1930; their betrayal of the king's cause was completed in August when they joined other republican leaders in the Pact of San Sebastian
. To the traditional Catholic right, this republican pact which was committed to negotiating with socialists, communists and anarcho-syndicalists was evidence that Maura and Alcala-Zamora had gone over to the other side."
When the Spanish Second Republic was proclaimed in April 1931 Maura became minister of the Interior in Zamora's provisional government. He was in this position on May 11, 1931. Following a monarchist provocation on the previous day when the royal march was played to the crowds coming away from their Sunday paseo in Madrid's Retiro Park an outburst of mob violence against the Republic's perceived enemies led to the burning of churches, convents and religious schools in the capital. Despite the protests of Miguel Maura - who as minister of the Interior was ultimately responsible for public order - the government refused to intervene and the fever of anticlerical incendiarism spread rapidly around the country - Murcia
, Malaga
( the most extensive damage occurred in this city), Cadiz
, Almeria
. The events of 11 May came to be seen as a turning point in the history of the Second Republic. José María Gil Robles for example, claimed to regard the convent burnings as 'decisive'. He claimed that the fires of 11 May destroyed the precarious coexistence which had been established between Church and State. (Indeed Gil Robles persisted in seeing the burnings as the result of planned and co-ordinated action by the republican government. The liberal catholic Ossorio y Gallardo also believed in the likelihood of conspiracy - but as the work of monarchist agents provocateurs.)
"From now on", wrote Ossorio, " the right was utterly opposed to Maura as if he, a sincere Catholic, had been responsible for burning churches." Gil Robles was one of the prime beneficiaries of Maura's discomfiture and one of the first to capitalise on it. Following the 1931 Constitution with its anticlerical clauses Maura (on 14 October 1931) and Alcalá-Zamora resigned - though their resignations did nothing to reconcile them to the agararian Catholic right. The position of the Catholic republicans was an isolated one.
In 1936 Maura left Spain. He returned in 1953. In 1962, he published his book Asi cayó Alfonso XIII. The actress Carmen Maura
, celebrated for her roles in the films of Pedro Almodovar
is related to Miguel Maura.
He was a son of the leading Conservative politician of the Restoration monarchy, Antonio Maura. In 1916 he was elected to the Cortes by the district of Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
.
At first a supporter of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
Primo de Rivera
Primo de Rivera is a Spanish family prominent in politics of the 19th and 20th centuries:*Fernando Primo de Rivera, Spanish politician and soldier, 1831-1921*Miguel Primo de Rivera , dictator of Spain from 23 September 1923 to 1930...
he moved from a monarchist position towards a moderate republicanism. He jointly founded, with Niceto Alcalá Zamora, the Derecha Liberal Republicana, on 14 July 1930. The DLR looked to capture the centre ground of Spanish politics and mobilize mass support for a non-revolutuionary republican regime. "Despite their sincere and undisputed Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
the party's two most prominent figures had abandoned monarchist constitutionalism for republicanism in 1930; their betrayal of the king's cause was completed in August when they joined other republican leaders in the Pact of San Sebastian
Pact of San Sebastián
The Pact of San Sebastián was a meeting led by Niceto Alcalá Zamora and Miguel Maura, which took place in San Sebastián, Spain on August 17, 1930. Representatives from practically all republican political movements in Spain at the time attended the meeting. Presided over by Fernando Sasiaín , the...
. To the traditional Catholic right, this republican pact which was committed to negotiating with socialists, communists and anarcho-syndicalists was evidence that Maura and Alcala-Zamora had gone over to the other side."
When the Spanish Second Republic was proclaimed in April 1931 Maura became minister of the Interior in Zamora's provisional government. He was in this position on May 11, 1931. Following a monarchist provocation on the previous day when the royal march was played to the crowds coming away from their Sunday paseo in Madrid's Retiro Park an outburst of mob violence against the Republic's perceived enemies led to the burning of churches, convents and religious schools in the capital. Despite the protests of Miguel Maura - who as minister of the Interior was ultimately responsible for public order - the government refused to intervene and the fever of anticlerical incendiarism spread rapidly around the country - Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
, Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
( the most extensive damage occurred in this city), Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, Almeria
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
. The events of 11 May came to be seen as a turning point in the history of the Second Republic. José María Gil Robles for example, claimed to regard the convent burnings as 'decisive'. He claimed that the fires of 11 May destroyed the precarious coexistence which had been established between Church and State. (Indeed Gil Robles persisted in seeing the burnings as the result of planned and co-ordinated action by the republican government. The liberal catholic Ossorio y Gallardo also believed in the likelihood of conspiracy - but as the work of monarchist agents provocateurs.)
"From now on", wrote Ossorio, " the right was utterly opposed to Maura as if he, a sincere Catholic, had been responsible for burning churches." Gil Robles was one of the prime beneficiaries of Maura's discomfiture and one of the first to capitalise on it. Following the 1931 Constitution with its anticlerical clauses Maura (on 14 October 1931) and Alcalá-Zamora resigned - though their resignations did nothing to reconcile them to the agararian Catholic right. The position of the Catholic republicans was an isolated one.
In 1936 Maura left Spain. He returned in 1953. In 1962, he published his book Asi cayó Alfonso XIII. The actress Carmen Maura
Carmen Maura
Carmen García Maura is a Spanish actress. In a career that has spanned six decades, Maura is best known for her collaborations with noted Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar.-Early life:...
, celebrated for her roles in the films of Pedro Almodovar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
is related to Miguel Maura.