Admiral Juan Bautista Aznar-Cabañas (1860 – December 1933) was the Prime Minister of Spain from the resignation of Dámaso Berenguer y Fusté on to the deposition of King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alfo ...

and the proclamation of the Spanish Second Republic on April 14, 1931. An

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

, honorary

captain general of the Navy Captain general of the Navy ( es, Capitán general de la Armada) is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Spanish Navy (''Armada Española''). The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10, the routine honorary appointments formal ...

since 1928, he was made Prime Minister at a time of intense crisis, in the first months of 1931, when the monarchy was on the verge of falling under popular pressure for a republic. His attempts to save the crown failed, and King Alfonso had to go to exile.

Political background

In Admiral Aznar-Cabañas' government, there were disagreements between absolutist and constitutional monarchists. The champion of the latter was conde de Romanones Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres, who was in prison. Meanwhile, Minister of the Interior José María de Hoyos y Vinent de la Torre O'Neill acted as a middleman between the factions. Initially the constitutionalists tried to make a deal with the Republicans. After failing to reach an accommodation with them, and after the Republicans won the municipal elections, the constitutionalists recommended that the King vacate the country. In April 1931, following the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic, there was fear about the reaction of the armed forces of the Spanish Kingdom. However, Admiral Aznar-Cabañas' casual comment: ''"Do you think it was a little thing what happened yesterday, that Spain went to bed as a monarchy and rose as a republic?"'' became instantly famous, going quickly around Madrid and around Spain, calming public opinion and making the people and the military accept the fact. Republicans within the Spanish Armed forces were a minority, but so were pro-monarchist reactionaries, the majority within the military were at first indifferent.Gabriel Cardona, ''El Problema Militar en España'', Ed. Historia 16, Madrid 1990, pg. 158–159

References

1860 births 1933 deaths Politicians from Cádiz Prime Ministers of Spain Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Captain generals of the Navy Spanish admirals {{Spain-hist-stub