The Moderate Party ( es, Partido Moderado) or Moderate Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal Moderado) was one of the two

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

political parties that contended for power during the reign of

Isabel II Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successio ...

(reigned 1833–1868). Like the opposing

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...

( es, Partido Progresista), it characterised itself as

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and dynasticist; both parties supported Isabel against the claims of the

Carlists Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – ...

. The Moderates contained various factions. Some supported working with Progressives, but others sought closer ties with the Old Regime. However, the party's dominant ideology was adherence to the centrist ''juste milieu'' of the French

Doctrinaires During the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830) and the July Monarchy (1830–1848), the Doctrinals (french: doctrinaires) were a group of French royalists who hoped to reconcile the monarchy with the French Revolution and power with liberty. Head ...

Trajectory

The "moderates" or "liberal moderates" were a continuation of the ''doceañistas'', supporters of the

Spanish Constitution of 1812 The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy ( es, link=no, Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz ( es, link=no, Constitución de Cádiz) and as ''La Pepa'', was the first Constituti ...

during the '' Trienio Liberal'' ("liberal triennium") of 1820–1823, as opposed to the more radical ''exaltados'' or ''veinteañistas''. In the last years of the reign of

Ferdinand VII , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

they had effected a mutual drawing together with the least absolutist elements of his government. Upon the death of Ferdinand, they supported the royal claim of the king's only child, the three-year-old Isabel, under the

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies ( it, Maria Cristina Ferdinanda di Borbone, Principessa delle Due Sicilie, es, link=no, María Cristina de Borbón, Princesa de las Dos Sicilias; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was Queen of Spain from 1829 ...

. In contrast, the Carlists supported a strongly absolutist monarchy, essentially a continuation of the '' Antiguo Régimen'', under the

Infante Carlos, Count of Molina ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

. The party was organized in 1834 during the governmental presidency of

Francisco Martínez de la Rosa Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Cornejo (March 10, 1787 – February 7, 1862) was a Spanish statesman and dramatist and the first prime minister of Spain to receive the title of ''President of the Council of Ministers''. Biography He ...

. After several years of progressivist domination, it held power continuously during the so-called ''

Década moderada In the history of Spain, the ''década moderada'' (, "moderate decade") was the period from May 1844 to July 1854, during which the Moderate Party continuously held power. Rise to power The Moderate Party, like the Progressive Party it displaced, ...

'' ("Moderate decade", 1843-1854) under the leadership of General

Ramón María Narváez Ramón María Narváez y Campos, 1st Duke of Valencia (5 August 180023 April 1868) was a Spanish general and statesman who served as Prime Minister on several occasions during the reign of Isabella II. He was also known in Spain as ''El Espad� ...

; after the ''

bienio progresista In the history of Spain, the ''bienio progresista'' (, "Progressive Biennium" or "Progressivist Biennium") was the two-year period from July 1854 to July 1856, during which the Progressive Party attempted to reform the political system of the reig ...

'' ("progressivist biennium", 1853-1855) it returned to power allied with the Liberal Union ( es, Unión Liberal). After the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

of 1868 and the constitution of 1869 they failed to obtain representation in the new

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of N ...

, and lost all power. When the monarchy was restored in 1874 following the

First Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic ( es, República Española), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic, was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874. The Republic's founding ensued after th ...

, they united with the Liberal Union to form the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

under the direction of

Antonio Cánovas del Castillo Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (8 February 18288 August 1897) was a Spanish politician and historian known principally for serving six terms as Prime Minister and his overarching role as "architect" of the regime that ensued with the 1874 restor ...

Ideology

The party's political

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...

of "moderatism" ( es, moderantismo) is comparable to British

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

and, especially, to French doctrinairism, from whom its ideologues (especially

Juan Donoso Cortés Juan Donoso Cortés, marqués de Valdegamas (6 May 1809 – 3 May 1853) was a Spanish counter-revolutionary author, diplomat, politician, and Catholic political theologian. Biography Early life Cortés was born at Valle de la Serena (Extrem ...

) took part of their argumentation. Their principal ideas were: *Strong royal power *Pure

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

*Domestic peace *Total

centralism Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy and policies become concentrated within a particu ...

, with all power emanating from

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Support

The Moderate Party was supported by part of the Army (the moderate ''espadones'' such as General Narváez), landowners (a landowning

oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...

of traditional

aristocrats Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

and upper

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

, especially the large landowners owners, the '' latifundistas'' of

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

and the

Meseta Central The ''Meseta Central'' (, sometimes referred to in English as Inner Plateau) is one of the basic geographical units of the Iberian Peninsula. It consists of a plateau covering a large part of the latter's interior. Developed during the 19th cent ...

), and a portion of the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

(the so-called ''gente de orden'' "people of order"). Economically the party tended to support

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

, allowing the export of agricultural surplus, a policy compatible with the interests of its social base. Electorally, they defended limited

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

, in particular ''sufragio censitario'', "

census suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

" that limited the electoral census to the wealthy, only those who owned a certain amount of property or paid a certain amount of taxes. Once

Carlism Carlism ( eu, Karlismo; ca, Carlisme; ; ) is a Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty – one descended from Don Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – ...

had been defeated militarily, the 1839

Convention of Vergara The Convention of Vergara ( es, Convenio de Vergara, eu, Bergarako hitzarmena), entered into on 31 August 1839, was a treaty successfully ending the major fighting in Spain's First Carlist War. The treaty, also known by many other names includi ...

that put an end to the war allowed some of the more moderate Carlists to join the party or to support it from without. Similarly, after the

Concordat of 1851 The Concordat of 1851 was a concordat A concordat is a convention between the Holy See and a sovereign state that defines the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in matters that concern both,René Metz, ''What is Canon Law? ...

the party gained the support of much of the clergy, although the so-called ''

neocatólicos The ''neocatólicos'' ("''neo–Catholics''", shorted to ''neos'') was a counter-revolutionary political tradition, faction or movement in late 19th-century Spain, emerged during the reign of Isabella II, akin to "Isabelline traditionalism" and ...

'' ("neo-Catholics") remained outside and still nurtured hopes of a Carlist restoration.

Notes

References

*Francisco Cánovas Sánchez and José María Jover Zamora, ''El Partido Moderado'', Centro de Estudios Constitucionales, 1982. . *Francisco Cánovas Sánchez, "Los generales y el Partido Moderado (1843-1854)]: contribución al estudio de un problema básico de la época isabelina", ''Revista de la Universidad Complutense'', ISSN 0210-7872, Nº. 116, 1979 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Estudio de historia moderna y contemporánea. Homenaje a D. Jesús Pabón III), p. 105-122.

Trajectory

Ideology

Support

Notes

References

See also