Miguel Primo de Rivera

Miguel Primo de Rivera
Prime Minister of Spain
In office
15 September 1923 – 28 January 1930
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Preceded byManuel García Prieto
Succeeded byDámaso Berenguer
9th High Commisionaer of Spain in Morocco
In office
16 October 1924 – 2 November 1925
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Preceded byLuis Aizpuru y Mondéjar
Succeeded byJosé Sanjurjo
62nd Minister of State of Kingdom of Spain
In office
20 February 1927 – 3 November 1928
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byJosé de Yanguas y Messía
Succeeded byHimself (as President and Minister of Foreign Affairs)
President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain
In office
3 November 1928 – 30 January 1930
MonarchAlfonso XIII
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byHimself (as Minister of State)
Succeeded byJacobo Fitz-James Stuart (as Minister of State)
Personal details
Born
Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja

(1870-01-08)8 January 1870[1]
Jerez, Spain
Died16 March 1930(1930-03-16) (aged 60)
Paris, France
Resting placeChurch of La Merced, Jerez
Political partyPatriotic Union
Spouse
Casilda Sáenz de Heredia
(m. 1902; died 1908)
Children6, including José Antonio, Miguel, and Pilar
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceSpanish Army
Years of service1884–1923
RankLieutenant general[n. 1]
Battles/wars
AwardsLaureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand

Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, GE (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a Spanish dictator and military officer who ruled as prime minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during the last years of the Bourbon Restoration.

He was born into a landowning family of Andalusian aristocrats. He met his baptism by fire in October 1893 in Cabrerizas Altas during the so-called Margallo War.[2] He moved up the military ladder, promoted to brigadier general (1911), division general (1914), and lieutenant general (1919).[3] He went on to serve as administrator of the Valencia, Madrid, and Barcelona military regions, distinguishing himself as a voice in favour of military withdrawal from Africa.

During the crisis of the Restoration regime, specifically upon political turmoil in the wake of setbacks in the Rif War and the ensuing spillover of the enquiries of the Picasso file, Primo de Rivera staged a military coup d'état on 13 September 1923 with help from a clique of Africanist generals close to King Alfonso XIII. The coup enjoyed the acquiescence of the monarch,[4] and Primo de Rivera was ensuingly tasked to form a government. He thereby proceeded to suspend the 1876 constitution and establish martial law.

His dictatorial rule was marked by authoritarian nationalism and populism.[5] Primo de Rivera initially said he would rule for only 90 days; however, he chose to remain in power, heading a military directorate. In December 1925, after the Alhucemas landing ended Rifian anti-colonial resistance, he installed a civil directory. From 1927 a policy of public spending on infrastructures was pursued and state monopolies such as oil company Campsa were created. Once economic tailwinds diminished, he lost the support of most of his generals, and he was forced to resign in January 1930 amid increasing inflation and civic unrest, dying abroad two months later.

Some of his children, such as José Antonio and Pilar, went on to become fascist leaders.

  1. ^ Charles Petrie; Charles Alexander Petrie, Sir bart. (1963). King Alfonso XIII and His Age. Chapman & Hall. p. 179.
  2. ^ Quiroga, Alejandro (2022). Miguel Primo de Rivera: Dictadura, populismo y nación. Editorial Crítica. ISBN 978-8491994671.
  3. ^ Casals, Xavier (2004). "Miguel Primo de Rivera, el espejo de Franco". Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja. Madrid: Ediciones B. pp. 152, 154, 162. ISBN 84-666-1447-8.
  4. ^ Television documentary from CC&C Ideacom Production,"Apocalypse Never-Ending War 1918–1926", part 2, aired on DR K on 22 October 2018
  5. ^ Canal, Jordi (27 January 2023). "Primo de Rivera, 'el inventor del populismo de derechas'". El País.


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