Manuel Azana

Manuel Azaña was born on January 10, 1880 in Alcalá de Henares, a city near Madrid, Spain. He was the son of a lawyer and a teacher. He studied law at the University of Zaragoza and obtained his doctorate in 1900. He worked as a civil servant, a journalist and a writer. He published several books and articles on political and literary topics. He was influenced by the French Enlightenment and the Third French Republic. He opposed the monarchy, the church and the military as sources of oppression and backwardness in Spain. He became involved in republican politics and joined the Republican Action party in 1930. He participated in the overthrow of King Alfonso XIII in 1931 and the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. He was appointed as Minister of War in the provisional government and enacted several reforms to modernize and reduce the army. He became Prime Minister in October 1931 and led a coalition of republican and socialist parties. He promoted a progressive agenda that included secularization, land reform, education, women's rights and regional autonomy. He also faced opposition from conservative forces, such as monarchists, Catholics, landowners and nationalists. He resigned in September 1933 after losing the general elections to a right-wing coalition. He founded a new party, the Republican Left, in 1934 and became its leader. He opposed the authoritarian tendencies of the right-wing government and supported the workers' uprising in Asturias in October 1934. He was arrested and imprisoned for several months on charges of rebellion. He was released in 1935 and formed an alliance with other leftist parties, known as the Popular Front, to contest the elections of February 1936. The Popular Front won a narrow victory and Azaña became Prime Minister again. He tried to resume his reformist policies and to ease the social and political tensions in the country. However, he faced resistance from both extremes of the political spectrum: the radical left that demanded more radical changes and social revolution, and the reactionary right that plotted to overthrow the republic by force. In April 1936, he was elected as President of the Republic by the Cortes (parliament), replacing Niceto Alcalá-Zamora who had been dismissed by a vote of no confidence. He appointed a new Prime Minister, Santiago Casares Quiroga, and tried to maintain his authority as head of state. The Spanish Civil War broke out on July 17, 1936 when a group of army officers led by Francisco Franco staged a coup against the republican government. Azaña remained loyal to the republic and tried to organize its defense against the rebels who were supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. He also sought international recognition and assistance for his government from democratic countries such as France, Britain and Mexico. However, he was largely ignored or abandoned by them due to their policy of non-intervention. He also had to deal with internal divisions within his own camp between communists, socialists, anarchists and other factions that had different visions for Spain's future. He tried to preserve democracy and legality while also supporting some social reforms initiated by his allies. He moved his government from Madrid to Valencia and then to Barcelona as the war progressed and the republic lost territory to the rebels. He also faced several attempts to undermine or overthrow him by some of his political rivals, such as Lluís Companys, Juan Negrín and Indalecio Prieto. He resisted them and maintained his dignity and integrity until the end. He fled to France in February 1939 after the fall of Catalonia and the collapse of the republican resistance. He resigned from office on March 3, 1939 and handed over his powers to a council of ministers headed by Negrín. He lived in exile in France until his death on November 3, 1940 in Montauban at the age of 60. He died of a heart attack after hearing a radio broadcast that falsely announced Franco's death. He was buried in Montauban Cemetery with full honors by the French government. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of Spanish history and politics in the 20th century. He is also remembered as a brilliant writer and orator who left a rich legacy of books, speeches and articles ¹