The Progressive Party () 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 countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
political parties that contended for power during the reign of
Isabel II (reigned 1833–1868). It was to the
left
Left may refer to:
Music
* ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006
* ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016
* ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023
* "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996
Direction
* Left (direction), the relativ ...
of the opposing
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party ( , , M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative*
*
*
*
* List of political parties in Sweden, political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free ma ...
() but also characterised itself as
liberal. Like the Moderate Party, it supported Isabel against the claims of the
Carlists.
History
The party was established in 1834 as the extreme liberal opposition, during the
regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
of
queen mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies (, ; 27 April 1806 – 22 August 1878) was the queen consort of Spain, Queen of Spain from 1829 to 1833 and Queen regent of the kingdom from 1833, when her daughter became queen at age two, to 1840. By virtue ...
; Queen Isabel was only three years old. It was the party of the ''exaltados'', ''veinteañistas'' or ''progresistas'', heirs of the ''
Trienio Liberal
The , () or Three Liberal Years, was a period of three years in Spain between 1820 and 1823 when a liberal government ruled Spain after a military uprising in January 1820 by the lieutenant-colonel Rafael del Riego against the absolutist rule ...
'' ("liberal triennium") of 1820–1823, whereas the Moderate Party represented the ''doceañistas'' who traced their roots to the
Spanish Constitution of 1812
The Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy (), also known as the Constitution of Cádiz () and nicknamed ''La Pepa'', was the first Constitution of Spain and one of the earliest codified constitutions in world history. The Constitution ...
. The Progressives were the party of the
National Militia, the
jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...
trial, a
secular state
is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of relig ...
, and of
national sovereignty
A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly or ideally) co ...
and the broadening of the franchise under
census suffrage. On this last matter, their position was somewhat milder than
popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty is the principle that the leaders of a state and its government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associativ ...
, in that it did not necessarily call for the
universal franchise
Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...
.
Like their Moderate opponents, they supported the monarchy of Isabel II, particularly against the Carlist pretenders. Their political position, however, was repeatedly compromised as Maria Christina and later Isabela herself continually attempted to achieve a compromise with the Carlists.
The Progressive Party disintegrated gradually after the murder of its last leader, General
Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos
Juan Prim y Prats, 1st Count of Reus, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, 1st Viscount of Bruch (; ; 6 December 1814 – 30 December 1870) was a Spanish general and statesman who was briefly Prime Minister of Spain until his assassination.
Bi ...
in 1870, splitting into the
Constitutional Party, the
Radical Democratic Party, and the
Democratic Party. It wasn't formally dissolved, however, until the 1874
restoration of the monarchy.
See also
*
Parties and factions in Isabelline Spain
* ''
Trienio Liberal
The , () or Three Liberal Years, was a period of three years in Spain between 1820 and 1823 when a liberal government ruled Spain after a military uprising in January 1820 by the lieutenant-colonel Rafael del Riego against the absolutist rule ...
''
References
{{Authority control
Political parties established in 1834
1834 establishments in Spain
Political parties disestablished in 1874
1874 disestablishments in Spain
Liberal parties in Spain
Defunct political parties in Spain
Isabella II