Alfonso XIII reign (1902-1931)

He manteined the 1876 Constitution and the rotating government; the leaders of the two main political parties were then: Maura, the leader of the Conservative party and Canalejas, the leader of the liberal party.

• Maura tried to stop caciquismo reforming the electoral law and the local administration but he was unable to solve the problems.
• Canalejas' most controversial measure was the law that banned new religious orders in Spain.
• Other political parties started to have a lot of supporters: PNV, Republicans, PSOE, the Lliga Catalá and the Trade Unions, UXT and CNT.

After 1909 there were three crisis that finished off the Restoration System:

• The Tragic Week in Barcelona: ordinary people rioted because they were called to fight against Morocco, but wealthy people could pay not to do the military service.
• The 1917 crisis that affected Spain with a lot of problems in political, military and trade unions' life.
• Social riots between 1919 and 1923, after the Russian Revolution. Government and entrepreneurs were afraid of the workers' movements. Between 1917 and 1923 there were 43 changes in the government.

10,000 soldiers died in Morocco after the army was defeated in Annual (1921). The opposition in the Parliament asked for an investigation. Part of the army, to protect themselves, decided to seize power. In 1923, General Primo de Rivera, with the king's agreement, made a coup d´etat.

 The Constitution was suspended, so the Cortes, all political parties and trade unions were banned. Primo de Rivera ended the war against Morocco. This dictatorship lasted until 1930 thanks to the economic prosperity of the 1920s.A lot of public works were made.

After 1927, intellectuals, students, workers and nationalists, started to criticize the government. Two years later, because of the opposition, the king ended his support for Primo de  Rivera who resigned in January 1930.

Alfonso XIII ordered a new government to be formed, called for elections and re- established the constitution. However, the opposition to the king was strong because he was considered to be part of the dictatorship.

Republicans, socialists … even some monarchists, signed the San Sebastian Pact,  in 1930, with the aims of taking part in the elections together and establishing a republic.