Isabel II full's reign 1843-1868

The first period of her reign is the so-called Moderate Decade (1844-1854).Isabella II appointed the moderate liberals for the government of Spain.o The main moderate leader was the General Narváez, who led the first moderate government.

• He enacted the Constitution of 1845, where the sovereign was shared between queen and Cortes.
• Public works were promoted during his government.
• The Guardia Civil was created in 1844 as a  police to control the rural areas.
• He governed as a liberal dictator during his last years in the power
• Bravo Murillo would succeed Narváez in the government and signed a Concordat with the Holy See (1851)
• The 2nd Carlist War broke out in 1846 and lasted until 1849

The progressive liberals were neglected by Isabella II. Hence they staged a revolution in 1854, which led to the Progressive Biennium (1854-1856).

• Two consuls governed during this period: O’Donnell and Espartero
• The minister Madoz decreed a new Confiscation in 1855, which was deeper than Mendizábal’s
• A new Constitution was drafted in 1856 but it was never passed

The second half of Isabel II's reign (1856-1868) was a turbulent period. Disagreements among the liberal moderates and the Liberal Union (O'Donnell) threatened to derail the Spanish governmen that remained very authoritarian. Opposition to the regime was growing in Spain and new political groups emerged: Democrats and Republicans. The opposition signed the Ostende Pact (1866) in order to dethrone the queen and to create a real liberal government through universal suffrage.