CHRONOLOGY - Spain and Portugal: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 436

1886-1931
Alfonso XIII is king of Spain. Following the
death of Alfonso XII in 1885, his preg-
nant wife, María Cristina, serves as re-
gent until the birth of their son, Alfonso
XIII (May 17). She continues in that of-
fice until he comes of age in 1902. The
situation strengthens the position of the
ministerial leaders, who continue to
strike a balance between political
extremes.

tics from the security forces. The regional
movements in Catalonia and the Basque
provinces continue to express their own
aspirations.

1895
Long after the remnants of the Spanish Em-
pire have ceased to be more than an oc-
casional distraction from domestic
politics, a revolutionary movement
breaks out in Cuba. Although Spain's
other surviving Caribbean possession,
Puerto Rico, is persuaded by timely con-
cessions to remain loyal, nationalists in
the Philippines soon launch their own
war of independence. Spain finds itself
embroiled in a major expenditure of
blood and treasure as it attempts to deal
with these insurrections, both of which
engage the attention of expansionists in
the United States.

1889-1908
King Charles I of Portugal is an arrogant and
self-indulgent monarch who stimulates
growing resentment by his high-handed
behavior and luxurious lifestyle. On the
other hand his reign sees considerable
economic development, exploitation of
colonial resources in Africa, and an in-
crease in public works, cultural activities,
and international image building.

1898
War between Spain and the United States,
precipitated by an incident in Cuba (ex-
plosion that sinks the USS Maine ), soon
becomes a general American onslaught
against what is perceived as a weak and
decadent relic of European colonialism.
After four months of fighting Spain agrees
to a cease-fire and in December cedes
Puerto Rico and Guam outright to the
United States, along with the Philippines,
whose indigenous rebels struggle on
against their erstwhile liberators from the
United States until 1902. Cuba is recog-
nized as an independent republic in 1902.
The loss of this war and of most of Spain's
colonies has a profoundly adverse effect
on the nation's morale.
During the 200 years stretching from the
extinction of the Spanish Habsburg dy-

1890
In a concession to liberal principles and
public agitation universal voting rights
are restored in Spain. Such concessions
also reflect the growth of a middle class
based on commercial and industrial de-
velopment during the years of domestic
tranquillity. At the same time the increase
of manufacturing in such cities as Barce-
lona and Bilbao leads to the growth of an
industrial proletariat, labor unrest, and
the revival of an anarchist movement
that had been in abeyance since the col-
lapse of the First Republic. Stimulated by
parallel developments in other European
countries, Spanish militants carry out a
series of bombings and attacks on officials
(assassination of Cánovas, 1897) during
the 1890s that are met by repressive tac-