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How did Miguel Primo de Rivera come to power in Spain during the Rif War?
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Rif War
Spanish artillery firing outside Melilla during the Rif War.
Miguel Primo de Rivera came to power in Spain through a coup dāĆ©tat in September 1923, driven by his belief that the existing parliamentary system was corrupt and inefficient.1
His rise was facilitated by several factors related to the instability of the era, including the ongoing Rif War:
- Military and Political Crisis: The Spanish military suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Annual in 1921, which led to widespread public outrage and a parliamentary investigation into military and political responsibility.23
- Fear of Accountability: King Alfonso XIII and the military establishment feared that a parliamentary committee scheduled to report in the fall of 1923 would expose the kingās personal involvement in the disastrous military decisions that led to the defeat.3
- Social Unrest: Primo de Rivera gained the support of conservative classes who were fearful of social disorder, labor unrest, and anarchist agitation, particularly in Barcelona.13
Upon seizing power, he dissolved the parliament and suspended constitutional guarantees, eventually overseeing the successful termination of the conflict in Morocco by 1927.14