The Revolution of 1868 and the Fall…

The Revolution of 1868 and the Fall of Isabella II

In 1868, a Spanish army revolt, led by exiled officers determined to depose Isabella II, set the stage for one of the most turbulent political periods in Spain’s history. The uprising brought General Juan Prim, a military hero and popular Progressive leader, to power, effectively ending Isabella’s reign.

Faced with widespread opposition and the collapse of her support base, Isabella abdicated, marking the beginning of a political experiment that cycled through multiple forms of government:

1. A Liberal Monarchy (1870–1873) – The search for a new monarch led to the ill-fated reign of Amadeo I of Savoy, whose foreign origins and lack of political backing led to his swift abdication.
2. A Federal Republic (1873–1874) – Attempting to decentralize power, Spain briefly became a republic, but internal divisions and regional uprisings rendered it ungovernable.
3. A Military Dictatorship (1874–1875) – As instability spiraled, the army intervened once again, paving the way for the Bourbon Restoration under Alfonso XII in 1875.

The Revolution of 1868 not only ended Isabella’s rule but also exposed the deep fractures within Spanish society, as the country struggled to find a stable political system before ultimately returning to monarchy.