José Canalejas
José canalejas Méndez ( born July 31, 1854 in Ferrol, † November 12, 1912 in Madrid) was a Spanish politician and Prime Minister of Spain (Presidente del Gobierno ).
- 2.1 External links
- 2.2 Notes and references
Biography
Studies, career and publications
The son of a railway engineer began after the acquisition of higher education entrance qualification ( Bachillerato ) at the Instituto San Isidro de Madrid to study law and philosophy at the University Complutense of Madrid, which he in 1871 and in 1872 graduated with the doctorate. Then he applied for an assistant professorship, but failed because of the University's internal opposition and abandoned after a career as a law professor. Instead, he was a lecturer in literature and philosophy. In addition, he was the author of:
- " Programa de un curso de principios Generales de Literatura para el curso ... 1872 a 1873 ', 1873 ( program of a course on the basic principles of literature)
- " Apuntes para un curso de literatura latina ", 1874 (notes of a course on Latin literature, 2 volumes)
Later, he began like his father, a career with the railroad company Madrid -Ciudad Real - Badajoz ( Ferrocarriles de Madrid a Ciudad Real ya Badajoz), where he rose to become General and this acted as a lawyer in proceedings against other railway companies. As a staunch supporter of democracy in 1890, he was founder of the liberal newspaper " Heraldo de Madrid ".
Member of Parliament
Canalejas Méndez began his political career as a member of the republican oriented Progressive Democratic Party ( Partido Demócrata Progresista ). However, after the restoration of the monarchy ( Restauración borbonica ), he stepped over to the Liberal Party ( Partido Liberal ) of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta. For this he ( Congreso de los Deputies ) was then also on August 21, 1881 for the first time to the Members of Parliament elected, where he alternately represented the interests of constituencies Soria, Cadiz, Alicante, Madrid, Ciudad Real and La Coruña until his death. In 1883 he was State Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office Sagasta for some time.
Minister and Speaker of Parliament
On 14 June 1888 he was appointed as Ministro de Fomento of Sagasta ( Development Minister ) for the first time in a government. On 11 December 1888 he took over in this government 's Minister of State for clemency petitions and Justice ( Ministro de Gracia y Justicia ), and held that office until 21 January 1890. During this time, the reform of the Civil Code ( Código Civil) fell. Sagasta appointed him on 17 December 1894 on the Finance Minister ( Ministro de Hacienda ) in his fifth cabinet, to which he belonged, this time to the end of the term Sagasta on March 23, 1895.
Concerned about the political developments in the former colony of Cuba in 1897, he went to Cuba to get there first-hand information. His great interest meant that he entered as a volunteer despite his age of 43 years now, his parliamentary mandate and his former ministers activity in the army. As a soldier, he has been recognized for his bravery while fighting with the Cross of Military Merit ( Orden del Mérito Militar ). After his return to Spain he told Prime Minister Sagasta his impressions and asked about this issue a certain autonomy of the colony. Ultimately, however, resulted in the Spanish-American War April-August 1898 occupation of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines by the United States and Spain for the loss of his last significant colonies.
Of 19 March 1902 to 31 May 1902, he served as Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Public Works ( Ministro de Agricultura, Industria, Comercio y Obras Públicas ) is again a member of the last government headed by Sagasta. During this time, he ordered the establishment of the employment office (Instituto de Trabajo ).
After the death of his patron Sagasta on January 5, 1903, he succeeded him as leader of the Liberal Party. As such, he pursued a predominantly left-liberal policy, which provided a defense of democratic ideas and a separation of church and state.
Canalejas was chosen as the successor to Antonio Aguilar Correa President of the Congress of Deputies on 19 January in 1906 and held that office until March 30, 1907.
Prime minister
As the successor of Segismundo Moret Prendergast finally took place on February 9, 1910 his appointment as Prime Minister of Spain (Presidente del Gobierno ) by King Alfonso XIII .. This office he retained until his death on 12 November 1912.
Due to the parliamentary majorities he had to reorganize his cabinet in 1911, where he 29 June 1911 also took the Office of the Minister of Justice for clemency and even until March 12, 1912 January and April. In addition, he was from July 17 to August 6, 1911 also acting Minister of the Interior ( Ministro de Gobernación ) during the absence of the incumbent. He was also at this time President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union ( IPU).
During his reign, he drove significant reforms ahead: In addition to the abolition of excise duties and the introduction of universal military service, there was particular as late as 1910 a restriction on the re-establishment of order of priests by the so-called Padlock Law (Ley de Candado ) and thus indirectly to the power limitation of the Catholic Church.
Along with King Alfonso XIII. 1911 he visited Morocco, where he ruled as a reaction to the French occupation of Fez in the occupation of Larache, Asilah and Alcazarquivir. The then began negotiations with France after his death ultimately led to the conclusion of the Treaty of Fez and the establishment of a French and a Spanish protectorate. He also awarded in recognition of the support of the German Empire privileges for the export of ore from the region Melilla to Mannesmann -Werke.
Furthermore, he introduced reforms to the social security legislation and began with the support of Enric Prat de la Riba an attempt to solve the so-called Catalonia question through the creation of a community of Catalonia ( Mancomunitat de Catalunya). To restore public order, he felt compelled to crush the Republican revolt, which was triggered by the mutiny on the frigate Numancia on August 2, 1911, the events of Cullera from September 1911 and the railway strike of 1912.
He did not succeed the implementation of political reforms expected him to dissolve the oligarchic embossed patronage system ( caciquismo ), the introduction of a true democracy and a change in the electoral law. On 12 November 1912 he was assassinated by the anarchist Manuel Serrano Pardiñas on the Puerta del Sol, which led the Liberal Party in a serious crisis. New Party Chairman was Segismundo Moret Prendergast, who was elected chairman inferior to him in 1903 in the election.
Honorary Appointments
The renowned legal scholar and gifted speaker was from 1893 to 1894 and from 1903 to 1905 president of the Royal Academy of case law and legislation (Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislacion ).
In addition, he was from March 13, 1900 a member of the Real Academia de Ciencias Morales y Politicas, where he held until the resignation on June 28, 1910 the chair ( Sillón ) 15. Finally, the year of his assassination was not his vocation as a member of the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española ), whose chair he occupied R.