This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Spain. It is limited to liberal and radical parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having been represented in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it is not necessary that parties labeled themselves as a liberal party.
In the nineteenth century, liberalism was a dominant political force in Spain, but the label itself was also used by the conservative current. In the twentieth century, liberal parties tended to name themselves radical, democratic or republican.
1812: The Spanish liberals, known as Liberals (Liberales, 1812-1836), Exaltados (1836-1839), Progressives (Progresistas, 1839-1880), led by people like Baldomero Espartero, Salustiano Olózoga, Juan Prim, Práxedes Sagasta and Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, Duke de la Torre, were not organised in a well-established party, but formed their own factions. Out of this current the ⇒ Democrats in 1843, the ⇒ Liberal Union in 1854, the ⇒ Radical Democratic Party in 1869 and the ⇒ Democratic Progressive Party in 1879 seceded
1880: The liberals united in the Liberal Fusionist Party (Partido Liberal Fusionista), led by Sagasta, though sometimes factions remain outside the party
1882: A left-wing faction of the party established the ⇒ Dynastic Left, most of its members returned between 1884 and 1886 to the Liberal Fusionist Party
1890: The ⇒ Possibilist Democratic Party joined the party
1907: A left-wing faction of the party seceded as the ⇒ Monarchist Democratic Party
1918: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Liberal Left
1923: The party disappeared due to the Miguel Primo de Rivera coup
1843: The left-wing of the ⇒ Progressives established the Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata) as a rally of left wing liberals and moderate socialists
1868: The republican wing formed the ⇒ Federal Republican Party
1871: The party disappeared and remnants of the party continue as a monarchist party
1854: Moderate ⇒ progressives established the Liberal Union (Unión Liberal), led by Leopoldo O'Donnell
1868: The party merged with the conservative Moderates into the Liberal Conservative Party
1868: The republican wing of the ⇒ Democratic Party established the Federal Democratic Republican Party (Partido Republicano Democrático Federal), also known as the Republican Democratic Party
1878: A faction joined the ⇒ Reformist Republican Party
1879: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Possibilist Democratic Party
1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
1869: A left-wing faction of the Progressives seceded as the Radical Democratic Party (Partido Radical Demócrata), led by Ruiz Zorilla
1876: The party is reorganised into the Reformist Republican Party, led by Nicolás Salmerón
1878: A faction of the ⇒ Federal Republican Party joined the party
1879: A faction joined the ⇒ Democratic Progressive Party
1890: The party is renamed Centralist Party (Partido Centralista)
1891: The party is absorbed by the ⇒ Federal Republican Party
1879: A faction of the ⇒ Federal Republican Party formed the Possibilist Democratic Party ('Partido Posibilista'), led by Emilio Castelar
1890: The party joins the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party
1879: A left wing faction of the ⇒ Progressives with dissidents of the Reformist Republican Party formed the Democratic Progressive Party (Partido Progresista Democrático)
1882: The party merges into the ⇒ Dynastic Left
1882: A faction of the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party together with the Democratic Progressive Party established the Dynastic Left (Izquierda Dinástica), led by Francisco Serrano and Adolfo Posada
1886: Between 1884 and 1886 most of the members returned to the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party
1913: A faction of the ⇒ Fusionist Liberal Party seceded and formed the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Manuel García Prieto
1923: The party disappeared
1906: A faction of the ⇒ Federal Republican Union seceded as the Republican Union (Unión Republicana), led by Nicolás Salmerón
1908: A faction seceded as the ⇒ Radical Republican Party
1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
1907: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Liberal Fusionist Party seceded as the Monarchist Democratic Party (Partido Democrático Monnárquico) of José Canalejas
1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
1908: A faction of the ⇒ Republican Union established the Radical Republican Party (Partido Republicano Radical), led by Alejandro Lerroux
1929: A left-wing faction established the ⇒ Radical Socialist Republican Party
1933: Due to the development into a conservative party, the liberal wing sededed as the ⇒ Radical Democratic Party. The original party disappeared in 1939
1918: A faction of the ⇒ Fusionist Liberal Party seceded to form the Liberal Left (Izquierda Liberal)
1923: The party disappeared due to the Primo de Rivera coup
1926: Manuel Azaña established the Republican Action (Acción Republicana)
1934: The party merged with a Galician regional party and a faction of the ⇒ Radical Socialist Republican Party into the Republican Left (Izquierda Republicana)
1939: The party is banned, though there are attempts to revive the party after 1976
1929: A left-wing faction of the ⇒ Radical Republican Party established the Radical Socialist Republican Party (Partido Republicano Radical Socialista)
1934: The party is dissolved, members joined the ⇒ Republican Left or the ⇒ Republican Union
1933: Due to the development of the ⇒ Radical Republican Party, the liberal wing sededed as the Radical Democratic Party (Partido Radical Demócrata)
1934: The party merged with a faction of the ⇒ Radical Socialist Republican Party into the Republican Union (Unión Republicana)
1939: The party is banned
1974: Democrats in Catalonia established the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, a democratic nationalist party with liberal values, led by Jordi Pujol.
Democratic and Social Centre
1982: Former prime minister Adolfo Suárez left the Union of the Democratic Centre and established the liberal Democratic and Social Centre (Centro Democrático y Social). The party lost parliamentary representation in 1993, but continued to exist until 2006.
Union, Progress and Democracy
2007: The leader of Union, Progress and Democracy (Unión, Progreso y Democracia) became the former member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Rosa Díez. She created it with the philosophers Fernando Savater and Carlos Martínez Gorriarán.
Liberals before 1912: Emilio Castelar y Ripoll - José Canalejas y Mendez
Izquierda Republicana: Manuel Azaña
Centro Democratico y Social: Adolfo Suárez
In the Contributions to liberal theory the following Spanish thinkers are included:
José Ortega y Gasset (Spain, 1883-1955)
Salvador de Madariaga (Spain, 1886-1978)
