page_title: Electoral Carlism (Restoration)
section_title: Periodization
hierarchical_section_title: Electoral Carlism (Restoration) / Periodization
caption_attribution_description: English: graph showing the number of Carlist deputies elected to Cortes (lower house) during the Restauration period. source: www.congreso.es
context_page_description: Electoral Carlism of Restoration was vital to sustain Traditionalism in the period between the Third Carlist War and the Primo de Rivera dictatorship. Carlism, defeated in 1876, during the Restauración period recalibrated its focus from military action to political means and media campaigns. Accommodating themselves to political framework of the Alfonsine monarchy, the movement leaders considered elections, and especially elections to Congreso de los Diputados, primary vehicle of political mobilization. Though Carlist minority in the Cortes remained marginal and its impact on national politics was negligible, electoral campaigns were key to sustain the party until it regained momentum during the Second Spanish Republic.
context_section_description: From the general Spanish perspective, the position of Carlists in the parliament underwent little if any change throughout all of the Restauración: the group formed an insignificant minority, ranging from barely noticeable to minor, and was in no way able to influence the course of national politics. It was only its most eloquent members that occasionally managed to make their presence felt. From the Carlist perspective, however, the size of their Cortes contingent differed enormously and could have been anything in the range between 1 and 16. Fluctuating fortunes of the movement at the polls stemmed to a large extent from their wavering performance in Navarre. In other regions their potential remained rather constant, as Vascongadas used to elect 2-3 MPs, Catalonia (except the 1907 campaign) 1-2 MPs and Old Castile 1 MP. Measured by the number of Carlist deputies present, the Restoration era falls into 4 sub-periods. 
  The years of 1879-1891 saw very few Carlist deputies, successful only as individuals - the first one elected baron de Sangarrén in 1879 - since officially the party did not participate in the elections. The movement, defeated during the Third Carlist War, suffered from results of military disaster and the ensuing repressions. With press titles suspended, circulos closed, holdings expropriated and supporters exiled Carlism was only gradually rebuilding its infrastructure. The recovery was made difficult by growing animosity between the claimant Carlos VII and the Nocedal father and son, resulting in the Integrist secession of 1888. As a result, up to 1891 there were only single deputies elected from Guipuzcoa, Álava and Biscay though there were also successful candidates from other parties, supported by the Carlists, and though Carlism dominated in local elections in some provinces.
  The Nocedalista breakup triggered a more aggressive electoral policy, as both the Integrists and the mainstream Carlists tried to outpace each other. The year of 1891 marked their first official campaign. Demonstrating mutual and bitter hostility, both groups considered traditional Carlist enemies lesser evil; Carlos VII and Ramón Nocedal alike instructed their followers to seek alliance even with the Liberals if that was to produce defeat of their ex-fellow brethren. This approach started to change locally in the final years of the 19th century, in the 20th century both groups driven together by a joint opposition to new governmental laws.  Nevertheless, between 1891 and 1907 both branches combined failed to gather more than 10 MPs in one term, the mainstream Carlism holding on aggregate 44 mandates and Integrism winning 12
  The campaign of 1907 produced the best Carlist electoral score achieved during Restauración, which was the result of two factors. Traditionalism grew to almost total control of Navarre, where both branches grabbed 6 out of 7 mandates, willingly conceding the remaining one to Conservatives. In Catalonia the Carlists joined a regional alliance, which elevated the number of their Catalan MPs from the usual one or two to 6. Though the coalition fell apart few years later, it was in turn a rapid though ephemeral growth of the Valencian branch of the movement combined with continuous supremacy in Navarre and rapprochement with the Integrists which allowed Carlism to occupy 10-12 seats in the lower chamber of the Cortes through most of the terms until 1920.
  The final years of 1920-1923 are marked by reduction of the minority. Another breakup within the movement, the Mellista secession, devastated Carlism, with a huge number of leaders and regional jefes joining the breakaways. In the traditional stronghold, Navarre, the policy of short-lived pivotal alliances – even with the Liberals – bewildered the electorate, and Carlism lost its grip on the province. Basque and Catalan movements were assuming increasingly cautious policy towards Carlism. Finally, the growth of new rivals, Republicans and Socialists, started to undercut whatever electoral support Carlists still enjoyed in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Duri
caption: Carlist deputies
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