{{Distinguish|Liberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)}} {{Infobox political party | name = Democratic Party | native_name = Partido Democrático | leader = José Canalejas<br/>José López Domínguez<br/>Eugenio Montero Ríos | split = Liberal Party | merged = Liberal Party | colorcode = {{party color|Democratic Party (Spain, 1902)}} | foundation = 5 November 1902 (original){{sfn|Soldevilla|1903|pp=371–375}}<br/>{{nowrap|24 November 1903 (as PLD){{sfn|Soldevilla|1904|pp=445–448}}}}<br/>2 March 1907 (as PDM)<ref name="RAH020307">{{cite web |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/hechos/1431211-1907-2-iii |title=Hechos: 1907 2/iii |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref>{{sfn|Soldevilla|1908|pp=79–80}} | dissolved = 28 February 1907 (PLD)<ref name="RAH022807">{{cite web |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/hechos/1431209-1907-28-ii |title=Hechos: 1907 28/ii |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref><br/>10 June 1910<ref name="LE090610">{{cite news |date=9 June 1910 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=ff5518e2-ffce-46f4-97a4-6a7a8f7f49ee&page=2 |title=Reunión de los demócratas |language=es |publisher=National Library of Spain |newspaper=La Época |access-date=1 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="EHM100610">{{cite news |date=10 June 1910 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=d383d86c-7b1a-4e5e-b269-56a4710ac938&page=2 |title=Disolución de una agrupación |language=es |publisher=National Library of Spain |newspaper=El Heraldo Militar |access-date=1 September 2025}}</ref> | ideology = Liberalism<br/>Monarchism<br/>Anti-clericalism | position = Centre-left | country = Spain }}
The '''Democratic Party''' ({{langx|es|Partido Demócrata}}, PD), also known between 1903 and 1907 as the '''Liberal Democratic Party''' ({{langx|es|link=no|Partido Liberal Democrático}}, PLD){{sfn|Dendle|1986|p=34}} from 1907 onwards as the '''Monarchist Democratic Party''' ({{langx|es|link=no|Partido Democrático Monárquico}}, PDM){{sfn|Dendle|1986|p=34}} and, colloquially, as the '''Democrats''' ({{langx|es|link=no|Demócratas}}), was a Spanish political party formed in the Restoration period by José Canalejas, with a strong anti-clerical ideology.
==History== ===Democratic Party (1902–1903)=== Its origins can be traced to José Canalejas' speech on 14 December 1900 voicing his position against clericalism, because of the "teaching given in certain schools, which leads to fanaticism"; he proclaimed himself as a "democrat" as he argued in favour of defending the monarchy and respecting religion, but without opposing "the currents of democratic ideas".{{sfn|Soldevilla|1901|pp=402–405}}
In March 1902, Canalejas was appointed as Agriculture Minister in the Liberal cabinet of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, but disagreements with the government's signing—driven by then Governance Minister Segismundo Moret{{sfn|Soldevilla|1903|pp=186–187 & 229–230}}{{sfn|Aguilar Gavilán|2012|p=83}}—of an accord with the Holy See (which allowed the Catholic Church to automatically legalize all religious orders in exchange of their registering in the Spanish Civil Registry)<ref>{{cite web |last=Seco Serrano |first=Carlos |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/biografias/8260-jose-canalejas-mendez |title=Personajes: José Canalejas Méndez |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ferrera Cuesta |first=Carlos |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/biografias/32175-segismundo-moret-y-prendergast |title=Personajes: Segismundo Moret y Prendergast |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=18 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/hechos/1383286-1902-9-iv |title=Hechos: 1902 9/iv |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref> prompted his resignation in May 1902.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/hechos/1383278-1902-29-v |title=Hechos: 1902 29/v |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref> Canalejas' split from the Liberal Party was confirmed following a heated parliamentary debate with Sagasta in November 1902,{{sfn|Soldevilla|1903|pp=371–375}} being followed by 31 deputies and 11 senators.{{sfn|Soldevilla|1903|p=384}}
===Liberal Democratic Party (1903–1907)=== Following Sagasta's death in 1903, Canalejas' faction and José López Domínguez joined Eugenio Montero Ríos—who had only narrowly won the ballot for the Liberal leadership to Moret on 15 November that year, falling short of the two-thirds majority required for election—into the "Liberal Democratic Party",{{sfn|Session Diaries (Senate)|loc=1903–1904 Leg., no. 82, p. 1460}}{{sfn|Soldevilla|1904|pp=441–443 & 489–491}}<ref>{{cite web |last=González-Pola de la Granja |first=Pablo |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/biografias/26760-jose-lopez-dominguez |title=Personajes: José López Domínguez |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rodríguez Labandeira |first=José |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/biografias/30826-eugenio-maria-montero-rios |title=Personajes: Eugenio María Montero Ríos |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref> which was formalized on 24 November.{{sfn|Soldevilla|1904|pp=445–448}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/hechos/1431150-1903-24-xi |title=Hechos: 1903 24/xi |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref> This time, it was joined by 44 deputies and 53 senators.<ref>{{cite news |date=24 November 1903 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=737377e8-f066-415b-8e89-9a9f4d7e5ff8&page=2 |title=El partido liberal demócratico |language=es |publisher=National Library of Spain |newspaper=El Heraldo de Madrid |access-date=2 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=7 December 1903 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=bfe1995d-3c80-4740-ab00-d8f323e2e08b&page=3 |title=La minoría liberal democrática |language=es |publisher=National Library of Spain |newspaper=El Nacional |access-date=2 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=25 March 1904 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=649196c7-976c-477c-ad5e-514813fbd54a |title=La minoría liberal demócrata |language=es |publisher=National Library of Spain |newspaper=La Época |access-date=1 September 2025}}</ref>
In 1905, Montero Ríos agreed with Moret on a united front against the government of Raimundo Fernández-Villaverde.{{sfn|Soldevilla|1905|pp=446–447}}{{sfn|Soldevilla|1906|pp=41–46; 52–57; 117–121 & 221–225}} Upon his own appointment as prime minister in June 1905, all Liberal factions temporarily joined into a single bloc ahead of the September general election,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/hechos/1383367-1905-23-vi |title=Hechos: 1905 23/vi |year=2022 |language=es |website=Historia Hispánica |publisher=Royal Academy of History |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref>{{sfn|Soldevilla|1906|pp=276–278}} but internal quarreling continued while in government: in the timespan of 19 months, six governments under four Liberal leaders succeeded each other, with no leader being able to command the support of a majority of Liberal parliamentary members and a new government being formed under Conservative leader Antonio Maura in January 1907.{{sfn|Dendle|1986|p=34}}
===Monarchist Democratic Party (1907–1910)=== Following Montero Ríos' acceptance of Moret's leadership of the Liberal Party on 27 February 1907,{{sfn|Soldevilla|1908|pp=63–65 & 71–75}} the Liberal Democratic Party was refounded by Canalejas and López Domínguez into the "Monarchist Democratic Party" on 2 March.<ref name="RAH022807"/><ref name="RAH020307"/>{{sfn|Soldevilla|1908|pp=79–80 & 83–88}}
Canalejas was appointed as Prime Minister of Spain on 9 February 1910 and leader of the Liberal Party on 20 July that year,{{sfn|Soldevilla|1911|pp=362–363}} with his Democratic Party having been formally dissolved on 10 June.<ref name="LE090610"/><ref name="EHM100610"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Lozano |first=Carles |url=https://www.historiaelectoral.com/e1800l.html |title=Liberales (y Progresistas) (1868-1931) |language=es |website=Historia Electoral.com |access-date=25 August 2025}}</ref>
==See also== *Liberalism and radicalism in Spain
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== {{refbegin|30em}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1901 |title=El Año Político 1900 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=b4318168-6a78-4134-a4aa-9748a606cf1c&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=25 August 2025}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1903 |title=El Año Político 1902 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=494b5287-7ea3-4eb8-9839-26badd0c878b&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=25 August 2025}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1904 |title=El Año Político 1903 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=d6250297-d522-4fd3-b6a5-07f0a5dc57c9&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=25 August 2025}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1905 |title=El Año Político 1904 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=3d4c8f90-ebb4-4c39-80e3-fc6bec237f71&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=29 August 2025}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1906 |title=El Año Político 1905 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=89cf870b-0573-4036-8c0b-fe990b709726&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=25 August 2025}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1908 |title=El Año Político 1907 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=bde7a77c-c09e-44fc-b90e-6bc7af82f34a&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=28 August 2025}} *{{cite book |last=Soldevilla |first=Fernando |year=1911 |title=El Año Político 1910 |url=https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/es/viewer?id=eb0c9b26-f787-4679-aee5-f2aa775b1b4e&page=1 |language=es |location=Madrid |publisher=National Library of Spain |access-date=22 August 2025}} *{{cite journal |last=Dendle |first=Brian John |title=Galdós in context: The Republican Years, 1907-1914 |url=https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/galdos-in-context-the-republican-years-1907-1914/ |location=Alicante |publisher=Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library |language=en |journal=Anales galdosianos |issue=21 |year=1986 |pages=33–44 |issn=0569-9924}} *{{cite journal |last=Aguilar Gavilán |first=Enrique |year=2012 |title=El asesinato de José Canalejas y su proyecto frustrado de nacionalización de la Monarquía |url=https://helvia.uco.es/bitstream/handle/10396/10968/Ambitos_%2028_08.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |location=Córdoba |publisher=University of Córdoba |language=es |journal=Ámbitos. Revista de Estudios de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades |issue=28 |pages=79–86 |issn=1575-2100 |access-date=24 August 2025}} *{{cite journal |author=Session Diaries (Senate) |publisher=Senate of Spain |title=Diario de Sesiones. 1834-1923. Senado de España |url=https://www.senado.es/buscador/page/senado-form-sesiones |language=es |journal=Diaries of Sessions of the Senate of Spain |access-date=13 August 2025}} {{refend}}
Category:Liberal Party (Spain, 1880) Category:Defunct political parties in Spain Category:Political parties established in 1902 Category:Political parties disestablished in 1910 Category:1902 establishments in Spain Category:1910 disestablishments in Spain Category:Restoration (Spain)