Evaluate the successes and failures of Primo de Rivera’s government between 1923 and 1930.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the successes and failures of Primo de Rivera’s government in the given period. They may elect to examine these two issues separately, or they may choose to draw links between specific factors. In doing this, they are likely to identify the problems confronting Spain and Primo de Rivera’s attempt to resolve them. Problems included weak and corrupt governments, the threat posed by regional separatism, especially in Catalonia, a weak economy and undeveloped infrastructure, high unemployment, extreme social divisions and colonial weakness. Some candidates may wish to set a context by discussing how Primo de Rivera came to power in a pronunciamiento with the tacit support of Alfonso XIII and how, despite his attempts to establish a power base (the Unión Patriótica), he still relied on the army, Church and nobility. Ultimately, he had no real basis for stable government, limiting his attempts at reform.