1. Read and Fill the gaps with the correct words.
La Pepa power freedom absolutists Cortes equality right liberal division Cadiz deputies regime 1810 1812 citizens representatives election declaration
(1) The Supreme Central Board was dissolved in 1810 and the process of convening the Cortes began; in the meantime there was a regency and a consultation was initiated on the reforms to be carried out by the Cortes. The ____ of ____ and their meeting in ____ was subject to many difficulties due to the war and many ____ were replaced by people from Cadiz, a commercial city with a liberal atmosphere. The Cortes opened in September ____ , forming a single Chamber, against the opinion of the absolutists, with the aim of creating a new political ____ . They approved the principle of national sovereignty, that is, ____ resides in the ____ , represented in the ____ .
(2) The Constitution of __. It was promulgated on March 19, 1812 (__), with a text of 384 articles, which reflects the majority of ____ ideas and the differences with the __. It contains a ____ of citizens’ rights that includes ____ of thought and opinion, ____ before the law, the ____ to petition, civil liberty, and the right to property. The State is organized as a limited monarchy, based on the ____ of powers and not on divine right.
2. Fill the form with the given information.
the unicameral Cortes the monarch the courts and the foundations of the rule of law were laid drafting laws approving budgets guarantees in the processes commanding the army international treaties criminal and commercial matters single codes for civil
Corresponds to? Responsible for? Note Legislative power
Deputies were elected every two years; suffrage was universal, male and indirect.
led the government and intervened in the drafting of laws (initiative and sanction, with the right to veto for two years).
judicial power
3. Supplementary Reading
Other articles reformed taxes and the Treasury, created a national army with compulsory military service, and established public and compulsory primary education. The territory was divided into provinces governed by provincial councils, and town councils with elected officials were formed. The National Militia (an army of citizens to defend the constitutional system) was also created. In religious matters, the Catholic denomination of the State was affirmed. In addition to the Constitution of 1812, the Cortes of Cadiz approved laws and decrees to eliminate the Ancien Régime and establish a liberal state. For example, jurisdictional lordships were abolished, territorial lordships were transformed into private property of the lords, entailed estates were eliminated, and communal lands were confiscated to raise funds to pay off the public debt. The Inquisition was also abolished, freedom of the press and freedom of labor were approved, and guilds were suppressed. Mayorazgo : medieval institution by which the assets are linked to a family or institution (town hall, religious order, etc.) and are passed in their entirety to the heir of the title. In this way, the properties could not be divided or sold, which slowed the growth and modernization of agriculture. They constituted the majority of the land, which also caused the price of the land that was for sale to rise. This new legislative framework was very advanced, much more than the reality of the war and the situation of the country allowed, so it had little practical impact. With the war, the reforms could hardly be carried out and the return of Ferdinand VII meant the return to absolutism and the elimination of all of them.
