The fifth government of Antonio Maura, was formed on 14 August 1921, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by King Alfonso XIII and his swearing-in that same day, as a result of the resignation en masse of the government on August 12. It succeeded the second government of Manuel Allendesalazar and was the government of Spain from 14 August 1921 to 8 March 1922, a total of days, or .

The cabinet, which was formed as a national unity government to confront the Rif War after the disastrous Battle of Annual, comprised members of the Conservative Party, the Liberal and the Liberal Democratic parties, the Catalan Regionalists, an independent politician, and a military officer.

It resigned due to political disagreements among the parties forming the government over the continuation of the suspension of constitutional guarantees in force since 1919, as well as disputes between several ministers concerning the upcoming military operations in the Rif War.

Formation Overview The Spanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as a semi-constitutional monarchy during the Restoration period, awarding the monarch—under the royal prerogative—the power to appoint crown ministers (including the prime minister); the ability to grant or deny the decree of dissolution of the Cortes, or the adjournment of legislative sessions, to the incumbent or aspiring government that requested it; and the capacity to inform, inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of royal decrees; among others..

The monarch would play a key role in the system by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organize elections to provide themselves with a parliamentary majority. As a result, governments during this period were dependent on royal confidence, which was frequently secured or lost based on the leaders' ability to guarantee the internal unity and parliamentary cohesion of their parties.: "... according to the political practice of the Restoration, since voters did not determine majorities due to electoral manipulation, the requirement demanded of any leader to retain power was to guarantee the unity of the Party. []" In practice, the royal prerogative was not exercised freely by the monarch, but was carried out through the opening of a round of consultations—with the presidents of the chambers, the leaders of the main parties, the potential candidates and other notable figures—prior to government formation, or when prime ministers raised a matter of confidence to the monarch.

Cabinet crisis

At the Council of Ministers' meeting on 3 August 1921, the government agreed to request the Monarch to initiate consultations with the main political leaders on Moroccan policy and the future of the government. King Alfonso XIII held a round of consultations on 6–11 August 1921 to determine a solution to the political crisis arising from the defeat at the Battle of Annual.

ConsultationsKing of Spain Date Consultee Office/position Party3 August 1921The Marquess of AlhucemasLeader of the Liberal DemocratsPrime Minister (former)Liberal Democrat 6 August 1921 Antonio Maura Leader of the Conservative PartyPrime Minister (former) Conservative 8 August 1921 The Count of Romanones Leader of the Liberal PartyPrime Minister (former) Liberal9 August 1921Joaquín Sánchez de TocaPresident of the SenatePrime Minister (former)ConservativeJosé Sánchez-Guerra y MartínezPresident of the Congress of DeputiesConservative11 August 1921Santiago Alba y BonifazLeader of Liberal LeftLiberal Left Nominations Outcome → Nomination of Antonio Maura (Conservative) Sources:

The outcome of the consultations led Alfonso XIII to entrust the formation of a new government to Antonio Maura, Leader of the Conservative Party. On August 12, Maura met with the main political leaders and on the morning of August 13, he announced the composition of the new government.

Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and nine ministries.

← Maura V Government →(14 August 1921 – 8 March 1922) Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Prime Minister Antonio Maura Conservative 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of State Manuel González-Hontoria Independent 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of Grace and Justice José Francos Rodríguez Liberal Democrat 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of War Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel Conservative 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of the Navy The Marquess of Cortina Liberal 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of Finance Francesc Cambó Catalan Regionalist 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of Governance The Count of Coello de Portugal Military 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts César Silió y Cortés Conservative 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of Development José Maestre Pérez Conservative 14 August 19218 March 1922 Minister of LabourLeopoldo Matos MassieuLiberal14 August 19218 March 1922

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links The governments of the sixth period of the Conservative Party (1919–1922) (under Alfonso XIII). Lluís Belenes i Rodríguez History Page (in Spanish).