Moderate Decade

In the history of Spain, the década moderada (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdekaða moðeˈɾaða], "moderate decade") was the period from May 1844 to July 1854, during which the Moderate Party continuously held power.

The Moderate Party, like the Progressive Party it displaced, identified itself as liberal, but it was considerably more conservative than the Progressives. Whereas the Progressives had little ground for compromise with Carlism, the Moderate Party was in more of a position to cooperate with moderate elements from among the losing side of the First Carlist War, and the Convention of Vergara had allowed many of the latter to return to participation in government and politics.

When the Moderate Party under General Ramón María Narváez first took power in May 1844, they inherited the progressive Spanish Constitution of 1837, and promptly set about revising it to be more in line with their principals. They wished to have a system that allowed certain liberties, but above all they wished to establish a centralized government and economic liberalism that they believed would lead to transformation and economic growth.

At the beginning of the década moderada, Queen Isabella II was only 13 years old; Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies was regent. Narváez began a series of reforms to strengthen the monarchy and centralize the state. He curtailed freedom of expression, put an end to the popular election of municipal officials, and eliminated the National Militia. In October 1844, to replace the National Militia, he created the Civil Guard (Spanish: Guardia Civil), a security force that has continued down to the present day under various Spanish regimes. The system of education was reorganized along lines proposed by Claudio Moyano.

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