The behavior of the political elite during the crisis of the reign of Isabella II (1863-1864)

This essay studies the behavior of political elite at the most critical time for the constitutional regime during Isabella II's reign, between 1863 and 1864. It analyzes governmental and parliamentary stability, cooperation amongst political parties, representation, and the party system after the disruption and failure of the Union Liberal. The regime was based upon the principle of double trust, of the Crown and the Parliament, but the first was useless if those elites deliberately obstructed the regular functioning of the system, opposed roundly in the Cortes to bring down governments, rejected or vetoed coalition governments, prioritized party interests over depurating the electoral system and other laws, nurtured division within their own party, and rejected or impeded political integration. The objective of the work is to verify if the behavior of the elite impeded the stability of the system and forced an exercise of the royal designation beyond the logic of a constitutional monarchy.