Corruption, Auditing and camaleonismo político during the Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship in Alicante

Abstract

The imposition of Primo de Rivera dictatorship had as its fundamental objective the sanitation and regeneration of the political life of the country. This political proposal, which explained somehow the apathy and lack of initial opposition against the dictatorship, was reflected by an initial task of surveillance and auditing of the political and administrative structures of the country. As in the rest of Spain, the province of Alicante experienced an anti-corruption and anticaciquil fever that was reduced at the same time the regime promoted its process of institutionalization and needed the connivance of the most influential segments of the territory. This paper tries to revise the peculiarities of the anticaciquil and audit policy developed by the Dictatorship in Alicante. We will analyse the action of the Civil Government of Alicante, the active press behaviour and all the laws directed towards building an “honest public administration” (in words of the primorriveristas). Finally, we will make a general balance about this political strategy in Alicante: Was it possible to clarify responsibilities? Did the regime achieve an enhanced administrative integrity? Was it possible to reduce the influence of the territorial power groups?