International Law in the Republican Constitution of 1931: Significant Developments and Strengthened Internationalist Commitments, Ultimately Ephemeral

Abstract

The purpose of this study is specifically to analyse the provisions of the 1931 Republican Constitution relating to International Law. At that time, the Republican Constitution introduced substantial innovations and developments in the relationship between International Law and Spanish domestic law, and embodied important internationalist commitments on the part of Spain, especially with regard to the League of Nations and its principles, which ultimately proved to be ephemeral because of the Spanish Civil War and the Republican defeat. These elements were reflected in particular in the provisions on the renunciation of war and the limitation of the use of force, the incorporation of the universal norms of international law and the automatic acceptance of international treaties, as well as in the repeated recognition of the virtues of and adherence to the League of Nations.