10 mai 1931 - Burning of the convents

Description:

During this week of May, left wing mobs attacked over 100 religious institutions, including convents and churches. The violence was spontaneous and widespread, but the left wing government refused to intervene. Politician Manuel Azaña famously supported the lack of intervention, saying "all the convents of Spain are not worth the life of a single Republican". These events deepened the rift between the right and left wing in Spain, and made the conservative upper class highly skeptical of the ability or willingness of a democratic government to protect their property and lives. This rift deepened further when Azaña was chosen as Prime Minister in October.