Gaceta de Madrid, Decreto del 27 de abril de 1931 del gobierno provisional de la República, 28 April 1931 Proclamation of the First Republic by the National Assembly Proclamation of the Republic in the streets of Madrid, by Vierge in Le Monde Illustré. The current official National Coat of Arms was adopted on October 5, 1981. The coat of arms features the emblems of the traditional kingdoms which make up Spain. The red castle represents the Kingdom of Castile, and the red lion represents the Kingdom of Leon, the vertically-running red and yellow stripes represent the kingdom of Aragon, the golden chain-link represents the kingdom of Navarre. The pomegranate flower at the bottom represents the kingdom of Granada, and the Flower of the Lily (fleur-de-lis) represents the House of Bourbon. The Arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. On top of the two pillars are two crowns, an imperial crown, and a royal crown. The royal crown symbolized the King of Spain while the imperial crown symbolized the Holy Roman Emperor with King Charles serving in both capacities in the late 18th century. The red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (“Further Beyond”) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe and the then newly discovered American territories after the voyages of Christopher Columbus. On top of the coat of arms is a large red and gold Royal crown of Spain. National Motto Adolfo Suárez no sometió a referéndum la monarquía porque las encuestas le dijeron que perdería". eldiario.es. 18 November 2016. In the municipal elections of April 12, 1931, the Republicans won the number of votes in the large cities. The situation became increasingly chaotic: the Republic was proclaimed in several cities and the tricolor flag was waving in their town halls. The Spanish republican flag began to be used on April 27, 1931, thirteen days after municipal elections results led to the abolition of the monarchy and the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic.

However, the Republic fell victim to the same instabilities provoked by the ongoing wars and the division amongst republicans. The majority of republicans were Federalists, and they therefore supported the formation of a federal democratic republic, but there was also a unitary republican current. Moreover, within the Federalists there was an intransigent pro-confederation sector that was infuriated and later quashed by the Cantonal Revolution of 1873. The complicated political situation is demonstrated by the fact that in just eleven months there were four presidents of the Republic: Estanislao Figueras, Francisco Pi y Margall, Nicolás Salmerón and Emilio Castelar.

Royal Decree 441/1981, of 27 February, which defines the colours of the Spanish Flag in technical terms (OSG Nº 64, of 16 March)

There has existed in Spain a persistent trend of republican thought, especially throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, that has manifested itself in diverse political parties and movements over the entire course of the history of Spain. While these movements have shared the objective of establishing a republic, during these three centuries there have surged distinct schools of thought on the form republicans would want to give to the Spanish State: unitary or federal.Monarchy or Republic? Spanish king questioned as universities hold symbolic votes". Catalan News Agency. 4 December 2018 . Retrieved 2 April 2019. Landowners were expropriated. Autonomy was granted to Catalonia, with a local parliament and a president of said parliament. [2] Catholic churches in major cities were again subject to arson in 1932, and a revolutionary strike action was seen in Málaga the same year. [17] A Catholic church in Zaragoza was burnt down in 1933. The First Spanish Republic that was instituted in 1873 adopted the coat of arms of the 1868–1871 Provisional Government without changes. [2]