19th Century Industrialization and Labor Movement in Catalonia

19th Century Industrialization in Catalonia

Key Industries

• Textile Industry: Experienced a significant boom in the 19th century.
• Mining Sector: Did not experience the same level of growth as the textile industry.
• Metallurgical Industry: Initiated by Bonaplata and continued by terrestrial and marine engineers.
• Chemical Industry: Specialized in dyes for textile printing and washing.
• Cork Industry: Saw an expansion in the production of spirits and wines.
• Paper Manufacturing: Growth in paper production.

The Labor Movement

Working Conditions

Workers faced extremely difficult conditions:

• Low wages
• Long working hours, up to 15 hours a day
• Precarious working environments with noise, extreme temperatures, and poor ventilation
• Poor nutrition and lack of rest
• Frequent accidents and wage cuts during crises

The life expectancy of a worker was around 30 years, compared to 50 years for the bourgeoisie.

The Early Labor Movement

In Catalonia in 1840, workers formed the Mutual Association of Workers of the Cotton Industry. This association recognized the strike as a tool for workers' rights. However, official recognition of workers' associations was short-lived, as they were banned in 1842. Despite the ban, the labor movement persisted. This period was influenced by utopian thought, particularly the ideas of French ideologue Étienne Cabet.

Divisions in the Labor Movement During the Revolutionary Six Years

In 1864, the First International Workingmen's Association (IWA) was created in London, driven by French and British workers. This association aimed to achieve the economic and social emancipation of the working class, moving beyond a class-based liberal society through collective ownership of the means of production and the creation of an egalitarian society.

In 1871, a significant confrontation occurred within the IWA between Karl Marx and Mikhail Bakunin. Marx argued that the working class should organize into a political party to conquer state power. Bakunin rejected any political involvement and advocated for the direct destruction of the state and all forms of property, proposing the organization of society through a free federation of communes.

The Spanish Labor Movement

The Spanish labor movement quickly aligned itself with the IWA, influenced by both Marxist and Bakuninist factions. After the IWA split in 1871, the Congress of Cordoba in Spain adhered to Bakunin's proposals, while a Marxist-inspired section, led by Marx's son-in-law Paul Lafargue, was formed in Madrid. From then on, the Spanish labor movement was divided into two main groups: the socialist followers of Marx and the anarchist followers of Bakunin.