Agricultural Growth & Wages in Early 20th Century Spain

Agricultural Growth in Early 20th Century Spain

The active agricultural population continued to grow until the early 20th century for several reasons, including:

• Strongly protectionist agricultural policies
• Agrarian crises that strengthened after the end of the century
• Limited industrial demand
• Low real non-agricultural wages, which led to massive abandonment of the field

With the increase of the working population, Spanish economic backwardness held agricultural workers instead of expelling them. Weakly capitalized, they were condemned to low productivity and very low wages, leading to a miserable existence. This level of evolution is contrary to the rest of Europe.

Government Actions to Stimulate Manufacturing Growth

The government encouraged the growth of the private manufacturing sector with two key steps:

1. Liberalization of the industry: This involved the abolition of the corporations of trades, or guilds, which had controlled manufacturing production since the Middle Ages. The abolition of the guilds had been a main objective of enlightened reformers, who believed that they hindered the free exercise of art, employment, competition, and improvements in prices.
2. Tariff protectionism: Governments in the 20th century protected and encouraged the industrial sector by exacerbating foreign manufacturers, strongly hindering imports, and therefore reserving the market for domestic products.

Wage Disparities in Spain

The wages received by most of the population were considered meager. The main difference was between the wages of men and women. Women were concentrated in lower-paying jobs such as sewing or domestic service, which were poorly paid. Men primarily worked in manufacturing jobs and were paid more. However, men feared being replaced by cheap female labor.

It is also important to highlight the wage gap in terms of remuneration methods. Payment in kind (especie), either in full or in part, was very frequent. This was part of the wages of agricultural laborers or persons engaged in domestic service.

Moreover, in factories, mines, and the field, piece-rate work was the norm for many workers for decades. Workers often preferred this system because they could earn more, but they also worked longer hours.