Industrial Transformation: Basque Country & Global Revolutions

Industrialization in the Basque Country

Bizkaia's Industrial Development

1. Beginning of Industrialization: Second half of the 19^th century.
2. Location: Barakaldo and Sestao, on the left bank of the Nerbioi Estuary, and in Bilbao itself.
3. Primary Industries: Iron and steel.
4. Other Industries: Shipbuilding, hydroelectrics, paper mills, textiles, fish canning.
5. Industry Size: Large-sized companies.
6. Advantages: Proximity to a port, high-quality local iron ore, and the existence of a traditional merchant class.
7. Investment Sources: Local and foreign investment (British, Belgian, French).
8. Financial Groups: Commercial banks (e.g., Banco de Bilbao), business corporations, the Bilbao Stock Exchange.
9. Worker Origins: Immigrants from different provinces of Spain.
10. Important Enterprises: Santa Ana at Bolueta, Altos Hornos Company, Aurrera, Babcock & Wilcox, Astilleros del Nervión, Euskalduna.

Gipuzkoa's Industrial Transformation

1. Beginning of Industrialization: Second half of the 19^th century.
2. Location: Simultaneously in the Deba, Urola, and Oria Valleys, and in the Hernani-Pasaia-Irun District.
3. Industry Diversification: Very diversified, not dominated by a single industry. Includes paper mills, textile factories, arms manufacturing, and ironworks.
4. Industry Size: Small and medium-sized companies.
5. Investment Sources: Businessmen who industrialized Gipuzkoa were members of the middle bourgeoisie and petit-bourgeois classes.
6. Financial Groups: Aurrezki Kutxa Probintziala, Banco Guipuzcoano, Banco de San Sebastián, Bank of Tolosa.
7. Worker Origins: The industrial workforce in Gipuzkoa was supplied from the local rural population.
8. Important Enterprises: Unión Cerrajera, Orbea, Reales Fábricas de Plasencia, Brunete, Cantonete, and Guardamino.

Understanding the Industrial Revolution

Defining the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution is the sum of the economic and social changes that are part of the creation of modern society.

• Beginning: Mid-18th century (circa 1750).
• Location: England.
• Three Crucial Elements:
  • Machines (mechanization)
  • New energy sources (e.g., steam)
  • New factory locations (factory system)
• Gains: Increased production, cheaper production.
• Important Elements (Enlightened Thinkers' Opinion): Knowledge, human happiness, natural philosophy, modern science based on experiments, machines.
• New Machines:
  • Seed Drill: Allowed seeds to be planted in exact rows.
  • Horse-Pulled Hoe: Made the preparation of the earth much easier for planting.
• Important Cause: Agricultural Revolution.

Changes and Consequences of the Agricultural Revolution

• Changes in Agriculture: Landowners had to enclose their lands, mechanization, crop rotation.
• Positive Consequences:
  • Production increased due to mechanization and crop rotation.
  • Helped maintain soil fertility.
  • Small landowners, forced to move, arrived at the perfect time for the new developing factories.
• Negative Consequences:
  • Small landowners and peasants were obligated to move to towns to find work because they could no longer grow their own crops in the same way as before.

The Demographic Revolution

By the 18^th century, the population had grown substantially from 84 million to 150 million, marking a significant increase that can be termed a demographic revolution.

Characteristics of the Industrial Revolutions

First Industrial Revolution (1750-1870)

• Period: 1750-1870.
• Where: England (Lancashire).
• Power Sources: Steam power.
• Raw Materials: Cotton (from India), coal, iron.
• Main Invention: Steam engine (improved by Watt, 1789).
• Main Sectors: Textile industry, iron industry.
• Transport: Steamships, trains.
• Machines: Flying Shuttle (1733), Spinning Jenny, Spinning Mule (1779).

Second Industrial Revolution (1870-1918)

• Period: 1870-1918.
• Where: Spread to other European countries (France, Belgium, Germany) and to other countries (Japan, USA).
• Power Sources: Electricity, oil (petroleum).
• Raw Materials: Petroleum.
• Main Inventions: Internal combustion engine, light bulb.
• Main Sectors: Chemicals (e.g., Bayer), steel.
• Transport: Cars.
• Domestic Inventions: Oven, vacuum cleaner, washing machine.
• Finance: Need for external finance, growth of banking and shareholding. Era of Capitalism.
• Public Limited Companies (SA): Issued shares available for public purchase.