Industrialization and Social Change in 19th Century Spain

Causes of Mortality Decline and Agrarian Reform

Causes of mortality decline: Increased agricultural production and an improving diet. Agrarian Liberal Reform: A set of reforms whose goal was the dissolution of the Old Regime in the countryside. This involved splitting property, the desamortización (confiscation) of church and municipal lands, and the consolidation of private properties.

The Rise of the Spanish Textile Industry

1802: A ban on the import of cotton stimulated the proliferation and birth of the spinning and textile industry. 1830: Mechanization began with the installation of spinning machines from Britain. 1833: The first steam engine was introduced. The mechanization of factories (using steam or vapor) saw a big boost between 1830 and 1860.

Industrial Colonies and Regional Development

1860: Industry moved to the riverbanks to replace coal with hydraulic power, leading to the founding of industrial colonies. Early blast furnaces: These appeared in Andalusia, with Marbella being particularly important in 1826. Asturias: This became Spain's richest region in coal.

Challenges to Spanish Industrialization

Spanish industrialization negative factors: Low purchasing power, lack of investment, transport problems, a lack of energy sources, and the remote position of Spain relative to the industrialized core of Europe. Protectionism: To protect the national industry, taxes or tariffs were imposed on foreign production.

Mining and the Expansion of the Railway

Two major mining activities: Coal and iron, driven by the expansion of the steel industry. The main iron mines were located in Biscay. Railways: Significant growth occurred between 1856–1865 (4,500 km) and 1876–1885 (3,000 km). End of the 19th Century: Introduction of electricity and oil.

Social Structure and Land Ownership

Proletariat: A set of workers. Latifundio (Castile, Extremadura, Andalusia): Large estates where profit-seeking contractors hired laborers at low wages. Smallholdings (northern sub-plateau and Galicia): The small (escasa) dimension of these properties prevented mechanization, though some areas maintained a balanced property structure.

The New Ruling Classes

The new ruling classes lived very comfortably and consisted of:

• 1. Landowning Nobility: Held land ownership and the rights to receive its benefits.
• 2. High Bourgeoisie: Owners of new industries, large companies, and banks.
• 3. Middle Bourgeoisie: Small industrial entrepreneurs, traders, liberal professions, and civil servants; these were scarce across Spain.

The Working Classes and Farmers

The working classes faced precarious living conditions, including long working hours, low pay, poor housing, and unhealthy environments for children.

• 1. Artisans and Shopkeepers: Traded their own products.
• 2. Employees and 3. Proletarians: Earned a salary working for others.

Farmers: Often poor, they either had no land or insufficient land to support a family.

• 1. Arrendatarios (Tenants): Worked the land and gave part of the profit to the noble.
• 2. Jornaleros (Day Laborers): Did not work their own land but were paid a salary.

Labor Conditions in Mines and Factories

Mining: Very precarious working conditions. Workers were attacked by occupational hazards: respiratory disorders from breathing gases, mercury-produced tremors, and dental decay. Many young people aged 20–30 were left without teeth and suffered from tremors.

Women Workers (Obreras): Working conditions were worse than those for men (who worked 12–14 hour days for insufficient salaries). Their education was lower, and their day did not end at the factory; they remained responsible for housework and childcare, remaining socially inferior to men.

Historical Context of Catalan Industry

Sentencia Arbitral de Guadalupe (1486): A lease system that allowed farmers to keep part of their production. This laid the groundwork for the industrialization of the 18th century in Catalonia, characterized by the production of Indianas (printed cotton fabrics).