Mendizabal's Confiscation: Political, Legal, and Economic Impact

The following text is a minute from the decree written by Juan Alvarez Mendizabal, the head of government (a Spanish economist and politician, liberal progressive), addressed to the regent Maria Cristina during the minority of her daughter. It explains the desamortizador process.

Objectives of the Confiscation

The main theme of this decree is to explain the objectives of the confiscation. The primary goal of selling state-owned assets was to fulfill a promise and reduce the national debt. Secondary objectives included:

• Economic development
• Facilitating property ownership
• Boosting commerce and industry

Significance of the Confiscation

The confiscation of church lands was a key element of the liberal revolution and had significant economic and social consequences. The Crown's substantial accumulated debt led to this confiscation and expropriation of assets, which were then sold to reduce the debt. This was Mendizabal's primary objective: to clean up public finances.

The first decree occurred in 1798 and affected church property. Several attempts were made during the War of Independence and the Constitutional Triennium, but these were frustrated by restored absolutism. By 1833, the confiscation had become unavoidable.

Mendizabal's Aims

Mendizabal aimed to:

• Repay the debt
• Convert land into private property subject to market forces
• Transfer land to buyers who would be enriched and committed to supporting the Christine side
• Gain supporters for the liberals

A method was established to allow payment with titles for the debt. In 1855, the Progressive Biennium approved the confiscation of Madoz, which was a general confiscation, unlike Mendizabal's, which focused on the church. The remaining lands of the Church and town halls were put up for sale. This process was much faster, and more debt was repaid.

Consequences

The lands ended up in the hands of investors and former landlords, which accentuated the concentration of land ownership among the oligarchy. This harmed the peasants, who had traditionally relied on these lands as a source of income. Public debt titles were not accepted; payment had to be made in cash.

In 1836, María Cristina forced Mendizabal's resignation. Subsequently, a progressive insurrection occurred, and Maria Cristina was compelled to hand over the government to the progressives and restore the Constitution of 1812. The elected Cortes drafted the Constitution of 1837, which proclaimed national sovereignty with a strong executive and attempted to implement censitary voting. In 1840, an attempt to amend the municipal law led to a new uprising, forcing Maria Cristina to leave the country.

Lands chosen to leave the clergy were paid for in cash or public debt, were subjected to auction, and caused social, economic, and political upheaval.