Spanish Agrarian Crisis and Social Conflict (1900-1931)

The Agrarian Crisis

Spanish agriculture at the beginning of the 20th century faced an agrarian crisis. The crisis affected cereals, olives, vines, and sheep farming. The crisis in cereal farming was of greater magnitude. The cause was the arrival in Europe of more competitive products from countries with extensive agriculture, resulting in lower prices. The decline in prices was more pronounced in the Spanish periphery. The reduction of income led to a fall in profits. These difficulties led to protests coordinated by the Agrarian League. The diminution of benefits led to declining wages, causing a period of peasant agitation.

This crisis was accompanied by a crisis in viticulture, which began with the decline in vine production in France due to phylloxera in 1879. This pest spread, and the autochthonous vines disappeared. To tackle the crisis, vineyards were replanted with a new American strain.

Agricultural Development and Recovery

The agrarian crisis was overcome thanks to production growth due to new land reclamation, intensification, diversification, and specialization of agricultural crops. Agricultural product grew between 1900 and 1931, as did livestock product, which doubled. Yields per hectare also increased but remained very low. Cereal production was the main Spanish crop.

Cereals and legumes were a less dynamic agricultural sector with low productivity and low yields in 1931. These low yields led to higher prices in the late 1920s; the price of a quintal of wheat was even the highest in Spain. All of this had economic consequences. The most dynamic crops were:

• Vineyards in Andalusia, Catalonia, and La Rioja
• Olives in Andalusia
• Citrus fruit and vegetables

Problems in the Spanish Countryside

The situation in the Spanish countryside still showed inequality in land ownership structure. Large landowners had a great aversion to risk and little interest in the efficient cultivation of their lands. The extreme differences between a minority of owners and the great mass of landless peasants led to significant social mobilization. The conflict was linked to the need for agrarian reform. The existence of small farms in Galicia and the poor quality of land allowed for increased crop productivity but did not generate profits.

Attempts at Reform and Solutions

Different Spanish governments of the time were aware of the backwardness of the Spanish countryside. Increasing irrigation seemed a must to overcome adverse climatic conditions. The main problem was the large number of landless peasants. The measures carried out were insufficient, and the pressure from large landowners prevented agrarian reform efforts.