Spanish Countryside in the 20th Century: Inequality and Reform

The Problems of the Spanish Countryside

The Spanish countryside in the 20th century was marked by unequal land ownership. Large estates coexisted with smallholdings, impacting agricultural yields and hindering modernization. Landowners of large estates displayed risk aversion and limited interest in efficient cultivation, leaving the rural population near subsistence. This disparity in living conditions fueled social conflict and peasant protests, often exacerbated by poor harvests and food shortages. As farmers organized, they demanded land reform to access and cultivate underutilized land held by absentee owners.

In regions like Galicia, smallholdings, while producing high-quality crops, struggled with limited land, hindering profitability and modernization. This often led to emigration among small farmers.

Attempts at Solutions

Spanish governments recognized the backwardness of the countryside as an obstacle to economic growth and a source of social conflict. They understood the need to address the unequal distribution of land and improve the farmers' situation.

Increased irrigation was deemed essential to overcome climatic limitations. A 1920 work plan encouraged irrigation projects, expanded under Primo de Rivera's dictatorship with the Confederation of the Basin, and furthered by the Second Republic's Hydraulic Plan in 1933.

Landless peasants remained a significant issue. A 1907 law allowed the colonization of thousands of acres, and a 1917 law aimed to facilitate land sharing among farmers. However, these measures proved insufficient due to pressure from large landowners, preventing substantial land reform until the Second Republic in 1932.