Spanish Economic Transformation 19th Century

Liberal Land Reform in Spain

The Liberal Agrarian Reform was a set of reforms aimed at dissolving the former regime in the country, as well as introducing models of capitalist property and production. During this process, the manorial system was abolished, property was disentailed (desamortización), and lands belonging mostly to the Church and councils were affected. These reforms consolidated private ownership of land, which was transformed into a commodity that could be bought and sold.

Agricultural Problems in Spain

The Liberal Land Reform did not grant property ownership to farmers, which is why most were left as landless laborers and migrated to cities. The continuance of cheap labor did not stimulate increased mechanization and productivity. The result was the maintenance of low agricultural yields and poverty for much of the rural population.

Latifundio: Large estates with some absentee owners who obtained benefits by hiring laborers whose wages were very low.

Smallholdings: In this case, the small size of properties did not allow mechanization, and yields were barely sufficient to maintain a family.

Agricultural Development in Andalusia

The Awards of Guadalupe (1486) had established a system of leasing (Módulo) that allowed peasants to retain a part of the production.

Viticulture: Andalusian wines and spirits were aimed primarily towards the market, both within Spain (including Andalusia and the rest of the country) and for export (especially to the Americas).

At the same time, there was a development of the cultivation of olive trees and fruit trees.

Catalan Textile Industry

In the mid-eighteenth century, Catalonia had significant production of 'Indianas' (printed cotton fabrics). The ban in 1802 on importing cotton yarn stimulated the proliferation of the spinning industry and the birth of modern fabrics.

Around 1830, the textile industry began a process of mechanization, with the installation of spinning machines used in Britain, and in 1833 the first steam engine began operating.

The mechanization of factories, which were called 'steam factories', was a big boost between 1830 and 1860. But from 1860, many industries were established on river banks to substitute steam power with hydropower and built industrial estates.