19TH CENTURY IN SPAIN: POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL SITUATION - LITERATURE - 2025

The 19th century in Spain meant a period of changes not only cultural and economic for the Iberian Peninsula, but also in the whole epistemological sense. The 19th century was the time of revolutions and independence wars, which implied a new way of seeing the world and of approaching knowledge.

With the nineteenth century modern industry was introduced in Spain, which allowed economic growth, the use of new methods of agriculture and the development of the bourgeois class. In addition, the past absolute monarchy typical of Spanish hegemony was replaced by a constitutional and parliamentary monarchy.

During the 19th century, Isabel II assumed the throne of Spain. Source: Luis de Madrazo

Likewise, some ecclesiastical organizations and institutions - such as the Inquisition - were closed. Along with this change, manorial rights also disappeared, which led to the decline of feudal society and allowed the gestation of a society divided into social classes, composed mainly of workers and bourgeoisie.

This process of renewal not only occurred in Spain but also spread throughout Europe and is known as the Industrial Revolution. However, industrialization in Spain did not develop as in other countries on the continent such as England or France, so agriculture maintained a fundamental weight within the economy of the peninsula.

As for the new Spanish parliamentary regime, it could not stabilize the same as in other European countries because the Spanish bourgeoisie did not have as much participation in political decisions. However, with the passing of the decades and thanks to foreign influence, the country was modernized and the Contemporary Age began.

In political terms, in the first decades of the 19th century for Spain there were confrontations between bourgeois liberals and absolutists, which led to civil wars, absolutist counterrevolutions and disagreements between the bourgeoisie themselves. This involved the official fall of the monarchy and the birth of the First Republic.

In economic matters, Spain managed to develop and modernize itself more forcefully at the end of the century, especially in the textile and iron and steel areas, which were led by Catalonia and the Basque region. Furthermore, the Spanish mines had a notable boom during this period due to railway communications and foreign companies.

Political situation

Early decades (1800-1830)

The first decades of the 19th century in Spain were marked by two main events: the War of Independence against Napoleon Bonaparte and the promulgation of the first Spanish Constitution.

In 1808 Napoleon had decided to take advantage of the Spanish political weakness to invade the territories of the peninsula. After the Conquest was successful, he placed his brother José Napoleón to rule Spain.

However, most of the Spanish population did not accept this, so on May 2 there was a general uprising in many regions of the country. Thanks to the resistance of the peoples and foreign aid, Spain was able to emerge victorious from the Napoleonic invasion.

As for the first Spanish Constitution, it was established in 1812 during the Napoleonic disputes and represented a notable advance in the modernization of the State. However, the absolutist practices of King Ferdinand VII significantly affected this development.

Mid century (1840-1860)

In the middle of the XIX century the liberal and progressive parties managed to come to power, who used their position to attack the reign of Isabel II; this was intended to finally end the monarchy.

After this happened the Democratic Revolution of September (1868), also known as La Gloriosa, where Isabel II was dethroned.

A year later a new Constitution was promulgated in which it was established that the monarchy could be maintained as a form of State; however, universal suffrage, freedom of worship, freedom of education, and individual freedoms were established.

End of the century (1870-1900)

In 1876 Cánovas del Castillo promulgated a new Constitution in which he appealed for the reestablishment of the parliamentary monarchy while respecting the liberal inclinations of the institutions.

This decision allowed some important parties to be founded in later years, such as the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (1879) and the Basque Nationalist Party (1887).

Finally, in 1895 Cuba achieved its independence from the Spanish government, which resulted in the Spanish-American War that was fought in 1898.

To solve these warlike and political conflicts, the Treaty of Paris was carried out, in which it was established that Cuba was free while Puerto Rico and the Philippines would remain as part of the United States.

Economic situation

Industrial backwardness

The economic situation in 19th century Spain was characterized mainly by the slow and difficult development of industrialization processes.

In the last period of the 18th century, England had already managed to free up labor from the agricultural sector to distribute it in new productive activities, which contributed to the improvement of agricultural incomes and facilitated the movement of the internal market to develop its own industrial production.

On the contrary, during the 18th and early 19th centuries, the economy in Spain was represented by a mercantilist order in which the accumulation and appropriation mechanisms belonging to the capitalist model already implemented were not located.

Factors that contributed to the economic and industrial backwardness

Fragmented market

The national market was fragmented and small. In the words of the Spanish historian Josep Fontana, the Spanish market was a group of isolated and rural cells with inconsequential traffic between them.

This situation occurred due to the deficit of means of transport because they were not adequate to connect local markets.

Furthermore, the level of demand was very low due to the low density of the Spanish population in comparison with neighboring regions; there was also a low level of income.

Traditional agriculture

Another triggering factor for industrial backwardness was due to the presence of traditional agriculture, which maintained a strong self-consumption that only allowed certain product exchanges between small local artisan industries.

Low budget of the Spanish State

The Spanish State was in a permanent budget deficit thanks to the culmination of American remittances.

As a consequence, economic policy forced the issuance of public debt and the tax system worsened. All these elements suffocated the private economy, preventing the emergence of new private projects.

Absence of financial institutions

One of the most important factors was the lack of financial institutions dedicated to promoting industrialization. Added to this is the lack of technology and education in Spain, where in 1874 54% of the population was illiterate.

Industrialization

With the arrival to the throne in 1833 of Isabel II, the industrialization process accelerated because the lack of domestic capital began to be supplied with foreign investment.

For this reason, the economy of the 19th century in Spain was led by foreign financing, since it provided not only financial resources but also technical advances.

Likewise, with this capital it was possible to build the railroad system, which promoted the exploitation of mining and urban public services.

Social situation

Spanish society during the nineteenth century faced several important changes, especially in terms of the order of classes and employment and economic possibilities.

From closed estates to open social classes

Thanks to the liberal-bourgeois revolution, Spanish society -which was formerly estamental- became a class society.

Consequently, it was no longer divided into closed and legally defined estates, but from that moment on, the liberal principle that established that all citizens were equal before the law began to expand.

What defined the Spanish social classes was the economic level; this context introduced the upper, middle or lower class estates. A division was also established in terms of production processes, emphasizing the difference between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.

The social classes were open, so a social descent or ascent could take place, a phenomenon also known as the vertical movement.

However, this movement between classes was not so simple because external factors played an important role within these modifications. For example, the granting of a noble title could bring about an economic improvement.

Important events

The most important events that occurred in Spain during the 19th century are presented chronologically below:

- In 1808 the Spanish War of Independence occurred in front of the Napoleonic authorities.

- In 1812 the first Spanish Constitution was established, which implied a forceful change within the system of the Spanish State.

- In 1833 the regent Queen Elizabeth II assumed the throne.

- In 1837 the First Carlist War took place.

- In 1836 the so-called confiscation of Mendizábal occurred, which consisted of the sale of private properties -especially those belonging to the Church- in order to recover the finances of the State.

- In 1871 Amadeo I of Savoy assumed the government.

- In 1873 the First Spanish Republic was established.

- In 1868 the Revolutionary Sexenio occurred.

- In 1898 the war with Cuba was carried out, in which the Latin American country achieved its independence.

References

1. Contreras, E. (2014) The Spanish society of the XIX century. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from Los ojos de Hipatia: losojosdehipatia.com
2. Rosado, J. (sf) 10 most important events in Spain in the 19th century. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from Time Toast: timetoast.com
3. SA (nd) Chronology of the 19th century in Spain. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from As Madrid: asmadrid.org
4. SA (sf) History of Spain: XIX century. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from Web Saber: websaber.es
5. SA (sf) Economic History of Spain. Retrieved on July 3, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org