19th Century Liberal Land Reform in Spain
19th Century Liberal Land Reform in Spain
The Role of the State
The state’s objective regarding private property was to ensure its inviolability and freedom of practice. This process began with the deputies in the courts of Cadiz, aiming to establish real property free from the old regime. However, it wasn’t completed until 1841.
Disentailment and Municipal Property
The first action was to decouple noble and church property through disentailment and municipalization. This meant abolishing the feudal system and its inherent relationships of domination. It also meant establishing private property rights, transforming former lords into freeholders with full title to their land.
Disentailment involved seizing assets from “dead hands” and selling them through public auction. The proceeds were used to meet state needs. This process wasn’t continuous but resulted from several confiscations, including those under Godoy, the Cortes of Cádiz, the Liberal Triennium, Mendizabal, and Madoz.
Liberal Land Reform
Liberals aimed to dismantle Old Regime institutions and implement a liberal, constitutional, and parliamentary monarchy. One of their first acts was land reform, enshrining the principles of private property and free availability of land. This reform, starting in 1836, involved three major measures:
- Dissolution of the feudal system: Lords lost jurisdictional powers but retained land ownership. Many farmers became laborers.
- Disentailment: Ending the inheritance of property tied to a family in perpetuity.
- Confiscation: A recurring practice since Godoy’s government, used to raise state resources by selling church and council land.
Mendizabal dissolved religious orders and seized their assets, selling them through public auction. This aimed to fund the Liberal army, recover debt, and reduce the state deficit.
Mendizabal’s Government
In 1835, Mendizabal prioritized securing the throne of Elizabeth II, crucial for winning the Carlist War. This required money and credit. To gain credit, the state needed to improve its credibility by addressing its debt. Given the poor financial situation, new funding sources were necessary.
Mendizabal’s decree led to the auction of land, houses, monasteries, and convents owned by the regular clergy. The following year, this extended to the secular clergy, though executed during Espartero’s regency. Besides raising funds, the seizure aimed to:
- Attract the bourgeoisie and moneyed classes to the Liberal ranks.
- Restructure church property, making the church an institution of the new regime, with the state promising to support the clergy.
The New Concept of Property Rights
Nineteenth-century liberal governments established a new legal concept of property rights. Private property became essential for the capitalist economy. Emerging sectors supported this and were interested in agricultural progress and modernization.
Liberal land reform aimed to develop private property and a market economy. The abolition of feudal rights didn’t mean the loss of land rights, but it worsened the problem of day laborers.
Disentailment and confiscations brought thousands of properties into the market, profoundly changing land ownership. Increased agricultural production resulted from expanding cultivated areas and modernizing farming techniques. However, slow productivity growth, linked to the ownership structure, hindered progress.
Results of the Confiscation
The confiscation led to:
- Broken diplomatic relations with Rome, stirring public opinion.
- Failure to allocate land to the less advantaged, focusing instead on raising state funds.
- Increased agricultural output due to the cultivation of previously unworked lands.
- Expansion of cultivated areas and more productive agriculture, though other factors also contributed.
The End of Elizabeth II’s Reign
Despite efforts to maintain the queen on the throne, her reign ended when her government prepared to defend it with arms. After the battle of Alcolea, which favored the revolutionary forces, the government resigned, and the Queen went into exile in France on September 29, 1868.
In 1883, the governing coalition weakened. Unionism couldn’t withstand opposition from the moderates and the crown. O’Donnell resigned, and the Queen handed power to the moderates.