Economic Reforms and Agricultural Development in 18th Century Spain
Economic Reforms
The eighteenth century was a period of economic recovery in Spain. This recovery was linked to population growth, which in turn increased the pressure on agricultural production. This growth was uneven, higher in the periphery than in the center of the peninsula. In this context of economic growth, the first censuses were conducted under the Conde de Aranda (1769) and Florida (1787) to assess the economic and fiscal potential of the country.
Agriculture and Land Ownership
Agriculture was the major economic sector in eighteenth-century Spain. The vast majority of the population lived off the land, and almost all income was derived from it. However, Spanish agriculture was characterized by technical backwardness and the prevalence of dry cultivation over irrigated cultivation of the Mediterranean trilogy. This agriculture was based on increasing production by expanding cultivated land rather than increasing productivity. Crises appeared frequently as a result of livelihood issues. Crop failures caused an immediate rise in prices, market shortages, and hunger among most of the population, which often led to riots.
The backwardness of agriculture was related to the ownership of land. Landowners were a minority, while the great majority of peasants worked land that was not theirs. The land was not free but linked, meaning that the owner could enjoy the benefits but could not sell it. Property was concentrated in the hands of the Church, the nobility, municipalities, and the crown, with a low proportion in the hands of farmers. The result was that there was no land market, and the landed aristocracy lived on the income but failed to invest in improvements.
The Council of Castile and the “General File”
The problems of rural areas began to receive attention from the government during the reign of Carlos III. The starting point was the collection of material on the problems of agriculture by the Council of Castile in the “General File.” This was intended to be the starting point for developing an agrarian law that would address the country’s agricultural problems. Preparatory documents were drafted, but the law was never implemented. From the General File, a series of reports were developed in which possible solutions were pointed out. Some of the most significant include:
- Floridablanca wrote the “Reply of the prosecutor in the case of the province of Extremadura.” His main concern was the existence of uncultivated land, and he insisted that the solution was to put communal lands and wasteland into the hands of the rural population.
- Campomanes produced “The memorial set.” His main concern was the situation of peasants who had no land to cultivate. Among the solutions he proposed was that the government hand over land to landless peasants, along with loans to purchase livestock and farm implements. He also stressed the need to change the type of Castilian lease, which was short-term and reviewed continuously.
- Jovellanos published the “Report of the Land Law.” He focused on the existence of large tracts of land that could be sold (primogeniture, land of the Church, dead hands), which needed to be placed in the hands of people with the intention of cultivating them. Jovellanos believed that modern agriculture had to turn the land into a commodity that was in the hands of those who had a genuine interest in putting it into cultivation.
Reform Measures under Carlos III and Carlos IV
In this way, the Spanish Enlightenment brought the Spanish agricultural problem to the forefront. It would be the focus of any attempt at economic renewal and social change in the country during the nineteenth and much of the twentieth centuries. During the reign of Carlos III and Carlos IV, reform measures were taken, but they were very timid. The Land Act was never written, and the measures taken were only small advances that had been proposed in the law. Some of these measures were:
- Colonization of uninhabited areas such as Sierra Morena, to bring wasteland into exploitation in areas far from population centers.
- Cancellation of privileges of the Mesta (sheepherders’ guild).
- Allocation of land rent among the poorest residents of each county (Extremadura).
- The first attempts at confiscation of lands of the clergy, beginning in 1798, selling the properties of a number of charities that were administered by the clergy. The sale was made by the government.
- In 1794, Carlos IV prohibited increasing the price of land leases.
- Construction of some irrigation infrastructure, such as the Imperial Canal of Aragon.
- Protection of tenants in the enjoyment of the lands they exploited.
- Establishment of free trade of cereals in 1765 to boost production, which caused a price rise. This situation benefited landowners (nobility and clergy) and affected the farmers and the Mesta.
- Colonization of uninhabited areas such as Sierra Morena, carried out in 1767 under the supervision of Pablo de Olavide. The goal was to colonize the region of Sierra Morena, which was uninhabited and full of bandits.
- Distribution of land among landless communities of Extremadura and Andalusia.
The effectiveness of these measures was limited since they did not affect the structure of land ownership. The problem would continue.