Spain’s 19th-Century Social and Labor Transformations
Social Behaviors in Liberal Spain
Social Life and Forms of Entertainment
The influence of the Catholic Church continued to be very important, and religious festivals, processions, weddings, and baptisms marked the rhythm of social life. The weight of money allowed the bourgeoisie to express a way of thinking and feeling characteristic of the elite. Big houses, fine clothes, and receptions demonstrated this hierarchy. Forms of leisure and entertainment entered the market and became a product available to those who could afford it. The elite frequented operas, theaters, playgrounds, and restaurants. It was the golden age of casinos. Meanwhile, the popular classes had to be content, at the end of the century, with attendance at nightclubs, cafes, dances, and festivals. The influence of anarchist and socialist ideas increased, leading to the foundation of literacy athenaeums or townhouses.
Women in Nineteenth-Century Society
All women were in a subsidiary condition, subject to the masculine world. Depending on their origin, family, or wealth, women had different living conditions and a certain social role. For the elite, their destiny was marriage. Working-class and peasant women were part of the workforce.
The Early Socialist Movements
The Birth of the Labor Movement: Luddism
Protests emerged against new machines that were taking away jobs from factory workers. A notable example is the Bonaplata fire in Barcelona. Mutual societies expanded throughout Spanish territory, and strikes became more frequent as a way to pressure employers. Therefore, workers’ societies created funds to help striking workers, creating cases of resistance.
Agrarian Revolts
The increase in population made agricultural wages a serious social problem, especially in Andalusia. In the 1840s, the majority were laborers, and poor harvests caused famine. There were instances of burning crops and killing cattle, which could be likened to Luddite movements. The problem increased with the seizure of communal lands from the municipalities, which caused more peasant uprisings.
Utopian Socialism and Republicanism
The labor movement gained momentum when their claims were supported by doctrines like socialism, in its various manifestations. The first was utopian socialism, which sought to create egalitarian societies. The most notable figure of Spanish utopian socialism was Joaquin Abreu. In 1868, universal male suffrage was granted.
The Arrival of Internationalism
The Arrival of the International to Spain
After the triumph of the revolution of September 1868, a manager of the International Workingmen’s Association (IWA), Giuseppe Fanelli, arrived in Spain to create the first centers of international affiliates. He began spreading anarchist ideals as if they were those of the IWA. The first Spanish members of this organization thought the Alliance program was based on the general principles of the First International. In the first congress of the Spanish Regional Federation (FRE), the strike was defined as the main weapon of the proletariat.
The Crisis and Split in the FRE
In 1871, Paul Lafargue arrived in Madrid and drove the group of Madrid internationalists towards Marxist positions. The discrepancies between the two internationalist currents led to the expulsion of the FRE and the foundation of the New Madrid Federation, with a Marxist character, forcing the FRE to reorganize in hiding.