Spain’s 19th Century Transformation: Economy, Society, and Romantic Art

Posted on Jan 13, 2026 in Geography

19th Century Spain: Socio-Economic Dynamics

23. Agricultural and Demographic Characteristics

  • Land Reform: Approximately 70% of land was affected, but the reform was insufficient.
  • Agricultural Advances: Increased production due to the introduction of new farming techniques and machinery.

Agricultural Production (c. 1900)

  • Cereal and legumes dominated production.
  • Other important crops included the vine, roots, tubers, and bulbs.

Demographic Trends

  • Population growth in Spain was lower than in the UK.
  • Growth was similar to Italy and Portugal.
  • The late introduction of advances in medicine and hygiene, coupled with a lack of changes in the agricultural sector, limited Spain’s population growth in the 19th century.
  • Population growth was similar to countries in a comparable historical and geographical position, such as Portugal.

Migration Patterns

  • Rural Exodus: People left rural areas to seek work in industrial centers, such as Barcelona.
  • Forced Emigration: Migration to Latin America (Cuba and Argentina) in search of job opportunities, primarily from the Canary Islands and Cantabria.
  • Most emigrants were from Galicia and the Canary Islands.
  • People from coastal areas were more likely to migrate.

24. Liberal Land Reform

  1. Objectives of the Reform

    • To end the large amount of amortized (entailed) land.
    • To consolidate private property of the land.
    • To increase agricultural production.

  2. Key Stages of Disentailment (Desamortización)

    • 1836: Church lands (Mendizábal).
    • 1855: Municipal and common lands (Madoz).

  3. Consequences

    • Formation of a class of rural and bourgeois landowners.
    • Persistence of latifundism (large estates).
    • Low production persisted; agricultural output increased without significant technical improvements.
    • Farmers did not obtain ownership of the land, leading to increased poverty and migration.

Challenges to Spanish Modernization

26. Obstacles to Modernization

  1. Lack of capital for industrial investments.
  2. Low demand due to the population’s low purchasing power.
  3. Poor transportation infrastructures.
  4. Dependence on low-quality raw materials and energy sources.
  5. Political instability.
  6. Lack of government support.

27. Factors Negatively Influencing Industrialization

  • Low demand due to peasant poverty.
  • Lack of an industrial bourgeoisie in many regions, resulting in insufficient investment.
  • Poor road conditions and delays in railway construction caused significant transportation problems.
  • Lack of energy sources and low-quality coal. Few useful water resources for hydroelectric power.
  • Spain was geographically distant from the most industrialized areas, hindering the acquisition of raw materials and the sale of its production.
  • Tariffs were established to protect Spanish industry; however, protectionism hindered industrialization, modernization of production, and the reduction of competitive costs.

28. Industrialization in Spain

  • General lack of raw materials (e.g., cotton) and energy sources (e.g., coal).
  • Textile Industry: Centered in Catalonia, despite the lack of local coal.
  • Steel Industry: Located in the Basque Country and Asturias.
  • Mining: Dominated by foreign companies; production was largely exported.
  • Banking: Introduction of the peseta (1868).

  • Railway Construction (1855–1865)

    • Radial structure centered on Madrid, connecting different industrialized centers.
    • Used a different gauge than international standards (wider Spanish gauge).
    • Materials (iron and steel) were largely imported due to tax exemptions, negatively impacting the domestic iron and steel industry.

29. 19th Century Spanish Society

  • The Bourgeoisie

    • The new wealthy class.
    • Included small industrialists, entrepreneurs, merchants, and liberal professionals.

  • Peasants

    • Constituted the majority of the population.
    • Often employed for a day wage (day laborers).

  • Industrial Proletariat

    • Small in number due to limited industrialization.
    • Concentrated in Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Asturias.

30. Working Class Movements

  • First Associations

    • Organization: Workers created associations and unions.
    • Pressure: They utilized strikes as a tool.

  • Peasant Revolts

    • Actions: Theft of crops and occupation of land.
    • Demands: They demanded ownership of the land.
    • Location: Primarily Andalusia.

  • The First International (AIT)

    • During the time of the Glorious Revolution (1868), Marxist and anarchist ideas spread in Spain.

  • Socialism

    • Party: Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE, 1879).
    • Trade Union: Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT, 1888).
    • Leader: Pablo Iglesias.
    • Promoting: Strikes and participation in national politics.

  • Anarchism

    • Promoting: General strikes and violent actions.
    • Trade Union: Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT, 1910).

Romanticism: Art and Architecture

Characteristics of Romanticism

  • Nationalism and Liberalism.
  • Creative freedom.
  • Individualism: Expression of the inner world, rejecting established norms.
  • Expression of feelings (the artist sought to convey emotion, fantasies, and desires).
  • Escape to the Middle Ages (seen as the origin of European nations).

Key Romantic Artists and Works

  • Caspar David Friedrich

    • The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog: Themes of sadness, solitude, individualism, and emotion.

  • Eugène Delacroix

    • Liberty Leading the People: Themes of nationalism, representation of all classes, liberty, and uprising.

Romantic Architecture

Imitation of medieval architectural styles (Neostyles).

  • Political Buildings: Neogothic.
  • Museums: Neogothic, Neoclassical.
  • Theaters: Neobaroque.
  • Churches: Neoromantic, Neogothic.
  • Spain: Mudejar style (Neo-Islamic).

Example

  • Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin: The Palace of Westminster (British Parliament).

Romantic Painting

  • Emphasis on color over figures.
  • Use of light and shadow to create drama.
  • Interest in landscape (representing human feelings, e.g., storms, isolation).
  • Complex, diagonal, and mobile compositions.
  • Focus on contemporary events (liberal revolutions).
  • Historical painting.
  • Oriental and exotic settings.

Key Painters and Works

  • J. M. W. Turner

    • The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons: Focus on forms achieved through color.

  • Caspar David Friedrich

    • Monk by the Sea: Landscape, solitude.
    • Abbey in the Oakwood: Landscape, terror.