Spain could have become one of the earliest major European industrial nations, given that its mountains are enormously rich in natural resources. However, the political development delayed modernisation by over a century. In prehistoric times, the land’s natural resources were exploited by native ... more
Spain could have become one of the earliest major European industrial nations, given that its mountains are enormously rich in natural resources. However, the political development delayed modernisation by over a century.
In prehistoric times, the land’s natural resources were exploited by native Iberians and Tartessians as well as Phoenician seafarers. The ancient great powers of Carthage and Rome warred over these riches. The victorious Romans subsequently mined gold at Las Medulas, cinnabar (mercury sulphide) in Almadén and silver and copper on the Rio Tinto on a quasi-industrial scale. Following this phase, mining went into decline for centuries. Only mercury from Almadén remained in demand, both in the Moorish era and the subsequent heyday of the Spanish empire, as it can separate the minutest traces of gold and silver from the host rock.
The decline of Spanish power starting from the 17th century ushered in a long period of economic stagnation. Agriculture remained primitive, with the land fragmented into miniscule plots where it wasn't held in the estates of disinterested aristocrats; the population sank into poverty; and the monarchs led their nation from one bankruptcy to the next. Still, the crown subsidised operations such as the arms manufactories in Toledo and Trubia and the glass works at La Granja. Starting in the 17th century, iron ore was refined in the Basque region. Aside from that, paper, alcoholic beverages and colourful print fabrics, produced mainly in Barcelona, were Spain’s only manufactured products.
The first industrialisation phase commenced in 1832 when the first steam-powered cotton factory went into operation in Barcelona. Mechanical looms soon followed, and the Catalonian metropolis rapidly became the heart of a major textile region that also attracted chemical and metalworking businesses.
Further impetus came in 1868: in an attempt to address its dramatic deficit, the government nationalised mining rights and leased them to investors. This triggered a mineral extraction boom: copper mining returned to Rio Tinto, mercury mining was resumed in Almadén, lead was mined near Cartagena, coal in Asturias and iron ore in the Basque country. However, as the necessary capital was lacking domestically, the investors were mostly foreign companies. The Spanish economy itself saw little benefit, as the lion’s share of the profits were siphoned off to France and England, where most of the raw materials were worked as well.
In the Basque province of Vizcaya, however, mines and steel works proliferated, stimulated by Britain’s insatiable demand for iron. On their return trip, the freighters carried British coal, which was both cheaper and higher-quality than the deposits in neighbouring Asturias; as a consequence, mining there declined. By contrast, an extremely successful shipbuilding industry developed in the region of Bilbao, and by the turn of the century the Basque country possessed one of Europe’s largest merchant fleets.
Still, all this amounted to little more than a “half-way”, peripheral industrialisation, as the coastal strips with their belching smokestacks were offset by the central highlands, where backward agriculture predominated. Spain remained an agrarian country with a high emigration rate, riven by social divisions which ultimately exploded in 1936 in a bitterly fought civil war that stifled the country’s economy even further.
In the aftermath, the internationally shunned dictator Franco proclaimed a painful policy of autocracy . The Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI) was founded in 1941 to diversify the industrial base. Key operations such as the tradition-steeped automotive manufacturer Hispano-Suiza and the Ford factory were nationalised. The INI also held the majority of shares in Seat, founded in 1950, which built automobiles under licence from Fiat.
But the weak domestic demand and shortage of capital meant that it was impossible to animate the economy by means of protectionist, restrictive actions. It was not until the proclamation of the “Stabilisation Plan” in 1959, which made Spain eligible for massive foreign aid, that the economy began to grow. At the same time, the government opened up the country for investors, enabling a thorough modernisation of the industrial sector. The “Spanish Economic Miracle” which followed in the 1960s was due in large part to foreign auto makers like Fiat and Renault, which significantly expanded their licence manufacturing in Spain. The chemical industry, which manufactured plastics, pharmaceuticals and fertilizers – often with foreign capital as well – formed a second pillar of the economy. The electrical industry also grew, not least to meet the growing domestic demand for household appliances.
The government subsidised exports and supported the expansion of the labour-intensive Asturian coal mines and Basque steel works. The INI attempted to keep the shipbuilding industry competitive by merging the major shipyards, while the Catalan textile industry, consisting of smaller workshops, slid into a crisis. Although not yet entirely adapted to the global economy, Spain had, by the early 1970s, developed into a leading industrial nation.
Almadén Mining Park World Heritage Site
Parque Minero de Almadén
Cerco San Teodoro
13400
Almadén, Spain
Basque Railway Museum
Museo Vasco del Ferrocarril
Julián Elorza, 8
20730
Azpeitia, Spain
La Encartada Fabrika-Museoa
El Peñueco 11
48800
Balmaseda, Spain
Museu Agbar de les Aigües
Museu Agbar de les Aigües
Ctra. de St. Boi, 4-6
08940
Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
Asturian Railway Museum
Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias
Plaza Estación del Norte s/n
33212
Gijón, Spain
Riotinto Mining Park
Parque Minero de Riotinto
Plaza del Museo s/n
21660
Minas de Riotinto, Spain
The Light Factory. Museum of Energy
La Fábrica de Luz. Museo de la Energía
Avenida Libertad 46
24404
Ponferrada, Spain
Museum of the Iron and Steel Industry and Mining of Castilla and León
Museo de la Siderurgia y la Mineria de Castilla y Leon (MSM)
Plaza de San Blas 1
24810
Sabero, Spain
Añana Salt Valley
Valle Salado de Añana
Calle Real 42
01426
Salinas de Añana, Spain
Soton Mine
Pozo Soton
Linares, AS-17
33950
San Martín del Rey Aurelio, Spain
National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia
Museu Nacional de la Ciència i la Tècnica de Catalunya (MNACTEC)
Rambla d’Ègara 270
08221
Terrassa, Spain
Mining Museum of the Basque Country
Museo de la Minería del País Vasco
Barrio Campodiego s/n
48500
Abanto-Zierbena, Spain
Agorregi Ironworks and Mill
Ferrería y Molinos de Agorregi
Pagoeta Natural Park
Laurgain Auzoa Barreiatua, 13
20809
Aia, Spain
Ajuria & Urigoitia Industrial Forest
Intuxi, 48
01250
Araia, Spain
As Pontes Industrial Experience
As Pontes Experiencia Industrial
Parque municipal, s/n
15320
As Pontes de García Rodríguez, Spain
Ilgner Electrical Transformers Building
Avenida Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, 33
48901
Barakaldo, Spain
The Igartza Monumental Complex
Igartzako Monumentu Multzoa
Igartzako plaza, 1
20200
Beasain, Spain
Itsasmuseum Bilbao
Euskal Itsas Museoa
Muelle Ramón de la Sota 1
48013
Bilbao, Spain
Capdella Hydroelectric Museum
Museu Hidroelectric de Capdella
Avinguda dels Avets 1
25515
Capdella, Spain
Capellades Paper Mill Museum
Museu Molí Paperer de Capellades
Pau Casals 10
08786
Capellades, Spain
Castellar de n’Hug Cement Museum
Museu del Ciment de Castellar de n’Hug
Paratge del Clot del Moro
08696
Castellar de n’Hug, Spain
Flour Milling Ecomuseum of Castelló d’Empúries
Ecomuseu-Farinera de Castelló d’Empúries
Carrer de Sant Francesc 5-7
17486
Castelló d’Empúries, Spain
Arnao Mine and Museum
Museo de la Mina de Arnao
La mina, 7
33450
Castrillón, Spain
Samuño Valley Mining Ecomuseum
Ecomseo Minero del valle de Samuño
El Cadavíu
33909
Ciaño, Spain
Basque Maritime Museum
Museo Marítimo Vasco
Kaiko pasealekua, 24
20003
Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Monte Igueldo Cable Car
Funicular Monte Igueldo
Plaza del Funicular, 4
2008
Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
Rezola Cement Museum
Museum Cemento Rezola
36 Añorga Hiribidea
20018
Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Arms Industry Museum
Museo de la Industria Armea
Bista Eder 10
20600
Eibar, Spain
Asturian Museum of Mining and Industry
Musea de la Minería y de la Industria de Asturias
El Trabanquin
33940
El Entrego, Spain
Museum of the Machine Tool
Museo Máquina-Herramienta
Azkue Bailara, 1
20870
Elgoibar, Spain
Museum of the Sedó Colony in Esparreguera
Museu de la Colònia Sedó d'Esparreguera
Àrea Industrial Can Sedó, Calle Contínues
08292
Esparreguera, Spain
"Pozo Julia" Mining Park
Parque de la Minería "Pozo Julia"
calle Otero, 61
24420
Fabero, Spain