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2022/2023

Spanish Economic History

Code: 102314 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501572 Business Administration and Management OT 4 2
2501573 Economics FB 1 2
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OT 3 2
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OT 4 1
2504216 Contemporary History, Politics and Economics OT 4 2

Contact

Name:
Carmen Sarasua Garcia
Email:
carmen.sarasua@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Teachers

Montserrat Llonch Casanovas Llonch Casanovas
Lei Shi

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to follow the course successfully. However it is desirable that students have some knowledge of World Economic History, World Contemporary History, Contemporary History of Spain, Geography of Spain and Economics

Objectives and Contextualisation

Economic History of Spain is part of the group of basic subjects in the first year for the studies of Economics and Business Administration. The objective of these subjects is for students to acquire the knowledge, analytical tools and basic methodology in order to develop the general and specific competencies of the degree program.

This course studies the development of the Spanish economy, starting in the 19th century but focusing on the 20th century. It appraises the different phases of modern economic growth, the impact of major historical facts in the economy as well as the transformation of economic institutions.

 

Competences

    Business Administration and Management
  • Capacity for adapting to changing environments.
  • Capacity for independent learning in the future, gaining more profound knowledge of previous areas or learning new topics.
  • Capacity for oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English, which enables synthesis and oral and written presentation of the work carried out.
  • Contextualise economic problems in historical terms.
  • Demonstrate initiative and work individually when the situation requires it.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the interrelationships between different economies, the role of national and international economies, their evolution and the consequences that may be produced for the company.
  • Identify the economic agents that make up an economy, understanding how they have been interrelated to date, how they are currently interrelated and forecast futures according to new circumstances and their influence on a specific company.
  • Organise the work in terms of good time management, organisation and planning.
  • Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
    Economics
  • Capacity for adapting to changing environments.
  • Capacity for independent learning in the future, gaining more profound knowledge of previous areas or learning new topics.
  • Contextualise economic problems in historical terms.
  • Demonstrate initiative and work individually when the situation requires it.
  • Identify the economic agents that make up an economy, understanding how they have been interrelated to date, how they are currently interrelated and forecast futures according to new circumstances and their influence on a specific company.
  • Organise the work in terms of good time management, organisation and planning.
  • Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
  • Show motivation for carrying out quality work and sensitivity to the consequences for the environment and society.
  • Value ethical commitment in professional practice.
  • Work well in a team, being able to argue proposals and validate or reject the arguments of others in a reasoned manner.
    Contemporary History, Politics and Economics
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Distinguish between and analyse the type of relations that have been established over the last century among the different social, political and economic agents on national, regional and international frameworks.
  • Distinguish between governmental decision-making systems in different social and political contexts from the mid-twentieth century to the present day in state-, substate and suprastate frameworks.
  • Explain and summarise knowledge acquired in English language at an advanced level.
  • Identify the role in the present of the different social memories referring to conflictive pasts, differentiating between the concepts of history and memory.
  • Manage and apply data to solve problems.
  • Recognise and contextualise texts referring to recent contemporary history.
  • Relate fundamental questions of the current economic situation with previous economic developments on the basis of the main elements of contemporary economic history.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Work cooperatively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams implementing new projects.

Learning Outcomes

  1. A capacity of oral and written communication in Catalan, Spanish and English, which allows them to summarise and present the work conducted both orally and in writing.
  2. Analyse the current economic problems in historical terms, to better assess the evolutionary possibilities of economic systems.
  3. Analyse the labour markets and the international flows of workers in the different phases of contemporary economic growth.
  4. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  5. Apply, with historical perspective, new experiences of industrialisation to developing countries.
  6. Assess ethical commitment in professional activity.
  7. Be familiar with the basic bibliography on historical evolution of governmental systems in the countries of reference for the subject.
  8. Capacity to adapt to changing environments.
  9. Capacity to continue future learning independently, acquiring further knowledge and exploring new areas of knowledge.
  10. Demonstrate capacity to adapt to changing environments.
  11. Demonstrate initiative and work independently when required.
  12. Demonstrate motivation regarding the quality of the work performed and sensitivity regarding the consequences on the environment and society.
  13. Describe the dynamic aspects of economic activity, taking as a reference the main phases of contemporary economic growth, and identify the main factors that have conditioned it.
  14. Describe the historical evolution of the strategic factors determining the development and location of industry.
  15. Differentiate between the literality of texts in their social and political senses based on a specific context.
  16. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  17. Evaluate and critically resolve the histiographical problems of studies of civil wars.
  18. Explain the theoretical models of economy, in relation to their basic assumptions, using different historical cases as a reference.
  19. Express an opinion based on the nature, perspective and rigour of texts referring to the course content.
  20. Identify the main causes of periods of economic stability, recession and crisis, on a regional, national and international scale.
  21. Identify the problems of economic agents on the basis of different historic experiences.
  22. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  23. Know different cases of memories in conflict between different places in the same state.
  24. Make a brief comparison of national and/or regional cases within the same international framework.
  25. Make comparisons between the levels of regional autonomy within a state.
  26. Organise work, in terms of good time management and organisation and planning.
  27. Perform an integrated analysis of the financial and physical flows of the economy, on the basis of different historical experiences.
  28. Perform an integrated analysis of the physical, financial, and migratory flows of the economy, on the basis of different historical experiences.
  29. Placing in historical perspective the new industrialisation experiences in the developing countries.
  30. Recognising and implementing the following teamwork skills: commitment to teamwork, habit of cooperation, ability to participate in the problem solving processes.
  31. Select and generate the information necessary for each problem, analyse it and take decisions based on that information.
  32. Select and generate the information needed for each problem, analyse it and make decisions based on this information.
  33. Summarise the different experiences of economic development, on a regional, national and international scale.
  34. Understand regional specificities within states.
  35. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
  36. Work as part of a team and be able to argue own proposals and validate or refuse the arguments of others in a reasonable manner.
  37. Work in teams respecting all points of view. Use the specific vocabulary of history correctly.

Content

INTRODUCTION. The Spanish economy growth in the long run (19th and 20th centuries)

 

TOPIC 1. INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE AND FAILURE OF AGRARIAN AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGIES (1789-1890)

  1. Population, urbanization, human capital
  2. Natural conditions and the limits of agrarian growth
  3. The reform of the state: economic liberalization and disentailments
  4. Problems of the first industrialization: textile, iron, mining sector.
  5. Internal and foreign trade. The transport system: railways and cabotage
  6. Banking and Treasury

 

TOPIC 2. FIRST GLOBALIZATION AND PERIOD OF ENTREGUERRES (1890-1936)

1. From the 1898 colonial crisis to WWI

2. The impact of WWI on a neutral economy

3. Structural change and growth in the 1920s

4. The 1930s crisis and the II Republic (1931-1936). The Agrarian reform (1932)

 

TOPIC 3. THE CIVIL WAR AND THE FIRST DECADE OF FRANCO’S DICTATORSHIP (1936-1951)

  1. The Spanish economy during the civil war (1936-1939)
  2. The political context: organization of the "New State”, International isolation and autarky.
  3. Market intervention: fall in output, rationing and inflation

 

TOPIC 4. IMPORT SUBSTITUTION INDUSTRIALIZATION (ISI) (1951-1959)

1. Cold War, the Madrid Treaty and the reduction of interventionism.

2. Import Substitution Industrialization

3. Growth of GDP and pc income, and structural change

4. The end of autarky: The 1959 Stabilization Plan

 

TOPIC 5. THE DEVELOPMENT YEARS (1960-1973)

  1. Reintegration into international economy and market-opening measures
  2. Agricultural modernization
  3. Accelerated industrialization
  4. The service sector: the specialization in Tourism
  5. The labor market: internal and external migrations and participation rate
  6. The improvement in per capita income and social well being

 

TOPIC 6. ECONOMIC CRISIS AND POLITICAL TRANSITION (1975-1985)

1. The 1970s oil shocks (1973, 1979)

2. Anti-crisis policies: Pactos de la Moncloa (1977)

3. Fiscal reform and consolidation of the Welfare State

4. Industrial and banking crisis, and massive unemployment

5. Towards Integration into the European Community

 

TOPIC 7. INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION (1986-1998)

1. The construction of theEC

2. Economic consequences of theintegration into the EC

3. Structural reforms

4. Investment, the engine for growth

5. Dominance of the service sector


 TOPIC 8. A BALANCE OF TWO CENTURIES: PRODUCTIVITY AND WELL-BEING

  1. Growth of productivity, per capita income and wellbeing
  2. Inequality between regions, households and individuals

 

Methodology

The planned methodology of Spanish Economic History is conventional and face-to-face learning and involves five complementary learning activities:

1. Lectures. 

2. Practical classes

3. Individual work by the students (reading and information search)

4. Tutorials

5. Campus virtual (webpage)

 

The proposed teaching methodology may undergo some modifications according to the restrictions imposed by the health authorities on on-campus courses.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 32.5 1.3 28, 3, 8, 1, 9, 14, 21, 20, 12, 32, 33, 5, 6
Practical classes 17 0.68 8, 1, 26, 32
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 8 0.32 9, 11, 26, 36, 6
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of practical exercises 37.5 1.5 1, 26, 32
Reading and independent study 49.5 1.98 9, 26, 32

Assessment

The evaluation will consist of various activities developed during the course. 

Evaluation criteria

Value over the final grade

1. Midterm exam 1

40%

2. Midterm exam 2

40%

3. Practical exercises

20%

 

 

TOTAL

100%

 Each midterm exam will consist of 20 test questions (50% of the final exam grade) and two essay questions (50% of the final exam grade). Each of the correct answers to the test questions will score 0.5 points and a penalty of -0.125 for each incorrect answer.The examination questions correspond to the subject explained in the theory and practice sessions and to the content of the teaching materials indicated by the teacher.

Calendar of evaluation activities

The dates of the exercises in the classroom will NOT be announced in advance during the semester.

The dates of the midterm, final and recovery exams are scheduled in the assessment calendar of the Faculty.

"The dates of evaluation activities cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and duly justified reason why an evaluation activity cannotbe carried out. In this case, the degree coordinator will contact both the teaching staff and the affected student, and a new date will be scheduled within the same academic period to make up for the missed evaluation activity." Section 1 of Article 115. Calendar of evaluation activities (Academic Regulations UAB). Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, who in accordance with the previous paragraph need to change an evaluation activity date must process the request by filling out an Application for exams' reschedule https://eformularis.uab.cat/group/deganat_feie/nou-reprogramacio-de-proves

 

Grade revision process

After all grading activities have ended, students will be informed of the date and way in which the course grades will be published. Students will be also be informed of the procedure, place, date and time of grade revision following University regulations.

 

Retake Process

"To be eligible to participate in the retake process, it is required for students to have been previously been evaluated for at least two thirds of the total evaluation activities of the subject." Section 3 of Article 112 ter. The recovery (UAB Academic Regulations). Additionally, it is required that the student to have achieved an average grade of the subject between 3.5 and 4.9.

The retake exam will consist of 4 essay questions and all of them will score equally.

The date of the retake exam will be posted in the calendar of evaluation activities of the Faculty. Students who pass this exam will get a grade of 5 for the subject. If the student does not pass the retake, the grade will remain unchanged, and hence, student will fail the course.

 

Irregularities in evaluation activities

In spite of other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the case that the student makes any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation activity, it will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed. In case of various irregularities occur in the evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0". Section 10 of Article 116. Results of the evaluation. (UAB Academic Regulations).

 

The proposed evaluation activities may undergo some changes according o the restrictions imposed by the health authorities on on-campus courses.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Four exercises at the classroom 20% of the final mark 2 0.08 27, 28, 1, 19, 33
Midterm exam 1 40% 1.5 0.06 27, 28, 3, 2, 4, 17, 8, 1, 9, 24, 34, 23, 10, 11, 14, 15, 13, 7, 25, 18, 19, 21, 22, 20, 12, 26, 16, 30, 32, 31, 33, 29, 5, 36, 37, 6, 35
Midterm exam 2 40% 2 0.08 27, 28, 3, 2, 4, 17, 8, 1, 9, 24, 34, 23, 10, 11, 14, 15, 13, 7, 25, 18, 19, 21, 22, 20, 12, 26, 16, 30, 32, 31, 33, 29, 5, 36, 37, 6, 35

Bibliography

The most useful textbook is this general overview: 

Gabriel Tortella (2000), The Development of Modern Spain. An Economic History of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century, Harvard University Press.

 

You can also use for specific subjects: 

Betrán, C.; Pons, M.A. (Eds) (2020), Historical Turning Points in Spanish Economic Growth and Development, 1808-2008. Palgrave Macmillan.

Carreras, Albert; Tafunell, Xavier (2021) Between Empire and Globalization. An Economic History of Modern Spain. Palgrave Macmillan.

Herranz-Loncán, A. (2007), "Infrastructure investment and Spanish economic growth, 1850-1935," Explorations in Economic History, 44(3), p. 452-468.

Malefakis, Edward E. (1970), Agrarian Reform and Peasant Revolution in Spain, Origins of the Civil War, New Haven: Yale University Press

Prados de la Escosura L., et al (2017), Spanish Economic Growth, 1850-2015, Palgrave Studies in Economic History (free downloadable)

Prados de la Escosura, L et al. (2012), “Economic Reforms and Growth in Franco’s Spain”, Revista de Historia Económica, 30(1), pp. 45-90.

Ringrose, David (1970), Transportation and Economic Stagnation in Spain, 1750-1850, Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press.

Richard Herr, An Historical Essay on Modern Spain, The Library of Iberian resources online.

Software


The basic software used will be Power Point, Excel and Word.