18th Century Spain: Bourbon Reforms and Economy
1.4 .- The foreign policy
The reign of the Bourbons began with a major loss of power and influence of the Spanish Crown in the international context, that the monarchy has relieved the heavy military and financial burden that led to the maintenance of European possessions in ss. XVI and XVII. The Bourbon concentrated their energies on improving the situation within the country.
Century was a century that the relative peace, even though Spain was embroiled in some events of war:
The most important commitment of Elizabeth Farnese, the second wife of Philip V in protecting access to the throne of Naples, the eldest son, Carlos, and the throne of Parma and Modena’s other son, Felipe. Interest
Spaniards in Italy involved a confrontation with some European powers (with Austria). Looking for allies, Philip, and later, Carlos III, signed a series of pacts with France Þ covenants and Family
Coming to the throne of Ferdinand VI inaguro an era of neutrality in the Spanish foreign policy. Their efforts to dirxíronse reestructuración the army and fleet. The construction of ships was designed to maintain good lines of communication with the American territories. The Bourbon had yet
numerous colonies in AméricaÞ made efforts to streamline Admón, and trade in the colonies.
2nd half of the century, the reign of Carlos III, Spain intervened in the Seven Years War with France (3 covenant family) VS Inglaterra.ÛA war ended with peace and
PARIS 1763. Spain ceded Florida to the territories of Mexico and the United Kingdom, and Louisiana passed into the hands of French and Spanish. 1782 Portugal regains Menorca belonging to GB finally intervened with Spain with France in the War of Independence
2.Sociedade and economy of the Old Regime
2.1 .- Maintenance of estate society
Century society XVIII continued to maintain the division into estates and the essential characteristics were the legal inequality and inmobili.
-Privileged groups: the nobility and clergy were donosda Þ landed property, not paying taxes and holding public office. The clergy was little more
2% of the population, but controlled more than 40% of land ownership. The nobility belonged powder birth or by royal appointment, did not exceed 5% of the population and owned extensive property and had several landlords, who administered justice.
-Third State: heterogeneous compound for the rest of the inhabitants of the kingdom Þ Aturaban economic burdens of the state and were margined political decisions. Farmers majority of the population, were under a shallow lordly forced to surrender most of their farm incomes, this
form the edge of survival, if not in chronic hunger. The power of the nobility and the clergy during the ss. XVI and XVIII, prevented the development of commercial and industrial bourgeoisie. The improvement in economic activity, especially the development of trade, enabled the growth over the century Century, whose weight is
important since it exceeded the scope of some cities devoted to trade, especially colonial.
2.2 .- The agrarian economy
Agriculture was a key source of wealth, and dedicábase, 80% of the population. Most of the land was AMORTIZAAÞ could not buy or sell and should be transmitted by inheritance. So did the church lands, municipalities or the nobility whose assets it used the institution of the first-born son, during the XVIII century
extended to commoners enriched ..
> Even the Crown, the nobility and Igreza continued to be the holders of the lessors, extensive possessions on which exercised jurisdiction and the receiving
copious lace. Result, most of the arable land was out of the market and the vast majority of poboción could not have access to the property.
There were farmers own their land (Cantabria, Asturias, País Vasco and the north of Castile), most of the peasantry was ARRENATARIO or
XORNALEIRO. Þ condition varied according to areas and type of contract to which they were subjected. In Caraluna: the land belonged to the landlord or secular
cleciástico of medium sized and grown by farmers with stable contracts ENFITÉTICOS Þ and perpetuity, were not subject to increases
Beneficiábanse income and income growth land. In Galicia and Asturias, the tenants FOROS were fixed for three generations, but the lack of land led to the subdivision of these Þ SUBFOROS and MINIFUN a problem with tiny holdings, unable to maintain the family.
A large part of southern Castile (Extremadura and Andalusia) LATIFUNIOS were in the hands of the nobility and the clergy, worked by peasants in short-term rentals or employees. Conditions were harsh, it was the tenants who could not accumulate a minimum surplus to them to be constantly increased
rents, but if they were a miser depencían workers salary. In these regions, the extensive sheep farming was still very strong. The big landowners, organized in Mest, huge herds that had provided them with important benefits in many cases outweighed the land for grazing against the use for cultivation.
2.3 .- The weakness of the industry and internal trade
In the Old Regime, crafts and trade were economic sectors subsidiary of world agriculture. The traditional industry still organized in a guild, strict control over the production and creation of new industries. The lack of demand and power hierarchies guild kept intact thus protectionist
production.
The trade, internal market was weak and sparse, limited to exchanges of type local or regional. There were serious problems of transportation and the hinterland
Peninsula remained isolated from the periphery. The most serious problem of a market subject to the limits of an economy agrria almost aotoconsumo, the limited surpluses that could apropiar peasants, reached for the purchase of the most indispensable.
Trade maintained a certain importance, as a result of reforms introduced during the century, led to a reactivation d transactions with America
3 .- The Bourbon reformism: Carlos III
3.2 .- The Spanish Stock
The introduction and spread of new ideas illustrated was slow and difficult.