Society and Mindset in Spain: Education 1875-1903
Society and Mindset in Spain: Education (1875-1903)
Society was very polarized between a small group of privileged people, known as the Oligarchy, and a large impoverished mass. The middle classes were numerically small. The financial and landowning oligarchy, owners of land and bank capital, saw a merging of old and new nobility. The old nobility, in decline due to the effects of the Liberal Revolution, sought to solve their problems through marriage with the newly rich to ensure survival. These new marriages allowed commoners with grand fortunes to become ennobled.
The Middle Class
Below the Oligarchy was a sector of the population formed by the ennobled bourgeoisie and the middle class. This group included:
- Liberal professionals: Doctors, engineers, pharmacists, lawyers, notaries, etc.
- Government employees: Officials, due to the growth and development of state institutions.
- Military: The army became a means of social mobility and promotion.
The Working Class
Regarding the popular classes, the freeborn peasantry was distinguished by their numbers in the North and Central regions, while in the South, landless laborers were the majority. The unequal distribution of land produced a situation of poverty and economic dependence, which facilitated the control of the population by the chiefs. In the cities, the urban working class lived in poverty and lacked job stability. Workers were increasing in number and becoming more concentrated.
Labor Organizations
The development of labor organizations continued, with the first anarchist organizations and socialist organizations emerging (PSOE in 1879, UGT in 1888). Individual terrorism was considered “propaganda by deed” by the anarchists. Collective action, organized by trade unions, sought improved conditions. The strike became the main weapon of struggle, even considered an instrument of revolutionary change by anarchists or political change by socialists (as seen in 1917).
Demographic Transition
The population experienced a slow demographic transition characterized by:
- Population growth
- High mortality (especially infant mortality)
- High birth rate
- Short life expectancy
- High impact of livelihood crises and catastrophes
Epidemics, serious levels of poverty, poor hygiene, and poor public sanitation were prevalent. Regional differences existed, with higher growth in the periphery and in the most developed and urbanized areas.
Spatial Mobility and Urbanization
Spatial mobility was limited, with internal migrations observed (Madrid, Basque Country) and transoceanic emigration (to America). Urbanization was also limited compared to what was happening in other European populations. The population doubled during this period.
Mindset and Family Structure
Regarding the mindset, the effects of the moderate and liberal revolutions that occurred in Spain left their mark. In terms of family structure, the extended family was in decline, while the nuclear family was strengthened, though still scarce in urban areas.
Women’s Situation
The situation of women remained largely unchanged. During the reign of Elizabeth II, the first two education laws were promulgated:
- 1845: The Pidal Plan, which provided for public and private primary and secondary education, and only public university education.
- 1857: The Public Education Act of Claudio Moyano, which organized university education into five faculties and established the Corps of Professors and high school competitions.
The Role of the Church
The role of the Church in shaping the mentality of the 19th century began with the Moderates, who considered Catholicism an essential element of national identity and a means to achieve moral restraint and order against political and social radicalism. The Constitution of 1845 established Catholicism as the official religion and required the state to maintain the clergy through the budget.
The Concordat of 1851:
- Paralyzed confiscation.
- Excluded any other religion based on the unity of Spain’s Catholic bishops.
- Allowed bishops to speak on public education and freedom of the press.
- Positioned the Church against any attempt at secularization of culture and education.
This position of the Church in society opened a debate on the secularization of culture. Liberal educational reform, especially at the university level, was widely criticized by the Church, which guarded the Catholic Unity of the State, faith over reason, and the historical relationship between the greatness of Spain and Catholicism.