Spain’s 19th-20th Century Social & Cultural Shifts
Cultural Transformations and Changing Mentalities in Spain (19th-20th Century)
The New Urban Society
During the 19th century in Spain, the influence of landowning elites established a rentier, aristocratic-bourgeois society rather than an industrial one. Only in specific industrial areas or among certain business groups did the idea of valuing work, personal effort, and austerity take hold. This contrasted with the prevailing social model that often neglected work in favor of living off income.
The Catholic Church maintained significant social influence. Religious rites became integral to bourgeois social rituals. However, a segment of Spanish liberalism sought to secularize public life and reduce the dominance of religious morality. By the end of the century, some of the working class began to express anti-clerical attitudes, associating the Church with the dominant groups.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the expansion of a modern urban society with new social classes, driven by economic modernization. While the rural population remained substantial, the distinction between rural and urban Spain, each with different lifestyles and ideologies, became more pronounced.
In large cities, social stratification was evident in the separation of neighborhoods and differences in lifestyles and entertainment. Wealth determined social hierarchy, and the bourgeoisie displayed their economic power through large homes, cars, vacations, and other luxuries. Their entertainment, such as opera, theaters, casinos, and exclusive resorts, also signified their wealth.
The working classes, facing poor living and working conditions, developed their own distinct social norms and gathering places. These included fairs, dances, bullfights, and taverns.
Education and the Media
One of the most significant transformations of the early 20th century was the improvement in education. Liberals, influenced by the Enlightenment, saw education as crucial for political change and economic development. They believed the state should play a leading role in education, previously monopolized by the Church, and create a public, free, and secular education system.
The Public Instruction Act divided education into three levels: primary, secondary, and university. Only primary education was free. Access to secondary and, especially, university education remained limited to those with financial means. Only the elites attended university.
The education system was partly state-run (public) and partly private. Literacy rates increased significantly, from 30% to 70% of the population in just half a century, demonstrating the system’s improvement. Illiteracy was more prevalent among women, in rural areas, and in the southern part of the country.
The Central University of Madrid was the only institution teaching all degrees. During this period, Polytechnics and Schools of Fine Arts were established. Teachers, as government employees, lacked academic freedom.
In 1876, Francisco Giner de los Ríos founded the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (Free Institution of Education), promoting free thought, scientific debate, and comprehensive (humanistic and scientific) individual development. Over time, Krausist intellectuals associated with the Institution gained numerous university chairs in Spain.
Casinos served as centers for leisure and social life for the bourgeoisie, while village houses fulfilled a similar role for the working class. Both served as meeting and discussion places.
Increased literacy led to a greater demand for leisure and culture, fostering the habit of reading. Improvements in technology facilitated the expansion of the printed press. Along with radio, the press emerged as a mass communication medium, becoming an instrument of interaction between citizens and those in power. The media facilitated debate, broadcast critical arguments, and contributed to the formation of an increasingly influential independent public opinion.
Newspapers ranged from moderate liberal to liberal democratic and conservative. The publishing world and the press were centered in Madrid and distributed throughout the country via rail and mail.