Spanish Confiscation: A Historical Process
Confiscation in Spain: A Long Historical Process
The Confiscation, also known as Disentailment, was a long historical and economic process in Spain. It began in the late 18th century under Godoy (1798) and concluded in the 20th century (December 16, 1924). Other countries experienced similar phenomena. It consisted of putting on the market, through public auction, land and unproductive assets held by the so-called “dead hands” — almost always the Catholic Church or religious orders, and territories of the nobility. These groups had accumulated wealth through donations, wills, and intestacy.
Its purpose was to enhance national wealth and create a bourgeoisie and middle class of land-owning farmers. The state also obtained a windfall to redeem securities of public debt. Secularization became the main political weapon with which the Liberals changed the ownership rules of the Old Regime to implement the new bourgeois state in the first half of the 19th century.
Social Implications of the Confiscation
If we divide Spain into a predominantly large-landholding south and a north with a majority of medium and small rural holdings, we can conclude, in accordance with Richard Herr’s work, that the confiscation concentrated ownership in each region in proportion to the pre-existing degree. Therefore, there was no significant change in the overall ownership structure.
Small plots were bought by residents of adjacent municipalities, while larger ones were acquired by the wealthiest people, usually living in cities further away from the property. In the predominantly large-landholding south, there were few small farmers with sufficient financial resources to bid in auctions of large estates, which reinforced the existing system. However, this did not happen in general terms in the northern part of the country.
Another issue was the privatization of communal property belonging to municipalities. Many farmers were affected by being deprived of resources that contributed to their livelihoods (wood, grass, etc.). Consequently, the rural population tended to emigrate to industrialized areas of the country or to America. This migration phenomenon reached very high levels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Economic Restructuring
- The Treasury gained more than 14,000 million reais from the auctions.
- There was an increase in cultivated area and agricultural productivity.
- Crops were improved and specialized through new investments by the owners.
- In Andalusia, for example, the cultivation of olives and vines expanded greatly.
- However, this had a negative influence, increasing deforestation.
Cultural Consequences
Many monasteries, paintings, and books were sold at low prices and ended up in other countries, although most of the books went to public libraries or universities. Many buildings of artistic interest (churches, monasteries) were abandoned and fell into ruin. Others, however, became public buildings and were preserved as museums or other institutions.
Political and Ideological Aims
One aim of the confiscation was to consolidate the liberal regime and create a new class of small landowners loyal to it. However, this goal was not fully achieved, particularly in southern Spain, where large landowners acquired most of the disentailed land.
Other Consequences
The secularization of the monasteries contributed to the modernization of cities. The convent city, with large religious buildings, transitioned to the bourgeois city, with taller buildings, extensions, and new public spaces created through demolition. Ancient religious buildings began to have other uses; many were transformed into public buildings (museums, barracks, hospitals), others were demolished to open up new roads or widen existing ones, and some became parish churches or were auctioned off to private owners.