Spain’s Economy and Society in the 16th Century

Economy and Society in 16th Century Spain

In economics, agriculture was very outdated, and poor land distribution hindered modernization. Important rainfed crops included grapes and cereals, while irrigation was prevalent in Andalusia, Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia.

In livestock, transhumant sheep farming in Castile was favored by the Catholic Monarchs and Charles I but later declined due to opposition from farmers.

Industry saw remarkable progress in the early 16th century due to a rising population,

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Spanish Population Dynamics: Birth, Mortality, and Growth

Natural Movement of the Spanish Population

The natural movement of the Spanish population is characterized by three distinct stages or regimes: the old demographic regime, the demographic transition, and the current regime. These stages are defined by changes in mortality and fertility rates.

Old Demographic Regime

This regime, prevalent until the early twentieth century, was marked by high birth rates, high mortality rates, and low natural growth. Birth rates were high due to the dominance of the

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Key Terms of Spanish History: 15th-18th Centuries

Religious and Social Groups

  • Holy Brotherhood: Organization created by the Catholic Monarchs to pursue and stamp out vandalism endemic in rural areas.
  • Inquisition: Tribunal established by the Catholic Monarchs to pursue the Judaizers, then the Moors, and then everything that was against religion.
  • Mudéjares: Muslims living in Christian territory.
  • Moriscos: Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity.
  • Judaizers: Baptized Jews who secretly practiced their religion.
  • Sephardim: Jews expelled from Spain who
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World Regions: Development, Economy, and Culture

Millennium Development Goals

  1. Improve maternal health
  2. Combat AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
  3. Ensure environmental sustainability
  4. Develop a global partnership for development

NGOs and private organizations formed by volunteers, humanitarian, health, education, and human rights… in underdeveloped countries.

Regions and Regional Groupings

Location: An area or portion of geographic space endowed with homogeneous characteristics.

Types of Regional Groupings by Factors:

  • Political factors (sets of state administrative
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Spanish Fishing Industry: Challenges and Regions

The Spaces of Fishing

Fishing activity has also been losing weight in the overall economy. However, it is still important in some regions, such as Galicia, and in the Spanish diet, which includes very high fish consumption.

The Fishing Area

The Spanish fishing space, or National Cauldron, extends from the coast up to 200 nautical miles, which delimit the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Fisheries are organized into eight regions: Northwest, Cantabrian, North Atlantic, Levantine, South Mediterranean,

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Francoist Spain: Dictatorship, Economy, and Society 1939-1975

Francoist Dictatorship: 1939-1975

The First Stage (1939-1959)

The first stage of Franco’s dictatorship, spanning from 1939 to 1959, was characterized by a reaction against the modernization efforts, both political and ideological, that had begun during the Second Republic. Franco consolidated all power and exercised significant authority over those who supported him. Those who lost the Civil War faced severe repression. After the 1950s, international support, particularly from the U.S., helped Spain

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