Territorial and Political Organization in Spain
The Conditions of the Physical Environment
The conditions of the physical environment of the peninsula have resulted in great regional diversity from the point of view of change and soils. Before the industrial revolution, the technical capacity to overcome the natural conditions was low, and the main economic activities were agriculture and livestock. The Mediterranean trilogy (wheat, vineyards, and olive groves) and a major livestock sector organized through the Mesta (Association of Castilian farmers), along with political, religious, and territorial factors, meant that the majority of the population was concentrated in the hinterland of the peninsula.
Center-Periphery Duality
The import of a liberal political regime in Spain was to encourage the development of a bourgeois and capitalist economy. However, regional differences should be noted:
- Center of the peninsula: It tended towards stagnation. The economic weight of the nobility was huge, and there were few agrarian bourgeois and annuitants. They continued to devote themselves to traditional primary activities. More conservative policy.
- Peninsular peripheral areas: They have a proven track record in developing a dynamic textile and steel industry, which favored the growth of a bourgeois industrial edge to diversify their economic activities, financial, etc. They had a more progressive political character.
The Economic and Demographic Balance
The biggest industry, due to the competitiveness of traditional craftsmanship, was in depressed regions that were not modernized, and this was reflected in the flight of capital and people into remote, more prosperous areas. There was an update of a transport system. In less developed areas, there was population growth. There were three types of economic areas:
- Poles of industrialization: Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao
- Areas next to the 3 poles: Necessary labor came from Aragon, the northeast of Spain, and Valencia
- Marginal areas: Modernization without Andalusia, Extremadura, Galicia, and the Spanish interior, where people emigrated to America
From 1930, there was a standstill due to the growth of world crises and wars. The stabilization plan of the economy began a period of growth that favored the already industrialized core and caused a new rural exodus. The marginal spaces provided labor to the industrialized core.
Principles of Territorial Planning
Faced with the problem of dispersion, the necessary preparation and implementation of plans to correct territorial planning are needed, as well as plans to regulate the land.
The Territorial Approach
The General Territorial Plan of Catalonia was approved. From this plan, seven regional plans were derived, one for each region. Their objectives are:
- Open system of despair: Reserve land for agricultural activities, livestock, and forestry
- Settlement system: Delimits the urban network, land uses for residential, industrial, and tertiary sectors, and urban rehabilitation and reconstruction
- Infrastructure system: Layout and features of infrastructures
Motion of confidence: It is presented by the Prime Minister, who also has the power to dissolve the courts and call elections.
Referendum: A referendum to decide on social, political, economic, or other types of issues, having a remarkable transfer.
General Council of Judicial Power (CGPJ): The governing body of all courts and tribunals that make up the judiciary, and subordinate to it, they exercise their functions:
- The supreme court halls of government
- National Audience
- Superior Court of Justice, the Prime Minister, and audiences
- The boards of judges as judges
- Judges
Executive Council: Body of Catalonia with executive and administrative functions. It is directed by the President and composed of ministers and counselors for the various departments.
Exclusive powers: Specific functions on which the Government has full authority and responsibility. It is the only administration.