TsT13. 2007.

Dossier

♦ María del Carmen Cózar Navarro
Commercial Activity in the Bay of Cádiz During the Reign of Isabel II
Abstract:
The commercial boom experienced by Cádiz during the reign of Isabel II attracted businesspeople from various Spanish towns, as well as from abroad, who revitalized the city’s battered commercial life, which had been severely damaged by the British blockade of Cádiz, the French invasion, and the loss of colonial territories. The liberalization of overseas trade—and, in particular, the dissolution of the Royal Philippine Company—presented an opportunity to establish prosperous trade between the archipelago, the metropolis, and the Antilles.
’s “Carrera de Manila” took on a new dimension that would be capitalized upon by Cádiz’s strengthened bourgeoisie. This work succinctly outlines the social and economic framework within which Cádiz’s business community of the time carried out its professional activities, as well as its characteristics as a social group, through profiles of some of its most prominent members.

♦ Martín Rodrigo y Alharilla
Catalan Shipping Companies and Shipowners in the Early Days of Steam, 1830–1870
Abstract:
This article describes and analyzes the entrepreneurs who played a leading role in the creation of Barcelona’s first steam shipping companies, covering a period from the founding of the first such company in 1830–1834 through the year 1870. During those years, the port of Barcelona had the largest fleet of registered ships in all of Spain. The text also examines the source of capital for these shipping firms and their legal structures. Finally, it highlights and analyzes the profound differences between shipping companies that based their operations on sailing ships and those that operated steamships.

♦ Jesús María Valdaliso
Spanish Shipping Companies in the British Mirror (c. 1860 – c. 1914): The Transfer of Capital, Management Systems, and Financing Models in an Internationalized Industry
Abstract:
This article demonstrates that the management systems and financing models prevalent in the Spanish shipping industry between 1860 and 1914, as well as the vast majority of its ships, were imported from Great Britain. Furthermore, a portion of the capital invested in this sector came from Great Britain, since some of the major Spanish shipping companies in the last third of the 19th century were financed with the help of British merchants and shipowners, while others were simply subsidiaries of English companies. The fluid transfer of institutions, technology, and capital from the United Kingdom to Spain, together with other endogenous factors, helps explain the rapid pace of technical change in the Spanish merchant fleet from an international perspective. This transfer was not only facilitated by Great Britain’s hegemonic role in the maritime industry but was also driven by the abundance of contacts and commercial relationships between Spanish businesspeople and their British counterparts.

♦ Enric García Domingo
The Impact of World War I on the Spanish Merchant Marine: A Note on the Catalan Case (1914–1922)
Abstract:
The impact of World War I on the Spanish merchant marine—and more specifically on the Catalan merchant marine—can be measured using various parameters. One of these is the creation of new corporations dedicated to shipping. In this paper, we examine the general context in which the merchant marine developed during this period—under increasing state control—and analyze various examples of companies established
between 1917 and 1921, categorizing them based on their share capital, the background of their founders, and the nature of their operations.

♦ José Ramón García López
The Asturian Merchant Marine, 1849–1900
Abstract:
Between the dates covered by this article, substantial changes in commercial shipping took place in Asturias, as in other regions. The period began with strong growth in wooden shipbuilding and the sailing fleet, which reached its peak in the early 1860s and was rapidly replaced by the new steam propulsion system. This technological shift brought with it greater investments and, consequently, new business and financing models, as well as the emergence of shipping as a distinct industry. This study analyzes the two modes of navigation and the transition between them. In particular, regarding the age of sail, it highlights the significant importance of regional shipbuilding. As for steam-powered shipping, the study tracks each shipping company, its organizational structure, and its evolution.

Historical Heritage

♦ José Andrés González Pedraza
The Northern Railway Company and the Barruelo Coal Mines (1877–1941). Sources for Their Study in the Hullera Vasco-Leonesa Archive
Abstract:
The Archive of the Sociedad Anónima Hullera Vasco-Leonesa, preserved and managed by the Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa (La Robla, León), is of fundamental importance for the study of coal mining in Spain and its role as a driving force behind Spanish industrial development. One of its archival collections includes documents that have been preserved regarding mining activity in the Palencia coalfields of Barruelo and Orbó, dating back to the earliest operations beginning in 1838. In 1877, Crédito Mobiliario Español sold the mines to the Northern Spanish Railway Company, which incorporated them into the company’s organizational structure under its Equipment and Traction Division. Operational problems, numerous mining infrastructure projects, and rising labor costs led the company to decide to separate ownership of the mines from the operation of the railroad, resulting in the establishment in 1922 of Minas de Barruelo S.A., whose sole client was the Compañía de Caminos de Hierro. This paper analyzes the documentary collections that researchers should consult to understand these historical events, their external characteristics, the legislation on which they are based, and the information they provide.

♦ Virginia García Ortells
The Documentary Legacy of Engineer Carlos Blanco Pozo in His Corporate Archives: The FGV Historical Archive
Abstract:
This article focuses on the heritage value of corporate archives and the importance of preserving, organizing, and describing their documents as a source for research. As a practical example, the article highlights the figure of railway engineer Carlos Blanco Pozo, whose work and initiatives regarding Valencia’s tramways have been studied thanks to the systematic cataloging of the collections held by the Historical Archive of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana.

Reviews

♦ Gabriel Tortella
William N. Goetzmann and K. Geert Rouwenhorst, Eds., The Origins of Finance: The
r Innovations That Created Modern Capital Markets
♦ Francisco Andújar Castillo
María Nélida García, Trading with the Enemy: Anglo-Spanish Commercial Trade in the
18th Century (1700–1765)
♦ Pilar González Yanci
Beascoechea Gangoiti, J.M. González Portilla, M. Novo López, P.A. (Eds.), The Contemporary City: Space and Society
♦ Eugenio Torres Villanueva
David S. Landes, Dynasties: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Great Business Families
♦ Pedro Pablo Ortúñez Goicolea
François Caron, The Great Railroad Companies of France, 1823–1937
♦ Antonio Cubel
Alfonso Herranz Loncán, Infrastructure Development in Spain (1844–1935)
♦ Mar Cebrián
Esther M. Sánchez Sánchez, Heading South: France and Spain’s Development, 1958–1969
♦ Alfonso Herranz Loncán
Matilde Mas Ibars, Francisco Pérez García, and Ezequiel Uriel Jiménez (eds.), Capital Stock and Services
in Spain and Their Territorial Distribution (1964–2005). A New Methodology
♦ Luis Santos y Ganges
Francisco Barbudo Gironza, Mérida: Its Urban Development. From Alignment Plans to the Special Plan for the Historic-Archaeological Complex
♦ Inmaculada Aguilar Civera
Andrés Sánchez Picón and Ramón de Torres López (editors), Miguel Ángel Pérez de Perceval, Arón Cohen Amselem, Domingo Cuéllar Villar, Alfonso Ruiz García, Fernando Martínez López, Mª Dolores Jiménez Martínez, Juan Salvador López Galán, Julián Sobrino Simal, Ana Martínez Marín, José Guirao Cabrera, Josefa Balsés Fernández, Miguel Ángel Blanco Martín, The English Cable in Almería. Centennial of the El Alquife Ore Loading Facility (1904–2004)