TsT18. 2010.

Dossier

♦ Albert A. Broder
Foreign Investment in Spain in the 19th Century: Causes and Mechanisms of a “
” Dependence. An Essay in Economic History Based on a Comparison of Banking Systems

Abstract:
This essay, which is based on a lecture, seeks to shed light on the role of French investments in the Spanish economy of the 19th century, particularly in the establishment of the railway network, based on the fact that this significant intervention was a consequence of the French belief in their technical superiority, given the insufficiency of available capital and industrial capacity in Spain. Through three successive analyses, we have sought to understand the role of banks in railway investment in England, Germany, and France; to highlight the origins and problems of the scarcity of available capital in Spain; and to examine the effects of capital outflow on the French economy. The essay concludes with some explanations regarding the withdrawal of French capital and its absence during the investment phase of modern technology-based industries in Spain during the early decades of the 20th century.

♦ Miguel Ángel Villacorta Hernández
Financing Through Preferred Stock in Spanish Companies Related to the Railroad

Abstract:
During the 20th century, Spanish railroad companies were financed through banking institutions or by issuing bonds, relying much less on common stock and, only in a token manner, on different classes of stock. In contrast, different classes of stock were frequently used as a method of investment and financing in other countries. This research aims to detail the potential advantages that financing through preferred stock, non-voting stock, and redeemable stock would have offered to Spanish companies in the railroad sector.

♦ Richard Vahernkamp
Motorization and Autobahn Projects in Germany in the Interwar Period
Abstract:
This article examines the evolution of highways in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s. It focuses on the various projects and the debate surrounding a European highway network, as well as the significant role played by the Hafraba association in Germany. It also shows how the concept of the highway developed, starting with existing highways in Italy and leading to the design of the Frankfurt-Mannheim and Bonn-Cologne Autobahns and the conception of the Nazi Autobahn project. Finally, it explains that the rapid launch of the latter in 1933 was due to the preliminary work carried out by the Hafraba association.

♦ Esmeralda Ballesteros Doncel
Compensation for Workers in the Road and Public Works Service (MZA): Reflections on a Multidimensional Analysis
Abstract:
The study of wages must simultaneously address the quantification of compensation and the context in which it is received, taking into account the working conditions of those who receive it. The use of a multidimensional approach enhances the understanding and interpretation of wage statistics. In the case of the workers in the Track and Construction Service of the MZA company, their wages in 1915 were insufficient to support a family. However, the work was performed under unquestionably demanding conditions: long hours, travel on foot, outdoor work, hazardous conditions, the invisibility of their labor, and wage discrimination against women.

♦ Guillermo García González
Compensation: Attitudes and Responses of Spanish Railroad Companies to the Social Issue of the “
”
Abstract:
The imbalances that arose in the 19th century between production processes and workers’ living conditions did not receive any effective regulatory response in Spain until 1900. In this context, the preventive, protective, and welfare measures that some companies voluntarily implemented for their employees during the 19th century take on special significance, as they were intended to mitigate the legislature’s inaction in the face of the so-called social question.
This article analyzes some of the specific measures established by Spanish railroad companies for the benefit of their employees, and how these measures were structured to mitigate the consequences for workers arising from the new model of labor relations that emerged in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Specifically, the research focuses on the actions taken by railroad companies regarding occupational health, workplace accidents, and retirement pensions. The study demonstrates how railroad companies were half a century ahead of the state’s regulatory action, establishing innovative occupational health policies and implementing pioneering protection systems.

Historical Heritage

♦ Francisco Javier Muñoz Hernández
Postwar Railway Architecture in Bilbao: The
Railway Stations and the Shaping of a New City Image
Abstract:
After the Civil War ended, the state had to tackle the reconstruction, construction, and reorganization of the productive and energy sectors, as well as the most basic infrastructure and services, which it undertook through the General Directorate of Devastated Regions and the Ministry of Public Works. These efforts were complemented by a propaganda campaign that criticized the actions of the previous democratic government and extolled the work of the new regime, which, apparently, was capable of rising from the ashes to build a new empire. However, this approach was intended to conceal the lack of economic, material, and human resources needed to tackle the postwar period, and it was accompanied by an autarkic policy that was initially opposed to the growth of large urban centers, such as the city of Bilbao. Consequently, the reforms that were carried out did not form part of a comprehensive plan to centralize rail services or improve transportation links for goods and passengers from the nearby municipalities that made up the Bilbao metropolitan area. In reality, they were limited to the construction of two new stations which, along with other public buildings, helped define a new urban image characteristic of an equally new era.

Reviews

♦ Leonardo Caruana de la Cagigas
Nuria Puig and Eugenio Torres, Banco Urquijo. A bank with a rich history
♦ Antonio Santamaría García
Pilar Sa Leal (Ed.), Gauge 1435. Railroads in Cuba
♦ Pedro Pablo Ortúñez
Magda Pinheiro (editor), Railway Modernization: An Historical Perspective
s (19th and 20th Centuries)
♦ Xabier Lamikiz
Henri Lapeyre, A Family of Merchants: The Ruiz Family. A Contribution to the Study of Trade Between France and Spain During the Reign of Philip II