Synopses & Reviews
In the first major study in English of Spanish agrarian history, James Simpson examines how traditional agriculture responded to population growth and the integration of commodity markets. He argues that decisive changes in farming techniques only occurred at the start of this century; development was then interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and subsequent short-sighted government policies, only resuming in the 1950s. This comprehensive study will be of relevance to historical geography and agrarian history, as well as economic history.
Review
"Simpson's book is an important addition to the new historiography." Richard Herr, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Synopsis
A detailed analysis of Spanish agricultural history, explaining why it changed so slowly.
Synopsis
This major study of Spanish agrarian history examines how traditional agriculture responded to population growth and the integration of commodity markets, and explains why growth was so slow over two centuries.
Table of Contents
1. The relative backwardness of Spanish agriculture; 2. Traditional technologies and market opportunities, 1765-1880; 3. The limits to technical change, 1880-1936; 4. Markets and institutions, 1880-1936; 5. The state and the end of traditional agriculture; 6. Spanish agriculture in a European context.